In this article, we will learn about Kali, one of the ten Mahavidyas – great macrocosmic powers that together contain the energy of the universe, the tantra of the universe, represented by Hindu Goddesses in Hinduism.
A Terrifying Image with Compassionate Eyes
The shocking image of Kali is usually shown with a sword in one hand, severed heads around her neck, and with her tongue out. And yet, you may find that her eyes are always filled with compassion.
Why does the personification of the energy of time look this way? Why not appear as a clock or a sand clock? Swami Vivekananda once said that if we were a planet of bulls, we would have imagined Kali as a bull, a cow. Because Kali, like all Hindu deities, is a humanised manifestation of cosmic principles, and she is feminine. So, time, the force behind all endings, if it were human, would look like her.
The ancient yogis, rishis, and great tantrics meditated deeply until the image of Kali appeared to them in visions. The feminine with the tongue out was somehow translated in an archetypical way as a key to that universal force. There are many forms of Kali revealed to practitioners, each reflecting different aspects of time and its impact on life.
Personal Experience with Kali
From the personal experience of Uriel, a Senior Tantra and Yoga teacher at Mahasiddha Yoga, he received the mantra and sādhana of Kali in a yoga course in the spring of 2002. To receive her mantra is not a simple process; it requires dedication, a year and a half of studies and consistent practice, before you’re even considered ready. You cannot buy it or casually request it.
After receiving the mantra, Uriel meditated with it daily. Sometimes, he would spend entire weeks immersed in her, meditating for ten hours a day. Occasionally, he would fast from food and sleep for 24 hours, repeating the mantra without pause. Being very tired from a long, intense practice, Uriel had to stand, walk, stretch, or do āsanas just to stay awake, and continue repeating the mantra to invigorate this connection with her.
This practice connected him to the essence of life itself. It made him feel deeply alive, inwardly vibrant, and awake. Her presence was gentle, blissful, absorbing, but sometimes full of intensity. And sometimes, her grace brought gifts. At other times, her fierce compassion revealed to Uriel all sorts of limitations and gave him the strength to overcome them.
Uriel shares a moment from his early twenties when he was in Las Vegas. He was still a child in many ways and had the appeal of money and power over him. He had little finances, but then a sudden influx of money through a game of roulette happened to him. It brought a lot of anxiety. He then prayed to Kali in meditation and felt like being cleansed and purified from an anxious state. It revealed shortcomings, greediness and laziness.
Kali has the power to destroy that which is impure. This isn’t always pleasant and can be painful to deal with, like going into a washing machine. But afterwards, there is purity and the relief of not having that defect.
Another time, while also practising meditations with Kali, Uriel allowed himself to sink into laziness, justifying it with the efforts he had previously made. He carried with him a charged crystal, dear to him. On a journey across Europe, he stopped at a roadside toilet and in that unconscious moment, the crystal slipped and was lost. He realised the loss hundreds of kilometres later.
It was a very valuable lesson learned, and it remained as a token. There is no space for unconsciousness in the realm of Kali. There is a constant light of responsibility, of awareness, of lucidity that needs to be and that can be maintained.
The Terrible Beauty of Time and the Gift of Eternity
There’s something incredible about devotion to Kali. Ramakrishna sang, “My mother looks black, but she’s not, she’s transparent.” Like the sea, which is clear and only appears blue. Kali may look terrifying, but her eyes are full of compassion, and she’s always smiling. Because time is like that.
Have you noticed how time hurts? When our beloved one, our family member, is far away in space, it hurts a bit. But if they are far in time, if they’ve passed away, it hurts much more. The feeling of childhood and youth that has slipped away hurts a lot. Space allows for everything; time destroys. That’s why the goddess of space looks very calm and beautiful, because space is accepting, while the goddess of time destroys everything impure.
Time destroys for a purpose, and that purpose is perfection. Come close to Kali, and time accelerates. She takes you from an ordinary, mellow time, which hurts, to a fast time that hurts a bit in the beginning and then becomes utterly ecstatic. And then that turns into no time.
Kali is also the goddess of eternity, and she creates this tremendous stillness. The whole universe vibrates like a movie, and there is a totally still consciousness that facilitates the vibration of the whole universe. This is the gift of Kali; she enlightens by contact with eternity.
Sweetness Beyond Imagination
Kali is sweet and tender in degrees that cannot be imagined. Once you are close to her and willing to follow her, to become similar to her, all of life becomes filled with sweetness. Even difficulties and challenges become sweet. Limitations dissolve by the effervescent heartfulness of this sweetness.
Whether you have a formal initiation or not, anyone with a sincere heart can call upon Kali. She is very kind, and she answers if you are strong enough in your devotion and desire to transform.
The Difference Between Kali Yuga and Kali
There is a common confusion when people say that we are in the age of Kali. But that’s incorrect. In Sanskrit, Kali, the goddess, is written with a long ‘A’. While the age we live in, Kali Yuga, is written with a short ‘A’. They are not the same. The word “Kali” in Kali Yuga comes from an ancient Indian dice game with four throws. One of the throws is bad and is called Kali. The others are better and are named as Dvapara, Treta, and Satya.
Kali, the goddess of time, intensity and transformation, is both the destroyer and the liberator. She is the purifying fire and the still, eternal heart. She has a transformative power of time. She terrifies only to awaken. And when you come close to her, life becomes radiant with meaning, and even time begins to smile.
This article was transcribed and edited by Tony from the following video:
