Goddess Kali

This artwork is an old vintage rendition from Calcutta Art Studio published around 1885–95.

Kali is among the most beloved forms of the Divine Mother,

yet also the most misunderstood.

She dances in the cremation ground,

standing upon the still body of Shiva.

Her skin is dark as the night beyond stars.

A garland of skulls circles her neck,

human bones adorn her ears.

Her tongue protrudes, fierce and laughing.

In one hand she holds the blood-stained sword,

in another the severed head of ego.

Her other hands grant fearlessness

and bestow blessings.

She wears a skirt of severed arms

the symbols of past actions.

She stands naked,

for she is beyond all illusion.

Kali is Time itself.

Time is life.

Life moves through time.

Through the vital force Prana

we live the current of existence.

Kali is that power.

She is the force of action,

the intelligence within the body,

the rhythm of the cosmos.

She is life.

She is the eternal love

that exists beyond birth and death.

To realize Kali,

the mortal self must dissolve

so the cosmic self may arise.

She destroys desire.

She ends the cycle of fear.

She cuts the demons of the mind.

Kali is Samadhi.

Kali is Nirvana.

Kali is the death of Death.

Mantra

Om Krim Kalike Svaha

Through devotion to Kali

one attains fearlessness,

liberation,

and the freedom of the eternal.