Kali’s Three Eyes – The Eye of Wisdom

 Kali is represented with three eyes. The third eye symbolizes wisdom and is one of the distinctive features of her image.

Her four arms form another part of this representation. The right hands express fearlessness and blessings, while the left hands hold a bloody sword and a freshly severed, bleeding human head. Looking toward Kali’s right side, one sees good; looking toward her left side, one sees evil.

Her tongue is extended in a gesture of shyness. According to the explanation given by Harding, Kali has unknowingly stepped upon the body of her husband, Shiva. There is also a more philosophical interpretation of this feature: the red tongue represents rajas, the quality of activity, while the teeth holding the tongue represent sattva, associated with spirituality.

Kali’s form is not limited to a destructive aspect of divine power. What exists when time has been transcended, described as an eternal night of unlimited peace and joy, is also called Kali, or Maharatri. She is also described as the power that impels Shiva Mahadeva toward the next cycle of creation.

The Kali image at Dakshineswar is known as Bhavatarini, the Mother who is the Saviour of the World. Harding notes that although this name is now commonly used, it is not known who gave it to the image or when. In a trust deed signed by Rani Rasmani in 1861, the name of Kali is recorded as Sri Sri Jagadiswari Mahakali.

Source & Note

This article is based on Elizabeth U. Harding’s Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar (Nicolas-Hays, 1993). The material has been edited and adapted for this publication.