The Many Forms of Kali – Dakshineswar Kali, Smashan Kali and Adyapith Kali

 As one approaches the temple of Kali at Dakshineswar, the Goddess appears in several different forms. The shops and stalls along the road are filled with pictures and small images of gods and goddesses, and among them are three particular forms of Kali: Dakshineswar Kali, Smashan Kali and Adyapith Kali.

Dakshineswar Kali is represented in a gentle form. Smashan Kali has a very different appearance, wild and frightening, while Adyapith Kali is again shown in a comparatively gentle form. These different representations are among the many images encountered on the way to the temple.

The stalls also display images of Ganesha, Shiva, Krishna and Radha, Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati and Parvati. The familiar names and forms, however, are only a small part of the great number of forms belonging to the Hindu pantheon.

The feminine forms have a special significance in the teaching described by Harding. Women are manifestations of Shakti, and devotion to one's own mother is regarded as respect for the Divine Mother. The mother is the first guru, and she remains honoured throughout life.

This understanding of the mother is illustrated by the story of Queen Madalasa. She possessed spiritual knowledge and taught her sons about Brahman and the illusory nature of the world. She sang to them the words “Tat tvam asi,” teaching them that their true nature was connected with the highest reality. Her sons eventually renounced worldly life.

Her husband, Raja Ritadhvaja, was unhappy about this and sent their fourth son to a royal teacher. Madalasa, however, secretly gave the boy a message in a ring. It told him that only God is real, that everything else is false, and that the soul is never born and never dies.

When the boy later read the message, its meaning became clear to him. He realized, “I am the Infinite Brahman.” He then gave his kingdom to the minister and renounced worldly life.

The different forms of Kali and the many other images of the gods therefore belong to a tradition in which the Divine is approached through many names and forms, while Brahman remains the one ultimate reality.

At Dakshineswar, the pilgrim encounters this variety even before entering the temple. Images of Kali stand among those of the other deities, while the stalls offer flowers, garlands, perfumes, bangles and other objects used in devotion to the Goddess.

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.