Sanskrit: काली, Kālī
Free Simple Kali Puja PDF
Kali Mata is the Energy of Wisdom (jnana shakti), and by Her Grace, all knowledge is conceived, and all wisdom is intuited.
With Her wisdom, Kali takes away the darkness of the external world.
Then She bestows the True Light of the inner world. Her love and her grace are beyond what words can describe.
Kali is our Mother and the Mother of all the universes.
With Her love we become unattached and free from action and reaction – we become a silent witness resting in universal delight.
Kali takes away our darkness – our Kala. She takes away the darkness from everyone who strives for perfection by performing the spiritual disciplines of purifying austerities.
“Kala” also means time, and Kali means the One Who is Beyond Time.
In the form of Prakriti, Mother Nature, Kali dances on the field of consciousness – depicted as the broad chest of Lord Shiva. She dances with wild and unselfconscious abandon.
She is Mukti, the primal energy of spiritual freedom.
Benefits of Worship
When one can reside within, without identification or attachment to the ever-changing external influences, then the Supreme Truth can be realized.
This is the path that Mother Kali shows us.
By spreading Her darkness over worldly desire, Kali makes seekers totally oblivious to the transient external elements.
They then become totally contained in the Self.
To worship Mother Kali, we perform Her puja, sing Her names, recite Her mantras, and remember Her in both times of ease and in times of difficulties.
Worship and Celebrations at Devi Mandir
Kali worship is performed daily at the Devi Mandir as part of the Cosmic Puja.
A grand Kali Puja festival is held on the new moon night of the month of Ashwin (October-November). For this puja, Shree Maa decorates the Temple with paintings of red-colored feet.
These represent Divine Mother Kali entering our Temple to be worshiped. An incredible evening of Kali worship ensues with the chanting of Mother Kali’s thousand names.
There are special offerings prepared, and many songs are sung.
Similar celebrations are held on the new moon nights of the lunar months of Margashirsha (usually December), and Jyestha (usually June), for the Ratanti Kali Puja, and the Phalaharini Kali Puja, respectively.
Each of these holiest days is an occasion to call out to Divine Mother Kali to take away the darkness of ignorance from our minds and to illuminate our lives with Divine Light and True Wisdom.
Reference Material
- Podcast series of Kali Puja class in English with question/answer sessions available on the Podcast section of this website.