Trying to delve into the history a bit, I was surprised to note a few things about Kali Puja.
Kali Puja, probably started in the eighteenth century and was started by the zamindars of Bengal. Raja Krishnachandra of Navadwip probably started it. His descendants made it popular. Given that the name Calcutta / Kolkata is supposed to have come from the word Kali, I had assumed Kali Puja to be a very ancient Puja. Kalikata was one of three villages that were combined to form what we know as the present 'City of Joy'.
Kali is a goddess who appears in Markandeya Purana in Devi Mahatmayam. She is born from Durga, to kill Raktabija. She is also mentioned as one of the Das Mahavidyas (Ten Goddesses) of Shakti - when Sati/ Parvati is supposed to have shown this to Shiva.
Dark in color, her color is the contrast of Shiva, who is coated in ashes from the burning funeral pyres, so has a white color.
Word Kali has its roots in the Sanskrit word Kal , which means Time. It could also relate to the word 'Kala' which means Black. There is nothing that escapes the all-consuming march of time. She brings the death of the ego as the illusory self-centered view of reality. Shiva and Kali are said to inhabit these places because it is our attachment to the body that gives rise to the ego. Shiva and Kali grant liberation by removing the illusion of the ego. This is underscored by the scene of the cremation grounds.
She wears a garland of skulls and a skirt of dismembered arms because the ego arises out of identification with the body. Thus the garland and skirt are trophies worn by Her to symbolize having liberated Her children from attachment to the limited body. She holds a sword and a freshly severed head dripping blood. Her black skin represents the infinity from which all of creation arises and into which all of creation will eventually dissolve. She is depicted as standing on Shiva who lays beneath Her with white skin . He has a blissful detached look. Shiva represents pure formless awareness while She represents "form" eternally supported by the substratum of pure awareness.
Kali's four arms represent the complete circle of creation and destruction, which is contained within her. She represents the inherent creative and destructive rhythms of the cosmos. Her right hands, making the mudras of "fear not" and conferring boons, represent the creative aspect of Kali, while the left hands, holding a bloodied sword and a severed head represent her destructive aspect. The bloodied sword and severed head symbolizing the destruction of ignorance and the dawning of knowledge. The sword is the sword of knowledge, that cuts the knots of ignorance and destroys false consciousness (the severed head). One right arm gestures to dispel fear and the other encourages all to spiritual strength. Kali opens the gates of freedom with this sword, having cut the eight bonds that bind human beings. With her three eyes she is able to observe the three modes of time: past, present and future. Her white teeth show her inner purity, and her red lolling tongue indicates her omnivorous nature — "her indiscriminate enjoyment of all the world's 'flavors'.
Kali Puja, probably started in the eighteenth century and was started by the zamindars of Bengal. Raja Krishnachandra of Navadwip probably started it. His descendants made it popular. Given that the name Calcutta / Kolkata is supposed to have come from the word Kali, I had assumed Kali Puja to be a very ancient Puja. Kalikata was one of three villages that were combined to form what we know as the present 'City of Joy'.
Kali is a goddess who appears in Markandeya Purana in Devi Mahatmayam. She is born from Durga, to kill Raktabija. She is also mentioned as one of the Das Mahavidyas (Ten Goddesses) of Shakti - when Sati/ Parvati is supposed to have shown this to Shiva.
Dark in color, her color is the contrast of Shiva, who is coated in ashes from the burning funeral pyres, so has a white color.
Word Kali has its roots in the Sanskrit word Kal , which means Time. It could also relate to the word 'Kala' which means Black. There is nothing that escapes the all-consuming march of time. She brings the death of the ego as the illusory self-centered view of reality. Shiva and Kali are said to inhabit these places because it is our attachment to the body that gives rise to the ego. Shiva and Kali grant liberation by removing the illusion of the ego. This is underscored by the scene of the cremation grounds.
She wears a garland of skulls and a skirt of dismembered arms because the ego arises out of identification with the body. Thus the garland and skirt are trophies worn by Her to symbolize having liberated Her children from attachment to the limited body. She holds a sword and a freshly severed head dripping blood. Her black skin represents the infinity from which all of creation arises and into which all of creation will eventually dissolve. She is depicted as standing on Shiva who lays beneath Her with white skin . He has a blissful detached look. Shiva represents pure formless awareness while She represents "form" eternally supported by the substratum of pure awareness.
Kali's four arms represent the complete circle of creation and destruction, which is contained within her. She represents the inherent creative and destructive rhythms of the cosmos. Her right hands, making the mudras of "fear not" and conferring boons, represent the creative aspect of Kali, while the left hands, holding a bloodied sword and a severed head represent her destructive aspect. The bloodied sword and severed head symbolizing the destruction of ignorance and the dawning of knowledge. The sword is the sword of knowledge, that cuts the knots of ignorance and destroys false consciousness (the severed head). One right arm gestures to dispel fear and the other encourages all to spiritual strength. Kali opens the gates of freedom with this sword, having cut the eight bonds that bind human beings. With her three eyes she is able to observe the three modes of time: past, present and future. Her white teeth show her inner purity, and her red lolling tongue indicates her omnivorous nature — "her indiscriminate enjoyment of all the world's 'flavors'.
In the Sauptika Parva of the Mahabharata, when Ashwathama is killing the Pandava princes (sons of Draupadi) thinking them to be Pandavas, there is a mention of a female form, like Kali. She is dark, open hair, four arms and is doing the dance of death.
During Diwali, when India is busy worshiping Lakshmi, Bengal is busy worshiping the slayer of ego, Kali, to destroy the inner demons and clear the way for a new beginning. This is done on the first new moon of the month of Kartik.
Diwali as a festival is much older than Kali Puja. This was probably a celebration after the summer harvest. The lamps, representing the rays of sun, are symbols of the giver of light.
Ancient traditions relate the festival with Ramayana and Mahabharata. Some say the festival is celebration of Rama returning from his 14 years exile. The citizens of Ayodhya lit the city to celebrate the return. Some say that is for the celebration of the Pandavas from their 12 years of exile and 1 year of hiding, before the War of Mahabharata.
A more popular tale says this is the day when Lakshmi was born from the Cosmic Ocean, when the ocean was churned. This is the reason why Lakshmi is worshiped on Diwali day. Some say this is the day when Lakshmi got married to Vishnu. As per Hindu mythology, that is the same day , as it is said Lakshmi arose from the ocean with a garland in her hand and chose Vishnu as her husband,
Light, being symbol of hope and positive energy, indicates the victory of good over evil. By spreading light in every corner of our premises, we try to destroy the reign of darkness, on the night of Diwali. Diwali signifies Harvest Festival. As it occurs at the end of a cropping season and has along with the above customs, a few others that reinforce the hypothesis of its having originated as a harvest festival. Every harvest normally means prosperity. The celebration was first started in India by farmers after they reaped their harvests. They celebrated with joy and offered praises to God for granting them a good crop.
In Gujarat, Diwali is the New Year's Day.
The illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity. According to one belief, the sound of fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state. Still another possible reason has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of insects and mosquitoes, found in plenty after the rains.
An interesting coincidence is Halloween day in the United States which has a similar custom, if one looks into history. The name comes from All Hallows day - which means something holy. Earlier days, there used to be a worship for the Roman Goddess of Harvest. It was also a celebration for the end of the summer harvest, something similar to the concept of Lakshmi Puja, during Diwali.
Coming of winter, signifies smaller days, signifying darker periods. This brought up the concept of Kali Puja in Bengal, Diwali in North India and Halloween in the western world.
During Diwali, when India is busy worshiping Lakshmi, Bengal is busy worshiping the slayer of ego, Kali, to destroy the inner demons and clear the way for a new beginning. This is done on the first new moon of the month of Kartik.
Diwali as a festival is much older than Kali Puja. This was probably a celebration after the summer harvest. The lamps, representing the rays of sun, are symbols of the giver of light.
Ancient traditions relate the festival with Ramayana and Mahabharata. Some say the festival is celebration of Rama returning from his 14 years exile. The citizens of Ayodhya lit the city to celebrate the return. Some say that is for the celebration of the Pandavas from their 12 years of exile and 1 year of hiding, before the War of Mahabharata.
A more popular tale says this is the day when Lakshmi was born from the Cosmic Ocean, when the ocean was churned. This is the reason why Lakshmi is worshiped on Diwali day. Some say this is the day when Lakshmi got married to Vishnu. As per Hindu mythology, that is the same day , as it is said Lakshmi arose from the ocean with a garland in her hand and chose Vishnu as her husband,
Light, being symbol of hope and positive energy, indicates the victory of good over evil. By spreading light in every corner of our premises, we try to destroy the reign of darkness, on the night of Diwali. Diwali signifies Harvest Festival. As it occurs at the end of a cropping season and has along with the above customs, a few others that reinforce the hypothesis of its having originated as a harvest festival. Every harvest normally means prosperity. The celebration was first started in India by farmers after they reaped their harvests. They celebrated with joy and offered praises to God for granting them a good crop.
In Gujarat, Diwali is the New Year's Day.
The illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity. According to one belief, the sound of fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state. Still another possible reason has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of insects and mosquitoes, found in plenty after the rains.
An interesting coincidence is Halloween day in the United States which has a similar custom, if one looks into history. The name comes from All Hallows day - which means something holy. Earlier days, there used to be a worship for the Roman Goddess of Harvest. It was also a celebration for the end of the summer harvest, something similar to the concept of Lakshmi Puja, during Diwali.
Coming of winter, signifies smaller days, signifying darker periods. This brought up the concept of Kali Puja in Bengal, Diwali in North India and Halloween in the western world.
Tomorrow is Halloween day .
ReplyDeleteI can see some link in the saying that Diwali is the festival is celebration of Rama returning from his 14 years exile. As Dasami is the day when Rama killed Ravana and then return to Ayodhya .
For whatever reason Diwali is celebrated why it has come with Kalipuja .Kali puja is worshiping Goddess Kali and Diwali has nothing to do with Maa Kali .
The only co-relation is with the Amavasya (new Moon) in the Hindu month of Karthik. This is supposed to be the darkest new moon. Think of human psychology here. Generally one is afraid of the dark. So while one part of India thinks, okay let us light up and remove the darkness, the other part says let us light up and at the same time let us also worship the dark. The mother form is the protector. So let us worship the dark mother.
ReplyDeleteAgain, Kali Puja is a 2-3 centuries old Puja in Bengal. The worship actually never existed prior to that in a grand scale. Kali as a Goddess existed, but not the grand scale worship. So when the Zamindars started the worship, people took that as an additional worship in their routine.
This is just my view point.
Incidentally tomorrow is Halloween. And I look forward to this, at least I used to, once. They show good Horror movies on TV then :)
ReplyDelete:)
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