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Hinduism: Hymn to Kali

 

VERSE 8

THOSE who truly 1 meditate on Thee, the Spouse of Hara, 2 who art seated in 3 the cremation-ground strewn with funeral pyres, corpses, skulls, and bones, and haunted by female jackals howling fearfully; who art very youthful, 4 and art in full enjoyment upon 5 Thy Spouse, are revered by all and in all places. 6

COMMENTARY

'Meditate on' (Dhyayanti)

That is see with unperturbed mind.

'Spouse of Hara' (Haravadhūṁ)

Hara is He who removes (Harati) the threefold pains (adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika) of Jivas. His spouse is Sakti, that is She who grants Liberation to Jivas and is Saccidanandarūpiṇi.'

'Hast entered' (Praviṣtaṁ)

Art established.

'Flaming' pyre (Prakatitacitayaṁ)

Cit-Sakti On account of Her being self-manifested. Caṇdi speaks of 'Her who pervades the whole universe as consciousness (Cit).'

'Fearful' (Ghorabhih)

That is very powerful.

'Jackals' (Sivabhih)

That is Mahabhūtas which are auspicious (Siva) before being made fivefold (Pańcikṛta).

'Skulls and bones' (Muṇdasthi-nikaraih)

The white colour of the skulls and bones indicates the white Sattva-guṇa. Hence associated with the Sattva and other Guṇas of the Jivas dissolved in Mahapralaya.

p. 65

'Ever youthful' (Atiyuvatiṁ)

That is She is always the same, fresh, unchanging, and un-wasting.

'Satisfied with enjoyment ' (Santushtam-uparisuratena)

She, after subduing Parama Siva to Her will, has willingly enjoyment in the work of creation, preservation and dissolution. Nirvaṇa-Tantra says, 'The Vama (She who is on the left) is the Grantrix of Great Liberation after conquering the Dakṣiṇa (Siva who is on the right).' Gandharva-Tantra says, 'She who is the Sun, Moon, and Fire and half of Ha (Siva) puts down the Puruṣa and enjoys him from above.' Niruttara-Tantra says, 'When Nirguṇa Kali becomes Saguṇa She is engaged in Viparitarati.' The Yoga-vaṣiṣtha in the Nirvaṇa-Prakaraṇa says, 'Natural unity is Siva. Creation is (compared with it) unnatural.' That is the Mahadevi is Nirguṇa-Brahman in Her Svarūpa aspect and the subversion of this Svarūpa is the cause of creation.

'Nowhere' (Kvacidapi na)

In no birth.

'Humiliated' (Paribhavah)

That is they are not subjected to birth, death, and rebirth and attain Nirvaṇa.
Footnotes

64:1 p. 65 Commentator K. B.: where param is said to mean 'rightly,' or meditation alone without japa.

64:2 Siva.

64:3 Praviṣtam, 'literally Entered '.

64:4 Atiyuvatim. She is without childhood or old age. The Saradatilaka says, 'Although Thou art primordial, Thy youth is ever fresh'. (V)

64:5 Santuṣtaṁ uparisuratena, that is viparitarati, or viparitavihara as to which see note 5 of last Sloka.

64:6 Commentator K. B.: literally 'They nowhere suffer (Kvacidapi na), that is, neither in this nor the next world defeat or humiliation.'

 


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