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Hinduism: Hymn to Kali
VERSE 7
O MOTHER, even a dullard becomes a poet who meditates upon Thee
raimented with space, 1 three-eyed 2 Creatrix 3 of the three worlds,
whose waist 4 is beautiful with a girdle made of numbers of dead men's
arms, and who on the breast of a corpse, 5 as Thy couch in the
cremation-ground, 6 enjoyest Mahakala. 7
COMMENTARY
'Dullard' (Jadacetah)
One whose mind is smitten with passion for the world.
'Poet' (Kavih)
A great Jñani.
'Meditates' (Dhyayan)
Who in mental vision sees Thee who art Saccidanandarūpiṇi.
'Whose loins' (Bahuprakarakṛta-kañciparilasannitaṁbam)
At the end of each Kalpa all Jivas abandon their gross bodies, and
existing in their subtle bodies in which their respective Karmas inhere,
form part of the Avidya which is in the causal body of the Brahmarūpiṇi
associated with Her own Gūṇas (Svaguṇa) until they are liberated at some
future time after the commencement of the next Kalpa. Hence the girdle
adorning the loins, lower belly and generative organ of the Mahadevi
viradrūpiṇi, capable of producing children is fashioned of the arms and
hands of dead Jivas. For these arms and hands were their principal
instruments for the doing of work (Karma). The Saktanandataraṅgiṇi says,
'With Karma is a Jiva born, with Karma he dies, and in the next body
again that Karma is
p. 62
attached to him.' Devigita says, 'In Her at dissolution Jivas and their
Karmas are merged in undifferentiated mass, just as all which is done (Vyavahara)
merges in dreamless sleep (Suṣupti).' Again the Devi says, 'It is I who
create the whole world and enter therein with Praṇa, Maya, Karma and so
forth.'
'Raimented with space' (Digvastram)
Raiment is the covering of Maya. She is without that and above Maya.
'Three-eyed' (Triṇayanam)
Having knowledge of the three divisions of Time, past, present and
future.
'Creatrix' (Vidhatri)
She who at the beginning of the next Kalpa gives birth and enjoyment to
Jivas according to their respective Saṁcita Karma.
'On the breast of a corpse' (Savahṛidi)
The corpse is Nirguṇa-Brahman. The couch is the support (adhara). On
Nirguṇa-Brahman as Thy adhara. that is established in Thine own state (Pada)
as Nirguṇa-Brahman. Gayatri-Tantra says, 'By the word corpse is
indicated Brahman as the dead body (Preta).' Gandharva-Tantra says
SadaSiva is the couch on which lies the subtle Tripurasundari.
'In the cremation ground' (SṁaSanastha)
The cremation ground (SmaSana) is the great Ether (MahakaSa) in which
all creatures are merged as corpses in the Great dissolution (Mahapralaya).
In dissolution even the greatest of creatures are but corpses and hence
it is a cremation ground.
'Dost enjoy Mahahala' (Mahahala-surata-prayuktam)
At the end of a Kalpa, there being no creation, She being inactive, and
there being nought but supreme Brahman, She being in-separate from
ParaSiva, experiences Herself as unlimited (Akhaṇda) Bliss.
p. 63
Footnotes
61:1 p. 63 The Devi is naked, as is Siva, for, like Him, She is clothed
with space, and is the great void itself (MahaSūnya).
61:2 Triṇayanaṁ. The Three eyes are Sun, Moon and Fire (V).
Mahanirvaṇa-Tantra says, 'Three eyes are attributed to Kalika because
She observes the whole world with such eyes as the Sun, the Moon, and so
forth'. See as to the meaning of these three terms which do not merely
denote these luminaries and elements, A. Avalon's 'Serpent Power' and
Studies in Mantra-Sastra'.
61:3 Vidhatrim, who provides Enjoyment and Liberation for all Jivas.
(V).
61:4 Nitaṁba, literally, buttocks but the girdle goes all round. Kali is
represented as so girdled.
61:5 The corpse (Sava) represents Siva (V) because He is inactive whilst
his Sakti it is who does everything. Savahṛdi—that is, on the breast of
Siva (Viparitarati). The Devi is given the dominant position in her
union with Her consort, because She is Kartri (actress), and He is
Bhokta (unacting enjoyer). According to Saṁkhya, Puruṣa is neither
producer nor produced, but passive, and a looker-on upon the actions of
Prakṛti. It is not the Puruṣa who is active in the creation of the
world, but it is She who, in the light of His gaze, dances the
world-dance. So Kubjika-Tantra says: 'Not Brahma, but Brahmani, creates;
it is Vaiṣnavi, not Vishnu, who protects; Rudrani, not Rudra, who takes
all things back. Their husbands are like dead bodies.' For in respect of
power they are dependent on their Sakti. As to the Sadhana, see
Praṇatoṣini 622, Viparitaratau japtva nirvaṇapadaviṁ vrajet. Two corpses
are sometimes pictured, the lower being the eternally quiescent Siva,
and the upper being the Siva united with Sakti in creation. Similarly
the Devi is represented as reclining on a couch made of five corpses,
which are the Mahapreta (see Bhairavayamala, Lalita verse 174, etc). The
Mahapretas, whose Bija is Hsau, are SadaSiva, iSana, Rudra, Viṣṇu, and
Brahma.
61:6 The site of certain forms of Tantrik Sadhana, such as Savasana
Muṇdasana, etc., as to which the Phetkariṇi-Tantra says that it is an
excellent place for Sadhana. He who makes japa a number of times on a
corpse in a cremation-ground attains all manner of success (Siddhi).'
61:7 Parama-Siva.
from Hinduism: Hymn to Kali
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