Elizabeth U. Harding - Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar

First published in 1993 by

Nicolas-Hays

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Copyright 1993 Elizabeth U. Harding

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electriconic or mechanical, including photocopy, or stored in any information retrieval system without permission in writing from Nicolas-Hays, Inc. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Harding. Elizabeth U.

Kali : the black Goddess of Dakshineswar / by Elizabeth U. Harding

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-89254-025-7 : $14.95

1. Kl (Hindu deity) 2. Dakshineswar Kali Temple. 3. Kl (Hindu deity)--Cult--IndiaDakshineswar. 4. Dakshineswar (India)--Religious life and customs. I. Title.

BL1225.K3H29 1993

294.5'2114dc20

93-15021

CIP

BJ

Cover photograph copyright 1993 Gandhi Roy

Typeset in 11 point Palatino

Printed in the United States of America

12 11 10

13 12 11 10 9 8 7

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National standard for permanence of paper for printed library materials. Z39.48-1984.

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I offer this book at the feet of Ma Kali with reverence, and I dedicate this book to my mother, a remarkable catholic woman who lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, 45 years of family oppression and never lost her sweet love, kindness and belief in the goodness of others.

INTRODUCTION
God, the Mother

CHAPTER 1
The Dakshineswar Kali Temple

CHAPTER 2
Kali, the Black Goddess of Dakshineswar

CHAPTER 3
Worship of Kali

CHAPTER 4
Temple History and Surroundings

CHAPTER 5
Ma Kali's God-Intoxicated Mystics

Kali, the Divine Mother, has been largely misunderstood in the West. As a result, people have labeled her as something evil rather than a source of joy. Up close, the concept of Kali is no more startling than the Christian practice of partaking of Christ's body and drinking his blood during communion. This book attempts to clarify who Kali is and to make the reader feel what it is like to be in India and experience Kali. What does Kali mean to me?

In order to read this book, one does not have to be familiar with Hindu philosophy. I have tried to acquaint the reader with the Hindu concept of God, the Mother, through stories, historic references, an overview of traditional philosophy, and vivid descriptions of the Dakshineswar Kali Templethe place and its people.

The reader becomes the pilgrim, sharing the excitement and preparation of other pilgrims on the way to see the Divine Mother Kali. Besides getting a glimpse of the Hindu attitude toward this Mother Goddess, one gets useful information about customs at the Dakshineswar Kali Templewhat to do when one arrives there and why.

The third chapter explains the symbolism of Kali and how she is seen by people from different cultures, following different philosophies. It gives a detailed description of the Dakshineswar Kali image and her inner shrine, which is off limits for most people. It looks at the Mother Goddess according to Tantric and Vedantic views. An ongoing commentary by Sri Ramakrishna (taken from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna), the Kali saint who lived in Dakshineswar, helps the reader perceive the Goddess in her Mother aspect.

The fourth chapter is dedicated to the worship of Kali, the general concept of Hindu worship and the worship as it is performed at the Dakshineswar Kali Templeon a daily basis and on special occasions.

I found it impossible to write about the Dakshineswar Kali Temple without mentioning Rani Rasmani, the woman who built it. She was a great devotee of Kali. She was very beautiful and, though born poor and of low caste, married an extremely rich man. Upon his death, she decided to take on the responsibility of managing his vast wealth and to build a temple to her beloved Mother Kali. This took tremendous courage since the time was the early 1800s, when women, especially those of low caste, had no place in society except beside their husbands. The Rani's view was catholicshe built a Vishnu temple and twelve Shiva temples in the same compound. (Kali and Vishnu followers often do not get alongShaktas eat meat while Vaishnavites are strict vegetarians.)

The last chapter is devoted entirely to Kali's mystics, the people who attained the highest realization by worshipping Kali. Though the saints mentioned in this chapter lived mostly in West Bengal in India, their colorful lives, their convictions, and their approach toward the ups and downs of life have a global appeal.

The absence of Westerners among Kali saints in this book does not indicate that great devotees of Kali can only be found in India. Since I began working on this book, I met many wonderful people in the USA who are devoted to Kali. The more I learn about this Great Goddess, the more I feel my understanding of her has just begun and will continue, perhaps, a lifetime.

Elizabeth U. Harding

[Victory to Kali, victory to the Mother, the Savior of souls]

We prostrate before her

who is at once most gentle and most terrible;

We salute her again and again.

Salutation to her who is the support of the world.

Salutations again and again

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of consciousness;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of intelligence;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of sleep;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of hunger;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of power;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of modesty;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of peace;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of faith;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of loveliness;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of compassion;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of contentment;

to the Devi who abides in all beings in the form of mother.

May that Devi, the Mother, who appears in the form of all things, bring forth benefits for all who sing her praises.

Chandi

I am indebted to so many people who gave me support and kindly helped me with my research. I want to thank my spiritual teacher, Swami Chetanananda, for being an inspiration and for making valuable suggestions after reading the manuscript. I want to thank Swami Gambhirananda, the late President of the Ramakrishna Order, who, like a father, blessed me and encouraged me to work on this project. I also want to thank Swami Atmaramananda, Swami Gambhirananda's secretary, who read the manuscript and made corrections.

I am especially indebted to Mrs. Kalpana Biswas, a member of the Rani Rasmani family. Without her help, my photographs of Kalias well as this bookwould not have been possible. My special thanks go to the priests of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Pranab Ghosal was of invaluable help. I am indebted to Haradhan Chakraborti, Mohan Chatterjee, Chayan Kumar Ganguly, Dipu, Dwiju and all others who supplied me with valuable information concerning Mother worship at the temple. My thanks also go to the Dakshineswar Kali Temple trustees, to the members of the Rani Rasmani family, the temple office staff and to all Kali devotees who helped with this project.