Kali puja.pptx

Know the significance of Maa Kali Avatar of Aadi-Para-Shakti and much more.

1. Kali Puja & The Significances

2. Diwali is a five-day festival celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika, which usually falls between mid-October and mid-November. Kali Puja is also celebrated along with these five days of Diwali, generally on the day of the first day of Diwali or a day after, depending on the tithi . One of the days of Diwali is also known as Kali Chaudas , one of the significant days of Diwali.

3. While most of North India worships Maa Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha during one of the biggest Hindu festivals of our country, Kerala worships Lord Krishna and states like West Bengal, Mithila region of Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and Tripura people worship Maa Kali and the Kali Puja festival is celebrated.

4. Significance of Kali Puja As per mythologies, goddess Kali, who is majorly associated with death and darkness, is worshipped on the new moon day called Dipannita Amavasya of the Hindu month Kartik. It is widely believed by Bengalis that Maa Kali had come in the dreams of Tantric scholar Krishnananda Agamavagisha in the 16th century where she instructed him to worship her in this form. While he began worshipping the goddess in the 17th century, the puja became a widespread yearly festival in the 19th century when Kali devotee Shri Ramkrishna Paramahangsha became popular among the Bengalis. The wealthy landowners at the time began patronising the goddess on a grand scale because of him and soon the festival became the second major one for Bengalis after  Durga puja . Before this Kali was mostly worshipped as a tribal Goddess.

5. The Mythical Story of Maa Kali Avatar As per a Hindu legend,  when the demons ( rakshas ) Shumbh and Nishumbh once attacked heaven and created rumpus there and tried to capture Maa Durga in the form of Parvati. The Gods and the demons got involved in a battle, in which the Gods were badly defeated. In the battle, the gods were defeated, and then went to Devi Uma, which is when she took the form Maa Kalika or Mahakali , appeared in this avatar and defeated the demons. However, even after the battle ended, after the victory, she lost control. Becoming furious, she started destruction. No one could stop her. Hence, to stop her, Lord Shiva, Mahadev, laid himself in front of her and as she stepped on his chest her tongue In embarrassment and she gained back consciousness. According to another legend Maa Durga killed Shumbh and Nishumbh , while Maa Kali killed the asura Raktabīja , and proceeded to drink all his blood to prevent him from replicating from each drop. After defeating the demon and most of his army, her wrath turned to all creatures, but a timely intervention by Lord Shiva stopped her. Since then, Maa Kali is worshipped in this avatar where her tongue is out in embarrassment, anger filled in her eyes, beheaded heads of demons hanging as a garland around her neck and in her hand, and one foot over Lord Shiva’s chest. In her most modern avatar, especially in Bengal and Odisha, she is far more domesticated than she is in her earlier avatars; exercising self-control (almost like a mother who got angry with her children) rather than unleashing her fury to destroy and create indiscriminately.

6. Kali Puja is a Hindu festival on the New Moon Day ( Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu month of Kartik. The Laxmi Puja day of Diwali and Kali Puja coincide. D iwali Kali Puja: When the entire nation celebrates Diwali, the people of Bengal celebrate Kali Puja. Goddess Kali is one among the Dasa Mahavidya (ten incarnations of the Mother Goddess). The name ‘Kali’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘ Kal ’, meaning ‘time’. She is the supreme of all powers, the ultimate reality. Goddess  Kali , also known as  Mahakali ,  Bhadrakali ,  and  Kalika , is believed to be the most superior one among the  Dasa Mahavidya . The earliest appearance of  Kali  is from  Shiva . She is the  Shakti of Shiva .  Mahakali  is the Mother Goddess of war, anger, time, change, creation, destruction, and power. The Goddess destroys the evil to save the innocents. She is the divine protector who bestows  moksha  (liberation). The other  roopa  (forms) of  Kali  are –  Dakshina Kali ,  Samhara Kali ,  Bhima Kali ,  Raksha Kali ,  Bhadra Kali , and  Guhya Kali

7. According to different traditions,  Kali  is believed to have 8, 12, and 21 different forms. The popular among them are: Adya Kali ,  Chintamani Kali ,  Sparshamani Kali ,  Santati Kali ,  Siddhi Kali ,  Dakshina Kali ,  Bhadra Kali ,  Smashana Kali ,  Adharvana Bhadra Kali ,  Kamakala Kali ,  Guhya Kali ,  Hamsa Kali ,  Shyama Kali , and  Kalasankarshini Kali .

8. Kali Puja is a Hindu festival on the New Moon Day ( Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu month of Kartik. The Laxmi Puja day of Diwali and Kali Puja coincide. Maa Kali is worshiped in two different forms: T he furious form of Kali is black in colour ( Shamshan Kali ), and is generally revered by the  tantriks ; The mild form of Kali is blue in colour ( Shyama Kali ), and is worshiped by the  grihi  (common people with family). Both the colours black and blue are the colours of the sky. Black and blue colours symbolise the limitless sky and Devi’s limitless powers.

9. What is the origin of the Hindu goddess Durga or Kali? Maa Durga/Adi Para Shakti is the supreme goddess ultimate Reality. She killed Mahishasura in her Katyayani Durga form and killed Raktabija in her Kali/ Mahakali form. All devis as well as devas are born from Adishakti . Kali was born from her forhead's third eye when Maa Durga got extremely angry on Raktabija . All her anger converted into a devi which was called Kali. And then Maa Kali killed and drank all blood of Raktabija upon the orders of supreme goddess Maa Adishakti Durga. Maa Kali drank the blood of the demon because each drop of the blood of demon created one more like him if the drop touched the ground. So Maa Kali didn't let a single drop fell on the ground and all drops directly fell in her mouth. Maa Kali drank all blood of the demon with her Khappar (type of a bowl). This way the demon got finished who was unable to be killed by any other god/goddess and the demon was at last killed with the grace of the supreme goddess Maa Adishakti Durga only.

10. Adi Shakti or Adi Param Shakti Jagat Janani Jagadamba is the greatest goddess and supreme divine mother in Hinduism, the Nirgun Niraakar Para Brahman who is more notably revered and known by the name Durga, Mata Rani, Sherawali , Ambe Maa, Devi Maa, Shakti, Devi, Kali, etc. All avatars of devi , be it Lakshmi, Parvati, Saraswati , Radha, Sita, Kali, Chandi , etc are born from her. She mainly is the main root for all creation who is comparable to Vishnu and Shiva as supreme Para Brahman. So, the question is who is greatest between Durga or Kali? Answer is that Adishakti Durga Jagadmba and Kali aren't different goddess, Adishakti Jagdamba Durga when gets angry and has to kill demons, she spreads her ansh avatars and Kali is one of them in her 10 Mahavidyas form, Kali is first Mahavidya. Whether you call Kali an avatar of Durga or Durga an avatar of Kali, there's no difference because the goddess energy is same means you are worshipping the same eternal energy. If you like appearance, swaroop of Maa Kali, for you she is the greatest and if you like swaroop of Maa Durga Singhwahini , for you she is the greatest.

11. In Hinduism, are Durga and Kali the same goddess? Yes, same. Par Brahman has two forms Purush and Prakriti. Prakriti further 3 major forms Mata Saraswati , Lakshmi and Shakti (Parvati). Goddess Uma (Parvati/Sati) took birth as Goddess Sati and then as Goddess Parvati. Goddess Parvati then slayed demon Durgamasur and got the name Durga. Durga Mata has 9 forms, in that Kaalratri is 7th form. Kaalratri has further more divisions. She manifested into Mahakali , Bhadrakaali , Dakshin Kaali . Kaali Maa whom we know as the destroyer of Raktabij , Shumbh , Nishumbh , Chanda and Munda etc., is Mahakaali . Kaali is Mahakaali basically. She is the wife of Mahakaal (Lord Shiva). Now you might think that how many wives Lord Shiva have because Durga Mata and Kaali Mata are his wives? The answer is that he has only one wife i.e. Goddess Shakti who has different names and forms. Her most common name is Parvati because he took birth as Daughter of King Himavat (Himalaya is Parvat ), so she got the name Parvati. Her original form in which she resides at Kailash with Lord Shiva (also known as Shankar, Rudra, Mahadev etc.).. is Gauri. Goddess Parvati got the name Gauri because of her fair skin. So that's why Sati, Parvati, Uma, Gauri, Kaali / Mahakaali /Bhadra Kaali / Chamunda / Chandika , Durga/Bhavani/ Jagdamba /Amba/Ambika/ Mahishasur Mardini, Rudrani , Shivani, Shiv Patni, Mahadevi, Sheetala , Maheshwari, Shailputri , Kaushiki , Chandraghanta , Skandmata , Kushmanda , Ganesh Janani, Shakti/Adi Shakti/Adi Para Shakti these all are same. Only forms/appearance are different.

12. In modern Hinduism yes , in ancient Hinduism no . Kali originated in Bengal. Symbolically Kali represents blood lust and rides a tiger. She is intoxicated by battle. She is also a Goddess of magic and is Lord Shiva's tantric partner. She is always depicted as black, and with four arms. Durga's name means unassailable and the original Goddess had no consort. There are images from the Indus Valley strongly resembling the iconography of Durga. She has a white face, remains calm during battle and is the perfect symbol for desireless action. She rides a fully maned male lion, and has a thousand arms, but is depicted with eight. She presides over lightning, and spiders are sacred to her. Her worship originated in the Vindhya mountains and her followers were often men who ate meat, and drank blood and alcohol. In modern Hinduism, there is a trend to synchretise as much as possible. Thus Goddesses such as Kali and Durga were absorbed into the tradition of Shaivism and are considered aspects of the Himalayan Goddess Parvati, as are most goddesses in Hinduism with a fierce or independent quality. There is one school of tantra which associates Kali, Durga and Parvati with the thee gunas , or three states of being. Durga is associated with Rajas, the active principle, which is evinced by movement and energy. Kali presides over Tamas, the dormant quality of inertia which also binds the particles of matter together. Sattwa is often translated as “virtue” but may be better understood as consciousness. The enigmatic Goddess Parvati is the symbol of Sattwa , dynamism in repose, eternally meditating, glacially calm, and simultaneously sizzling with Kundalini fire.

13. So, Durga Mata and Kaali Mata are same. This is the reason why people sometimes think that there are 33 crore Gods but the fact is that most of the Gods and Goddesses are same. People get confuse because of different forms of Gods and Goddesses. That's why they think that Durga Mata and Kaali Mata are different, but they are not different. Sanatan Dharm is very logical, we need understand it. I always try to go in deep. It's very difficult to understand God, maybe I should say that it's Impossible to understand Par Brahman completely. I hope my answer will help you. See the first and last photo carefully. Compare them, see the hands of Durga Mata and Kaali Mata, also see the weapons which are there in her hand. You will find that they are same, only skin colour is different. Goddess Durga is fair skinned, while Goddess Kaali is dark skinned.. Completely black but still they are same. Mahakali is Maa Adishakti Durga only. Basically the anger ( krodh ) of Maa Adishakti Durga is known as Mahakali who is a ferocious or angry version/form of Maa Durga. When Maa Durga get extremely angry on demons, all of her anger comes out from her and that anger converts into Mahakali which is the ultimate swaroopa of Maa Durga only wearing Garlands of skulls, with black skin and ultimate anger and energy.

14. Durga literally means "impassable", "invincible, unassailable". It also means "beyond defeat". Whereas Mahakali can be literally translated as “Great Kali”. She is the Hindu Goddess of time and death. Durga is manifest form of “Adi Para-Shakti” . Durga has 3 principal forms viz- Mahadurga , Chandika and Aparajita . Mahadurga has 3 major manifestations viz- Ugrachandi , Bhadrakali and Katyayani . Bhadrakali has 9 epithets of Durga which we worship them as Navadurga during Navaratri. Chandika has two forms viz- Chandi and Chamunda . Chandi is combined power and form of Parvati, Laxmi and Saraswati . Chamunda is the ‘Kali’ created by Durga for slaying demons like Chanda and Munda. Mahakali is created by Durga for slaying demons like Raktabij . Mahakali represents the Tamas or the force of inertia in Sankhya philosophy. In Shaktism, Mahakali is the 1st episode of the supreme Godhead devi Durga. Devi durga is the manifest form of ‘Adi Para Shakti’ equivalent to Brahman. In Shaivism, Mahakaali is the consort of Mahakaal (Time, Consciousness & Reality). Durga in the form of Parvati ( Shailputri ) is the consort of Shiva in Shaivism. Mahakaali is also the highest Godhead worshipped in tantrism where she bestows supernatural powers and occult powers to her worshippers.

15. Mahishamardini Bhadrakalika Maa durga has killed mahishasura several times and in several forms in different kalpas and manvantaras. The three main Mahishamardini are: 1. Bhadrakali —from svetlohita kalpa 2. Ugrachanda —from raktalohita kalpa 3. Mahalaxmi—from Svetvaraha kalpa . Godess M ahishamardini BhadraKali is often depicted 16 handed and lion as her vahan .

16. From: Durga Stotra (Hymn to Durga) by Sri Aurobindo Mother Durga!  Thou art Kali, naked, garlanded with human heads, sword in hand, thou slayest the Asura. Goddess, do thou slay with thy pitiless cry the enemies who dwell within us, may none remain alive there, not one. May we become pure and spotless, this is our prayer. O Mother, make thyself manifest.