Kali 

Kali first appeared in the Devi-Mahatmya; this explained that she came from the brow of the goddess Durga (who is the slayer of the demons) at some point during one of the battles during the forces of the divine and anti-divine. 

Kali represents the virginal autonomy of the woman warrior who spawned her, making her also a representation of the forceful side of Durga.  Kali therefore is not only the mysterious source from which all life is created, but also the soil from which all things grow and where all things decompose; she creates all…yet she consumes all. 

The traditional representation of Kali is as a black woman who has four arms.  In one of her arms, she is holding a sword, while in another; she holds the head of a demon she has just killed.  Kali’s earrings are comprised of two dead bodies, and she wears a matching necklace of sculls.  She is completely naked save for a girdle composed of dead men’s hands.  Kali’s tongue sticks out very long from her mouth.  She has red eyes, and both her face and breasts are covered in blood.  Kali’s stance is with one foot on the thigh, and the other on the breast of her husband. 

Her form is fearsome and vicious, yet it remains awe-inspiring through its abundant symbols. 

Ÿ         Her black color means her transcendence of all form.

Ÿ         Her nakedness means that she lacks the covering of illusions.

Ÿ         Her is full-breasts represent her maternal nature as never-ending creator

Ÿ         The garland is of 50 human heads.  Each head represents one of the 50 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet.  This demonstrates her vast wisdom.

Ÿ         Her girdle of hands represents karma, as the hands are the main instrument of work.

Ÿ         Kali’s teeth are white, symbolizing purity.

Ÿ         Kali’s long, protruding red tongue symbolizes that she consumes all.

Ÿ         Her four arms show the full circuit from creation to destruction, all embodied within her.  Her right hands make the madras, which means “fear not” and they show Kali’s creative side.  Alternately, her left hands hold a sword that has been bloodied and a severed head, showing Kali’s fierce, destructive side.

Ÿ         The head and sword themselves represent the annihilation of ignorance and the emergence of wisdom. It is, after all, the sword of knowledge that destroys false-consciousness (depicted as the severed head).  Kali also uses this sword to open the gates of freedom, by cutting the eight bonds that bind human beings.

Ÿ         Kali’s three eyes are for the sun, moon, and fire; this way she can see three modes of time:  past, present and future.