On the surface Kali appears to be a goddess of many contradictions. She is both loving and terrifying; a creator and a destroyer; a mother and a warrior (Cadwell 1998, p. 196). It is only upon further inspection does one realise that Kali’s power is in fact drawn from the union of these opposites. A singular portrayal of the goddess will in no way representative of who Kali truly is. She must always be properly contextualised to truly understand her power and functionality as a goddess (McDermott 1998, p. 301). So while these traits may at first appear to be different pieces of art in the same Kali themed gallery exhibition, they are in fact just different sections of the same painting. The two sections can be viewed separately; however, it
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This has led to her being viewed as The Divine Mother. Kali is seen as The Divine Mother as it is “she who gives birth to a wider vision of reality than what is embodied in the order of Dharma” (Kingsley 1998, p. 84). Dharma is “the eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things” (Knowles 2006, 2006). Kali exposes the limitations of Dharma. She shows that life is fundamentally untameable and unpredictable. She exposes the universe as unrefined and unbound. Kali invites a person to see a wider version of the reality in which they live in. Sri Ramakrishna describes this power to bring about liberation of the …show more content…
321).
Sarton invokes the goddess Kali to give her strength in a time where she needs it most. Kali gives her power to those who need it most, whether that be to heal, find strength in or seek liberation from the ego. Fragmenting the goddess and transforming her from a great and powerful, liberating mother with fearless tendencies into a goddess of death and destruction only weakens her ability to heal and empower.
Aristotle’s famous line that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” could not ring more true than in the context of the Hindu goddess Kali. It is only when she is understood contextually can one fully comprehend the full scope of her influence and power as a goddess. In this essay, I have demonstrated that Kali’s power is derived from embracing seemingly opposite traits: The Great Mother and The Erotic and Terrifying Goddess. I have shown that these traits are not opposites, but merely different parts of a greater whole. Kali is the unrefined power of the universe, and this is something that is so much more than any single representation can ever
This has led to her being viewed as The Divine Mother. Kali is seen as The Divine Mother as it is “she who gives birth to a wider vision of reality than what is embodied in the order of Dharma” (Kingsley 1998, p. 84). Dharma is “the eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things” (Knowles 2006, 2006). Kali exposes the limitations of Dharma. She shows that life is fundamentally untameable and unpredictable. She exposes the universe as unrefined and unbound. Kali invites a person to see a wider version of the reality in which they live in. Sri Ramakrishna describes this power to bring about liberation of the …show more content…
321).
Sarton invokes the goddess Kali to give her strength in a time where she needs it most. Kali gives her power to those who need it most, whether that be to heal, find strength in or seek liberation from the ego. Fragmenting the goddess and transforming her from a great and powerful, liberating mother with fearless tendencies into a goddess of death and destruction only weakens her ability to heal and empower.
Aristotle’s famous line that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” could not ring more true than in the context of the Hindu goddess Kali. It is only when she is understood contextually can one fully comprehend the full scope of her influence and power as a goddess. In this essay, I have demonstrated that Kali’s power is derived from embracing seemingly opposite traits: The Great Mother and The Erotic and Terrifying Goddess. I have shown that these traits are not opposites, but merely different parts of a greater whole. Kali is the unrefined power of the universe, and this is something that is so much more than any single representation can ever