The Terrifying Beauty of Mother Kali: Esoteric Insights and Ritual Practice by Guru Shyama Khyapa

Devotee: Pronam, Gurudev.

Guru: Ayushman, baba, Ayushman.

Devotee: Today is Kali Puja. Gurudev, Ma Kali has many different forms. On this day of Kali Puja, I would like to hear some things about Ma Kali from you.

Guru: One thing is that Gauri became Mahakali in the lap of Mahakala. Gauri is Mother Durga. When she came into the womb of Mahakala, she took the form of Mahakali. Kali, Kali—our Kamala Kanta used to say: "Shyama is sometimes white, sometimes yellow, sometimes blue or red." Thinking about the various forms of the Mother, Kamala Kanta easily went mad. That is to say, looking at the Mother's forms—whether she is white, red, black, or yellow—a person's whole life can pass by. Worship of Kali or the practice of Kali doesn't happen easily. This is what Kamala Kanta had said.

Guru (continued): And Ramprasad once said with great regret: "When the universe did not exist, where did you get the garland of heads?" Ramprasad asked this out of curiosity—that when the world was not yet created, from where did the skulls come? This was a profound thought of his.

Guru (continued): And when he says: "My dharma and adharma became a fierce form (Prachanda); I dug a well in the middle of the sacred field." Here, the word 'Prachanda' means a spade. When he dug into his sacred field with this spade, black water emerged from that well—the beautiful black form (Kali).

Guru (continued): "My dharma and adharma became a fierce form; I dug a well in the middle of the sacred field." 'Kup' means a well. From that well, black water emerged. This is quite true. What emerged there? The black form, the beautiful black one. That is to say, he meant to say that it looks very beautiful, one feels like doting on her, one feels like worshipping her, one feels like staying near her. But she is the personification of Time (Kaal), which means death. Death, death, death.

Guru (continued): From that well emerged the black water, the beautiful black form. The significance of this is immense. Common people do not know this. The word 'Kaal' means 'Kali.' 'Kaal' also means death. We say 'Death is standing in front'—what does that mean? It means 'Kaal' is standing there. By adding the suffix 'i' to 'Kaal,' it became 'Kali.' It sounds melodious to hear, but actually, it is the worship of death.

Guru (continued): Ordinary householders should ideally not see this worship. Khana had also said: "When the new moon (Amavasya) falls, do not stir from your house." That is to say, householders should not leave their homes on a new moon night. She repeatedly said that when the new moon falls, you householders should not step out.

Devotee: Yes, performing any auspicious work is often forbidden during Amavasya.

Guru: Yes. The word 'Ama' means pitch black. On Amavasya, by the Mother's command, no planet or star gives light. Because look, there are two energies: one is our solar energy—a great energy with which much work is done—and the other is the 'Maika' (Motherly/Lunar) energy. When solar energy is present on Earth, the Maika energy cannot be worshipped. If two energies are present at the same time, it creates a clash.

Guru (continued): That is why, according to our tradition's instructions, the Mother's puja begins after 10 PM. Why? Because in many parts of India, even after 8 PM, there might be some lingering sunlight or the sun can be perceived. Therefore, the scholarly community decided that Kali Puja should sit after 10 PM. Then there will be no more solar energy or sunlight.

Guru (continued): And 'Ama' means pitch black—the blackness that cannot be pierced. The Mother is like that. Mother is black. Pitch black. On this new moon night, no planet or star in the universe will provide light; they withdraw their light into themselves. This is the Mother's command. This is her order.

Guru (continued): And the garland of heads you see around the Mother's neck—those are actually garlands of untruth. Mother wears a garland of fifty heads. Blood is dripping from them. The heads are freshly severed. Mother wears this garland of freshly severed heads, and blood trickles from them. This is the Mother's appearance. But we say it is a garland of untruth.

Guru (continued): And if you look at the colors, each head has a different color. There are fifty heads on the Mother, in fifty colors. So, we say it is a garland of untruth. And you will see these garlands the Mother wears—each one is different. She wears the heads of demons, giants, and monsters.

Guru (continued): One thing is Ma has a sword (Khorgo) in her hand. The sword represents Dharma. One who wields the sword wields Dharma. This is said about the sword: it protects the righteous. She holds Dharma. Adharma and untruth will not work with her. If someone approaches the Mother while practicing adharma or untruth, the Mother will sever their head with her sword and hang it from her own neck.

Guru (continued): And the jackals (Shiva/Shival) are hungry. There are jackals near the Mother too. And on the Mother's feet, there are 'Biche' (scorpions/ornaments). On the Mother's body, she wears a sacred thread made of snakes (Sarpya Poita). It is very terrifying. If one describes Kali, it is very, very terrifying. So, she wears a garland of snakes. She is 'Nag-Yagya-Pavitini'—Ma wears the serpent sacrifice thread.

Guru (continued): And her appearance is 'Jwalat-Tejomayim'—like the energy and heat generated when a fire burns fiercely. That is what Mother is. This is a great thing. And there is 'Shiva'—meaning the jackals. They love to consume blood and meat. You can call them the Mother's companions. There will always be jackals, you'll see. And the garland of untruth in the Mother's hand from which blood is dripping—it falls drop by drop, and the jackals consume it. This is just her appearance, nothing else.

Guru (continued): Mother has two feet. We say Mother's feet are a boat. It is said: "By giving the boat of your feet, through your mercy, keep this servant in this world." That is to say, we consider the Mother's two feet to be a boat. When waves of trouble arise and we think we are going to die, we hold onto the Mother's feet—we get onto the boat. Mother saves us. This is the real thing.

Devotee: Another question, Gurudev—a severed head is seen in her hand...

Guru: Yes, as I was saying, Mother holds a severed head in her hand, which the jackals consume. The blood falling from the freshly severed head... it's 'Sadyo-Chinna' (freshly severed). The sword has just severed it. This is called 'Sadyo-Chinna-Sira-Khorgo.' The head she holds is freshly severed, blood is dripping from it, and the jackals are consuming that blood. Because it is said that before starting Kali Puja, 'Shiva-Bhog' must be offered. If the jackals call out before the puja begins when the Shiva-Bhog is offered, then that puja is considered successful.

Guru (continued): That is why our Gurudev, Banchdev Baba, established a 'Shiva-Bhog-Tola.' There, he used to give food for the jackals. At that time, there were many jackals in Tarapith. Baba established that place for feeding them. It is said that before sitting for puja, if the jackals call out after eating the prasad... that prasad is 'Sol' fish (Snakehead fish). The fish is roasted in fire and mashed. We call that 'Maha-Prasad.' Just as at Pashupatinath, buffalo meat is Maha-Prasad and a little must be tasted, here, the Shiva-Bhog is roasted Sol fish. Roasting the Sol fish in fire, removing the bones, and mashing it—that is the main food for the jackals. That is called Maha-Prasad. This is the Mother's form.

Devotee: Friends, you heard in detail about Kali Puja from Gurudev. Gurudev described the Mother and the various methods of puja. Gurudev, I want to ask for more details.

Guru: I want to say a little more. We usually sit for puja at 10 PM. Our body must be purified, otherwise, the Mother doesn't accept the worship. Anything offered to the Mother—fruits, roots, offerings—must be purified first. Purification is usually done using the word 'Bang' (Bija Mantra). We say 'Bang' to the water, the clothes, the flowers. Then, after sprinkling sandalwood water to purify them, they are offered to the Mother.

Guru (continued): Before we sit for Kali Puja, there is 'Brihat Shodosh Nyas'—sixteen types of Nyas (ritual purification of body parts). These sixteen Nyas must be performed. If the body is not purified, the Mother will not accept anything from me. She won't accept anything from my hands. Do you understand? If the hand is not pure, if the body is not pure, the Mother accepts nothing. She does not accept impure things. That is why we always perform the Nyas first. It takes about two and a half hours to do this. So, if you sit at 10 PM, the Nyas will continue until 12:00 or 12:30.

Guru (continued): After that, there is the puja for the ghosts, spirits, and jackals. Offerings are given to them. If they are not given, they cause great disturbances. They might overturn the lamp or make the food impure. These things are seen. Because ghosts, spirits, demons, giants, and vampires roam with her. Eight types of beings roam with her. If they are not satisfied, they will create havoc, just like what happened at Daksha's sacrifice.

Guru (continued): So, if we sit for the Mother's puja at midnight, we must finish and release the Mother by 1:55 AM. You cannot keep her longer. 1:55 AM is the 'Right Time' as per the Tantras. Many might not know this. By 1:55, the puja must be finished and she must be released.

Guru (continued): And usually, this puja is not done by surrounding her with thread. Rahu or Ketu are far above. The enclosure of thread for Rahu and Ketu—we forbid that. Tantric Kali Puja should not be done by binding the Mother. She must be released by 1:55 AM. And after that, there is Mahakala Puja at 2:10 AM. Mahakala Puja must be finished by 2:10 AM. After that, there are more pujas: the puja of sixty-four Yoginis, the puja of the eight Bhairavas, and the puja of Kshetrapal.

Guru (continued): It takes time to finish all these; it becomes dawn. Then there is a Homa (fire sacrifice). Our rule is to finish the puja 'Ek Dando' (about 24 minutes) before sunrise. The Mother will not see the sunlight. And it is stated in our Tantric rules that as soon as the puja is over, the Mother should be taken and immersed in the Ganges or any water body. She cannot be kept anymore.

Guru (continued): There is a major point here. Usually, people worship at home. But where the Mother sits, she turns that place into a cremation ground (Shashan). Mother resides in the cremation ground. Before the Mother sits, she will make that place a cremation ground. That is why it's better not to perform this puja at home, in my opinion. Because you have to worship the cremation ground in the house, you have to worship ghosts and spirits. These are not good things to bring into a home. But wherever Mother sits, know that she makes it a cremation ground first. This is the rule.

Guru (continued): Now people don't know this. That's what Ramprasad said: "From that well emerged black water, the beautiful black form." People get mesmerized by the Mother's form. From the outside she looks beautiful, but inside there are varied qualities. At first sight, the Mother is so full of Maya and affection that one feels like worshipping her or staying near her. But when one hears about her true attributes, one's mind might be disturbed.

Guru (continued): That is why we say one thing: do whatever you want, but don't do Kali Puja without understanding. Leave it be. This is a puja for Tantriks and Sadhaks. They are the ones who perform this puja. They choose a secluded place, a cremation ground, a forest, or an open field to perform the Mother's puja.

Guru (continued): Now it is happening in every house, and people are suffering the consequences. Because if you do Kali Puja, you must perform 'Dashamahavidya.' Without Dashamahavidya, Kali Puja is incomplete. Many don't know this, they don't know the mantras or the meditation. Some do know. The place where Kali Puja happens becomes a complete cremation ground.

Guru (continued): I had mentioned this once, and a team from Bankura went from house to house where Kali Puja was being performed. They came back and told me, "Gurudev, you were right. Kali Puja should not be done at home." That team went and talked to people in houses where puja was performed and understood that it's not meant for households. They told me I was right.

Guru (continued): This is the thing. Mother's form is terrifying to look at, but it is the form of Time (Kaal). She is Death. She is the messenger of Death. Pitch black darkness of the new moon where no planet gives light. It's a pact with the Mother—no planet will give light on Earth. The puja will happen in pitch-black darkness where nothing can be seen. Now there are lights everywhere, there is a glow. Even in villages at night, there is light from electric bulbs. But actually, it should be the pitch black of Amavasya. That is why we say this is not good for householders. Now householders are doing it out of love, but they are also facing the consequences. Yes, tell me what else you want to know.

Devotee: We heard in detail about Kali Puja from Gurudev. Gurudev described the Mother and the various methods of puja. Gurudev, I offer my pronam to you.

Guru: Pronam, baba, pronam, pronam.

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