STUDENT:
Guru, greetings.
GURU:
Greetings, my son. Speak.
STUDENT:
Mother Jagatjanani (Universal Mother) has many forms. Among them, we see the form of Mother Bhadrakali. So today, I would like to hear from you about Mother Bhadrakali.
GURU:
Well, Bhadrakali is worshipped in Patala (the netherworld). Ramprasad once said in a song: "Mother, you were in Patala as Bhadrakali; many gods have worshipped you with human sacrifices." In Patala, there was Mahiravana. Mahiravana used to worship Mother Bhadrakali. This Bhadrakali is none other than Mahasaraswati.
GURU:
All the fourteen Manus worshipped her. They worshipped Mahasaraswati. Now, look at the Saraswati puja we perform at home; that Saraswati is also Bhadrakali. Again, when we perform Durga Puja, the primary mantra used is:
Jayanti Mangala Kali Bhadrakali Kapalini Durga Shiva Kshama Dhatri Svaha Svadha Namostute
This Bhadrakali mentioned here is Mahasaraswati. Again, when we recite the mantra for Saraswati puja:
Saraswatyai Namo Nityam Bhadrakalyai Namo Namah Vedavedantavedangavidyasthanebhya Eva Ca
We say, "Salutations to Bhadrakali." This Saraswati was worshipped in Patala. And Mahiravana used to worship her there. Before him, many other deities also worshipped her. Deities used to offer many human sacrifices there. Ramprasad mentioned this in his song: "Many gods have worshipped you with human sacrifices." Great human sacrifices used to take place there in Patala. Mahiravana was a very powerful practitioner (Sadhak) of her worship.
Jayanti Mangala Kali Bhadrakali Kapalini Durga Shiva Kshama Dhatri Svaha Svadha Namostute
This Bhadrakali mentioned here is Mahasaraswati. Again, when we recite the mantra for Saraswati puja:
Saraswatyai Namo Nityam Bhadrakalyai Namo Namah Vedavedantavedangavidyasthanebhya Eva Ca
We say, "Salutations to Bhadrakali." This Saraswati was worshipped in Patala. And Mahiravana used to worship her there. Before him, many other deities also worshipped her. Deities used to offer many human sacrifices there. Ramprasad mentioned this in his song: "Many gods have worshipped you with human sacrifices." Great human sacrifices used to take place there in Patala. Mahiravana was a very powerful practitioner (Sadhak) of her worship.
STUDENT:
A practitioner among the Rakshasas?
GURU:
Yes. Once, during the war between Rama-Lakshmana and Ravana, Ravana called upon Mahiravana and asked, "Can you kill them?" Mahiravana replied, "That is no big deal! I will take them to my domain and kill them before the Mother. I will kill them before Bhadrakali."
GURU:
It was prophesied in Patala that Mahiravana would die when Hanuman entered the netherworld. When Mahiravana abducted Rama and Lakshmana from the battlefield—it was like a theft, taking them away secretly—he brought them to Patala. He kept them before the Mother. But Hanuman is all-knowing and possesses the eight Siddhis, including Anima, Laghima, and Garima. Hanuman had these powers; he could grow massive or become as small as a fly. Using these powers, Hanuman took the form of a fly and followed them. He waited on a tree branch. Meanwhile, some women came to fetch water and saw Hanuman. They discussed among themselves, "Now Mahiravana will likely die, because Hanuman has arrived in Patala."
GURU:
Hanuman was in Patala. He started observing what was happening. In the early morning, Mahiravana called Rama and Lakshmana and told them to place their heads on the sacrificial altar (Hadi-kath). Rama replied, "We are the sons of a king; we do not know how to bow our heads. Why don't you show us how to place our heads on the sacrificial altar?" Mahiravana did not understand Rama's trickery. As he went to demonstrate, Hanuman, who was hiding behind the statue of Bhadrakali, took the sacrificial sword (Kharga) from the Mother's hand and sacrificed Mahiravana. Then he brought Rama and Lakshmana back to the battlefield.
GURU:
So, this is Bhadrakali. Originally, she is Mahasaraswati. She wears a garland of skulls (Munda Mala) and is draped in tiger skin (Byaghra Charma). In her hands, she holds the Shankha, Chakra, Gada, and Padma (Conch, Discus, Mace, and Lotus), as well as a sword. She has eight hands with various weapons. This is Mahasaraswati, she who is Bhadrakali. She is also worshipped in Patala by many gods and Rakshasas. The fourteen Manus also worshipped her. It is said that during the killing of Shumbha and Nishumbha, Mahasaraswati killed them in her own form. Together with Mother Durga, there were Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi, and Mahakali—all the powers were there. They fought alongside the Mother. Mahasaraswati, as Bhadrakali, killed Shumbha and Nishumbha.
GURU:
She was worshipped in Patala, even by Kapil Muni. At the Sagar (Ganga Sagar), on the dome of the temple, you will see an image of Kali. There is a statue of Bhadrakali there. Ordinary people might not know this, but Bishalakshi is also there; she is also Mahasaraswati, the primordial Bhadrakali. That is why Ramprasad thoughtfully wrote: "Mother, you were in Patala as Bhadrakali; many gods have worshipped you with human sacrifices." All are the same form, but they were worshipped in different places, in different ways, by different people. Wherever she was worshipped, she was given a name. There are millions of names.
STUDENT:
Guru, one goddess can take millions of forms and names.
GURU:
Yes. Wherever she resided and whoever worshipped her, they gave her a name. Bhadrakali is a goddess who was worshipped by everyone from Kapil Muni to the Rakshasas and the Manus. As I said, the Chandi mentions that Bhadrakali killed Shumbha and Nishumbha in the form of Saraswati.
STUDENT:
I have a question. Mahiravana was a devotee and practitioner of Bhadrakali, yet he had to die before her. Did he not receive any blessing from the Mother to be saved?
GURU:
No, no, no. That was his fate. It was written that when Hanuman would conquer Patala, Mahiravana would die. This was well-known. Those who saw Hanuman in Patala knew that Mahiravana’s death was inevitable. Just because someone is a practitioner does not mean they are exempt. They were Rakshasas, after all. They committed many misdeeds. The Mother tolerates them for a while, but eventually, she acts.
GURU:
Being a devotee doesn't mean the Mother will always save you. Consider the case of Ramprasad. When dacoits took him to be sacrificed at the altar, they asked him, "Are you a Brahmin or a non-Brahmin?" He replied, "I am neither; I am a human being." Later, when he began to sing and call upon the Mother while at the sacrificial altar, the dacoits saw that Ramprasad's face had been replaced by the face of Kali. They were terrified! They realized they were about to sacrifice a great devotee and released him. So, being a devotee doesn't mean the Mother will simply forgive everything.
GURU:
Sometimes the Mother herself kills the devotee. For example, at Kamakhya. Long ago, there was a practitioner who used to recite hymns (Stotra) to the Mother every evening. The Mother would appear to him. She warned him, "The day someone else hears this recitation, your death is certain." When the King of Cooch Behar conquered Assam and went to him, he demanded to hear the hymn and see the Mother. The practitioner refused, saying he would die. The King pretended to leave but secretly hid behind a rock. The practitioner did not know this. When he began the recitation in the evening and the Mother appeared, she killed the devotee. Then she caught the King of Cooch Behar by his hair and warned him, "If you or your descendants ever look toward the Nilachal hill again, your lineage will be destroyed." To this day, the King of Cooch Behar’s descendants do not go to Kamakhya or even look toward the Nilachal hill where the Mother resides.
GURU:
So, being a practitioner doesn't mean the Mother will always show mercy. She killed that devotee with her own hands because it was destined that he would die if anyone heard his recitation. Similarly, when Hanuman conquered Patala, everyone knew Mahiravana's death was certain. This Bhadrakali is the same Mahasaraswati. The two-handed Saraswati you worship at home is also a form of Bhadrakali. It is worshipped one way in households and another way by Tantriks. The household worship is different from the Tantric worship. Bhadrakali is not usually worshipped in homes; Saraswati is. She is the goddess of wisdom. In Tantra, we find her with eight hands, draped in tiger skin, wearing a garland of skulls, and holding eight weapons. This is the form in which she killed Shumbha and Nishumbha.
STUDENT:
Is the right to perform this worship only for Tantric practitioners?
GURU:
Not everyone can or should perform Bhadrakali puja. Usually, the Saraswati worshipped in homes is worshipped as Bhadrakali through mantras. As the mantra says, "Salutations to Bhadrakali." But she is not worshipped in the eight-armed form in homes. That is Mahasaraswati. The worship is the same, but the methods differ. One is the household way, and the other is for practitioners and Tantriks. She has been worshipped by many—Kapil Muni, the fourteen Manus, great deities, and even Mahiravana.
STUDENT:
Guru, I understand from your words that the Mother is worshipped by different names in different places, but she is the one and the same.
GURU:
Yes, she is one and the same. Only the names differ. People get caught up in the names. But she is one, without a second. Kali means Kali. She has both a terrifying form and a gentle (Bhadra) form. She is both extremely gentle and extremely fierce.
STUDENT:
Are the mantras the same?
GURU:
No, the mantras are different. There is a vast difference between the mantras. The mantra for the Saraswati puja at home and the mantra for Bhadrakali are worlds apart. Only practitioners use the latter, and the mantras are entirely different.
STUDENT:
Could I hear that mantra from you?
GURU:
No, that cannot be spoken. I cannot recite the Bhadrakali mantra. Even if I know it, I will not say it. She is a fierce goddess. A very fierce goddess.
STUDENT:
Guru, I have learned about Bhadrakali from you—about her form, her actions, and her characteristics. I bow to you, Guru.
GURU:
Greetings, my son. Greetings.