Stories

The story of Kali

Kali

The first time I saw images of Kali, I felt fear and revulsion. After I learned the story of Kali, I now appreciate what I see. The images are powerful.

This is the story about the image you see above: This statue shows Kali looking fierce, with multiple arms and a garland of skulls around her neck. She is standing on the corpse of her very own husband, Lord Shiva. Why is Kali standing on her own beloved husband?

First, Kali had killed a demon named Raktabija. After Kali slays the demon Raktabija, she becomes drunk with Raktabija's blood. She runs crazily all around the world, destroying everything and everyone in her sight.

Her husband Shiva sees this and becomes alarmed. To calm her down, he takes the form of a corpse and blocks her path. Kali, blinded by her bloodlust, trips on Shiva's lifeless body, and comes out of her craze. Horrified, she wonders if she killed her own husband. She places a foot on Shiva's chest and brings him back to life.

But wait. there's more.

Shiva transforms himself into the body of a little child and begins to cry, awakening motherly love in Kali's heart. This forces her to shed her fierce form; Kali became Gauri, the kind-hearted mother,the giver of life.

Here is another powerful image of Kali:

Kali, in Kolkata

The story of Ganesh

Ganesh sits in a car dashboard.

This Ganesh sits in another car dashboard.

Ganesh, or Ganesha, is known world-wide. He is one of the most popular deities in Hinduism. He is a chubby, gentle, elephant-headed god. His power to remove obstacles is valued by many people. At many Hindu temples, worshipers will acknowledge Ganesh first when they enter to pray.

Ganesh has one broken tusk, a human body, and four arms. In his upper right arm he holds an axe or goad; in his other upper arm he holds a rope; he holds his broken tusk in his lower right hand, and a bowl of sweets in his other hand. As a matter of fact, he is always hungry for sweets, and worshipers will often leave special sweet dishes at his shrine.

You will usually find Ganesh sitting upon the coils of a cobra. The cobras are often associated with lord Shiva. It just so happens Ganesh is Shiva's son. If you look closely, you will see he wears intricate leggings, and often wears a lotus-shaped crown.

This is a 10th century stone carving of Ganesha.