THE WARRIOR PRINCESS

                                                               

Gudit

960 AD

Gudit (also known as Judit) was a non-Christian queen who ruled Dʿmt around 960 AD. She laid waste to Axum (the then-Sacred capital of Ethiopia – image above) and its countryside. She destroyed monuments and churches and attempted to wipe out all of the members of the ruling dynasty (descendants of the Queen of Sheba). Her activities are recorded in oral tradition and in various historical records. It is believed that she killed the emperor and took over his throne where she reigned for 40 years. Tales of her violence and history are still told by peasants in the North Ethiopian communities. It is traditionally believed that she sacked and destroyed Debre Damo, the treasury and prison for male relatives of the King of Ethiopia

Triệu Thị Trinh

225 AD

Triệu Thị Trinh was a Vietnamese warrior from the 3rd century who successfully resisted the occupying forces of the Wu Kingdom during their time in Vietnam. She was born in the Trieu Son district of Thanh Hoa province (now in Northern Vietnam). At the time of her birth, the area was controlled by the Eastern Wu Kingdom, one of China’s three Kingdoms. She was orphaned at a young age and was raised by her brother and his wife as a slave until the age of 20. She escaped from her brother’s home and fled to the jungle where she built up an army of at least 1,000 men and women soldiers. Triệu Trinh managed to liberate an area of Vietnam which she then claimed as her own. By the age of 23 she had defeated at least 30 Wu advances. It was said that she rode in to battle on the back of an elephant whilst wearing golden armor and carrying two swords.

Boudicca

1st Century AD

Boudicca was a Queen of the people of Norfolk who lead an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire. Her husband had left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and the Roman Emperor when he died, but the Romans did not acknowledge the joint rule – they simply took full control. It was reported that Boudica was flogged and her daughters raped. She was eventually chosen as the leader of her people and their neighbors to lead an assault on the Romans. Her army had great success in their battles – and in fact completely demolished the city of Camulodunum (Colchester). Tacitus said that the Britons had no desire to take prisoners – they simply slaughtered everyone in their path. Dio said that the noble Roman women were beheaded and had their breasts cut off and sewn to their mouths. Ironically, the great anti-imperialist rebel is now identified with the head of the British Empire, and her statue stands guard over the city she razed to the ground.

Trưng Sisters

1st Century AD

The Trưng Sisters were Vietnamese military leaders who managed to repel Chinese invasions for over three years. They are regarded as national heroines of Vietnam. They were born during the thousand-year Chinese occupation. After fighting off a small Chinese unit from their village, they assembled an army mostly consisting of women. Within months they had taken back many regions from the Chinese and had liberated Nam Việt. They became Queens of the country and resisted all further attacks from the Chinese for two years. Eventually the Chinese formed a large army to crush the sisters and their army. Legend has it that the Chinese army went in to battle totally naked in order to shame the women soldiers in to defeat. Despite a heroic effort on the part of the sisters, the Chinese overcame their army. To protect their honor and to avoid ridicule at the hands of the Chinese, the two queens committed suicide by drowning themselves in the Hát river.

Artemisia I of Caria

5th Century BC

Artemisia I of Caria became the ruler of Ionia as a client of the Persians. She is best remembered for her participation in the Battle of Salamis (image above). She alone counseled the King of Persia (Xerxes) not to meet the Greeks at sea and do battle. Nevertheless he did not heed her advice and she participated in the battle in September 480 BC as the commander of five ships. At one point in the battle the Greeks were close to capturing her trireme when she devised a cunning plan to escape. She had her own ship bear down on another Persian ship causing the Greeks to think that she was fighting on their side. When she sank the ship the Greeks left her alone. Xerxes watching from a nearby hill also assumed that she had defeated an enemy ship and praised her for her bravery. Xerxes was so full of praise for her that he said: “My men have turned into women and my women into men!”. Artemisia tried to convince Xerxes to retreat to Asia Minor against the advice of his other generals. Ultimately the Persians suffered a great defeat.

Fu Hao

1200 BC

Fu Hao was a consort of King Wu Ding of the Shang dynasty. She also (unusually for that time) served as a high priestess and military general. Her tomb (image above) was discovered in Yinxu (the ruins of the Shang Capital, Yin) full intact with her treasures. She is known to modern scholars mainly from inscriptions on Shang dynasty oracle bone artifacts. In the inscriptions she is shown to have lead many military campaigns. The Tu fought again the Shang for many generations until Fu Hao finally defeated them in a single battle. Further campaigns against the neighbouring Yi, Qiang, and Ba were to follow – with the latter being particularly well known as the earliest recorded large scale ambush in Chinese history. With over 13,000 troops, she was the most powerful military leader of her time.

Ahhotep I

16th Century BC

Ahhotep I was such an important figure in the early New Kingdom that she is considered to have been a pivotal figure in the founding of the eighteenth dynasty. She had a long and influential life and ruled as regent after the death of her father. She enabled her two sons (Kamose and Ahmose I) to unite Egypt after the Hyskos occupation. She was instrumental in driving the Hyskos invaders out of Egypt. She lived until the age of ninety and was buried beside Kamose at Thebes.

She is the one who has accomplished the rites and taken care of Egypt… She has looked after her soldiers, she has guarded her, she has brought back her fugitives and collected together her deserters, she has pacified Upper Egypt and expelled her rebels.

Weapons and jewelry found in the tomb of Ahhotep I include an axe depicting Ahmose I striking down a Hyskos soldier, and flies in honor for the queen in her role against the Hyskos. She was considered a warrior Queen and was presented with the Order of Valor. She was honored with a stela, commissioned by Ahmose I in the temple of Amun-Re that praises her military accomplishments.

St Joan of Arc

15th Century AD

Saint Joan of Arc appeared before the Crown Prince of France after receiving visions she claimed were from God telling her to fight to take France back from the English late in the Hundred Years’ War. The uncrowned King Charles VII sent her to the siege at Orléans. She gained great recognition after she was able to lift the siege in only nine days. After several more swift victories, she led Charles VII to his coronation at Rheims. She is the only person ever recorded to have commanded the entire army of a nation at the age of seventeen. Despite sustaining wounds to the neck and head, she continued to lead the country to victory repeatedly. She was tried for heresy in a false court and burnt at the stake. Her trial was declared invalid by the Pope and she was canonized as a saint many years later.

Zenobia

3rd Century AD

Septima Zenobia governed Syria from about 250 to 275 AD. She led her armies on horseback wearing full armor and during Claudius’ reign defeated the Roman legions so decisively that they retreated from much of Asia Minor. Arabia, Armenia and Persia allied themselves with her and she declared herself Queen of Egypt by right of ancestry. Claudius’ successor Aurelian sent his most experienced legions to conquer Zenobia but it took almost 4 years of battles and sieges before her capital city of Palmyra fell and Zenobia along with nine other martial queens of allied provinces were paraded through the streets of Rome in chains. Aurelian exiled Zenobia to Tibur. Her daughters married into influential Roman families and her line continued to be important in Roman politics for almost three centuries. Mavia, was Queen of the Bedouin Saracens from 370 to 380 AD. She led her troops in defeating a Roman army then made a favorable peace and married her daughter to the Roman commander in chief of the eastern Emperor Valens.

Tamar of Georgia

13th Century AD

Tamar (sometimes known as Tamara) was the daughter of the Georgian King Giorgi III. Her father declared her co-ruler and heir apparent to prevent dispute after his death. After the death of her father, Tamar gained a reputation as an outstanding ruler and was dubbed “King of Kings and Queen of Queens” by her people. Her reign saw the bringing to heel of almost every neighboring Muslim state. Tamar played an active military role as the commander of her army. During her reign the kingdom reached the apex of its political, economic and cultural might. In 1201-1203, Georgians took and annexed the Armenian capitals of Ani and Dvin. In 1204, Tamar’s army occupied the city of Kars. In 1204, Tamar helped to found the Empire of Trebizond on the southern shore of the Black Sea (whose capital is now the Turkish city of Trabzon). Queen Tamar died in 1213.

RANI LAXMIBAI OF JHANSI (1834 - 1858)

Rani Laxmibai's courage, deeds of valour and heroic battle against the British have become the theme of many a folklore and ballad in the country. She is the immortal warrior the country has ever seen. Even as a child Laxmibai learnt horse riding and sward fighting. When both her husband Raja Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi and her only son died in 1853 she adopted a son and made him the heir to the throne. The British Governor General Dalhousie refused to recognize her adopted son as heir to the throne and ordered annexation of Jhansi into British Raj. Rani Laxmibai refused to part with Jhansi. A fierce fight ensued. The Rani fought the British undauntedly leading her forces from the front and showed great courage and skill. She was fatally wounded in the battle and she breathed her last on 18-06-1858.

KITTUR RANI CHENNAMMA (1778 - 1829)

Chennamma received training in horse riding , sword fighting and archery in her young age. She was married to Raja Mullasarja of Kittur, a princely state of Belgaum in Karnataka. Her husband died in 1816. Her only son died in 1824. Chennamma adopted Shivalingappa as her son and made him heir to the throne. The British did not accept this and ordered the expulsion of Shivalingappa. The Rani defied the order. A great battle ensued. The Rani fought the British with great courage and skill. She could not, however, hold out for long. She was taken captive and lodged in Bailhongal Fort where she died on 21-02-1829.

RANI AVANTIBAI

When Vikramaditya Singh, the ruler of Ramgarh State died leaving behind his wife Avantibai and no heir to the throne, the British put the state under court administration. Avantibai vowed to win back her land from the British. She raised an army of four thousand men and led it herself against the British in 1857. A fierce battle ensured and Avantibai fought most valiantly but could not hold out for long against the superior strength of the British army. When her defeat become imminent she killed herself with her own sword and became a martyr on 20-03-1858.

JALKARI BAI

The folklore of Bundelkhand (part of Jhansi State then ) are full of heroic exploits of Jalkari Bai. She was a village girl and hailed from a very poor family. It is said that she had an encounter with a tiger while she was collecting firewood in the jungle and she killed the tiger single handed with her axe. She had a striking resemblance to Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and because of this Rani took interest in her and inducted her into the women's wing of the army.

During 1957-58 there were several British raids on Jhansi Fort and the Rani repulsed every one of the attacks. Later when the fall of fort became imminent Jalkari bai and some generates convinced Laxmibai to escape quietly with the help of supporters. In a ploy to deceive the British, Jalkari bai dressed herself up like the Rani and took command of the army. The British found out the truth, but it was too late. The Rani had covered a considerable distance by then. Jalkaribai fought the British forces valiantly but was eventually forced to surrender. The British general, impressed by her loyalty, courage and fighting prowess treated her with respect and set her free.

Raziya Sultan

Altamash was the first king to appoint a woman as his official successor. However, the Turk nobility was not going to have any of this liberal stuff and after Altamash’s death his eldest son Rukn-ud-din Feroze Shah was raised to the throne. Soon it became apparent why Altamash had chosen his daughter above his many sons. Rukn-ud-din left all the hard work of governing to his scheming mother Shah Turkaan and whiled away his time with nautch girls. When not smoking opium, he could be found riding an elephant on the streets of Delhi, scattering gold coins to all and sundry. Unfortunately for him Shah Turkaan used her position to avenge all real and supposed insults handed to her in the days when she was a handmaid (before Altamash married her). Very soon rebellion occurred from all sides and the upshot of it all was that Shah Turkaan and Rukn-ud-din were put to death. He had lasted precisely six months and seven days.

Now the nobility turned to Sultana Raziya, the successor Altamash had selected. Raziya Sultan is a much-romanticized figure in Indian history. As late as three centuries later, the legal aspect of her accession was still a matter of heated theological debate. of course, what makes her more interesting was that she had an affair with her Assyrian slave, Yakut.

By all accounts Raziya vindicated her father’s faith in her. She was a very shrewd ruler, and for all her feminine beauty an autocrat who kept the nobility in their place. The army and the people of Delhi were solidly behind the queen. She needed all the support she could get for many of her most powerful governors were in revolt against her. It was in tackling them that Raziya gave evidence of her immense sagacity. She played such a skilful game of political intrigue that very soon the rebels were fighting each other. On the military front, she defeated one of their principal leaders Wazir Muhammad Junaidi so convincingly that he retired from active politics. Soon she was successful in winning over most of the remaining nobles to her side.

A COURTESY OF GOOGLE 

                                                    

 

Khudayee

   

Surah Fathiha 1:1

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

If thou bring them not a revelation, they say: "Why hast thou not got it together?" Say: "I but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord: this is (nothing but) lights from your Lord, and Guidance, and mercy, for any who have faith."

7:203

When the Qur'an is read, listen to it with attention, and hold your peace: that ye may receive Mercy.

7:204

 24:38
That Allah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of His Grace: for Allah doth provide for those whom He will, without measure.

What does the Qur’an have to say?This should be important to know for all who are concerned with humanity and peace in this world, torn apart by strife, hatred and violence. It should be important whether one believes that the Qur’an is the Word of God or not.

To know what the Qur’an says is important because the Qur’an has made a deep and abiding impact on the course of human civilisation and history in many fundamental ways; because it has been inspiring, shaping, governing and directing countless human lives over the ages, since it first appeared fourteen hundred years ago.

And it still does.

The Qur’an, among all other books believed to be divine, is the only book which itself claims, and is believed by its followers to be literally the word of God.

Those who first heard it from the lips of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had absolutely no doubt that, through him, God was speaking to them. It totally transformed them; it quickened their hearts, ir reshaped their minds; it made their eyes overflow with tears and their bodies tremble with awe, it changed them into new individuals, as well as a new society and polity; it led them to be leaders of mankind and founders of a rich and flowing civilisation.

More significantly, what a remarkable testimony it is to the unique power of the Qur’an that, in an age when God has been made irrelevant to human existence and concerns, millions and millions of human beings- as much as one fifth of the human race- still cling tenaciously to the book which they believe with certainty to be the Word of God, as the only blueprint for a bright, progressive, post modern future.
It is still the supreme source of inspiration, guidance and comfort in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural lives, it still influences and shapes their way of thinking and conduct, both private and public, in innumerable ways.

To know what it says is therefore not only important for better inter- human understanding and amity, but it may be crucial for the destiny of mankind too.

However, everyone cannot venture to read the whole of the Qur’an, though its length is less than that of the New Testament.
Yet everyone should have the opportunity to taste the delicious fruits in the garden of the Qur’an.

[Khurram Murad, The Quranic Treasures]

‘All praise be to God alone,
the Lord of all the worlds,
the All-Merciful, the Ever Mercy-giving,
the Master of the Day of Judgement.
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.
Guide us on the Straight Path,
The path of whom You have blessed, not of those who incur You anger,
Nor of those who go astray.’
(al-Fatihah 1: 1-7)

 ‘Will they not, then, try to understand this Qur’an?
Had it come from anyone other than God, they would have found in it many an inner contradiction.’
(al-Nisa 4:82)
‘Blessed is He in whose hands is the Kingdom- who is powerful over everything- who has created death and life, so that He might test you as to which among you [proves that he] is good in conduct.’
(al-Mulk 67: 1-2)
‘Say: The Truth has come from your Lord. Let him who will, believe it, and let him who will, reject it.’
(al-Kahf 18: 29)
‘Whosoever chooses to follow guidance, follows it for his own good; whosoever goes astray, goes astray to his own loss.’
(al-Isra’ 17: 15)
[And God said to Adam] ‘Get you all down out of it; yet there shall most certainly come to you guidance from Me, and those who follow My guidance need have no fear, and neither shall they grieve.’
(al-Baqarah 2: 38)
‘Surely We have sent you [O Muhammad] with the Truth, as a herald of good tidings and a warner, for there were never a people without a warner having come among them.’
(al-Fatir 35: 24)
‘We have sent you to the entire mankind to give them good tidings, and warn them; but most people do not understand this.’
(Saba’ 34: 28)
‘The Jews say, ‘The Christians have no valid grounds’; the Christians say, ‘The Jews have no valid grounds’; and both quote the Book [of God]. So do those who have no knowledge [of the Book] speak like them. But it is God who will decide between them on the Day of Ressurection about all on which they differ.’
(al-Baqarah 2: 113)
‘Whosoever holds fast to God, he has been guided onto the Straight Path.’
(al-Imran 3: 101)
‘Say: He is God, the One and Unique;
God, the Eternal source and support
Of everything;
He begets not, and neither is He begotten;
And none is His equal.’
(al-Ikhlas 112: 1-4)

‘It is He who accepts repentance from His servants, and pardons bad deeds, and knows all that you do. And He answers those who have faith and do righteous deeds, and gives them- out of His bounty- far more.’
(al-Shura 42: 25-6)
‘The true servants of the Most Merciful are those who behave gently and with humility on earth, and whenever the foolish quarrel with them, they reply with [words of] peace.’
(al-Furqan 25: 63)
‘Turn not your cheek away from people in scorn and pride, and walk not on earth haughtily; for God does not love anyone who acts proudly and boastfully. Be modest in your bearing and lower your voice; for the ugliest sound is the donkey’s braying.’
(Luqman 31: 18-19)
[Successful are the believers]…who are faithful to their trusts and to their promises.’
(al-Mu’minun 23:8)
‘And be true to every promise- for, verily you willl be called to account for every promise which you have made.’
(al-Isra 17: 34)
‘Indeed, We sent Our messengers with evident truth, and We sent down with them the Book and the balance (of right and wrong), so that people might behave [with each other] with justice.’
(al-Hadid 57: 25)
‘Never let your enmity for anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Always be just: that is closest to being God-fearing.’
(al-Ma’idah 5:8)
‘Do you know the one who denies the (Day of) Judgement? It is he who pushes the orphan away, and urges not to feed the needy. Woe, then unto those praying ones, who are heedless of their prayers, who want to be seen and praised, and refuse (to give) even little things in charity.’
(al Ma’un 107: 1-7)
‘The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto; but if a person forgives and makes peace, his reward rests with God; He loves not those who do wrong.’
(al-Shura 42: 40)
‘Good and evil can never be equal. Repel (evil) with that which is better, and see how, then, someone between whom and you was enmity shall become a true friend. Yet none is given such goodness except those who are patient; none is give this but the most fortunate.’
(al-Fussilat 41: 34-5)

‘Your Lord has decreed that you shall serve none but Him, and do good to your parents. Should one or both of them reach old age with you, never say ‘Ugh’ to them, nor scold either of them; but speak to them kindly and respectfully, spread over them the wings of humility and mercy, and say, ‘My Lord, have mercy upon them, as they raised me up when I was little.’
(al-Isra 17: 23- 4)

‘Women have rights (over against men) equal to the rights (they owe men) – but men have precedence over them.’
(al-Baqarah 2: 228)
‘Verily, that which is with God is the best for you, if you but knew it: all that which is with you is bound to end, whereas all that which is with God is everlasting.’
(al-Nahl 16: 95-6)

‘The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is that of a grain, out of which grow seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains.’
(al-Baqarah 2: 261)
‘The flesh of sacrificial animals does not reach God and neither their blood; but only godliness from you reaches Him.’
(al-Hajj 22: 37)

‘And they say, ‘None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.’ These are their wishful beliefs. Say, ‘Produce your evidence if what you say is true!’
Nay, whosoever surrenders his whole being unto God, and is a doer of good, shall have his reward from his Lord; on them shall be no fear, neither shall they sorrow.’
(al-Baqarah 2: 111-12)

What does 'freedom' mean?

Does the eagle want to swim in the sea,Restricted by the sky?Does the fish want to dance on the wind,Not enough river to explore?

Yet the sky is freedom for the bird but death for the fish,

The sea is wide for the fish but will engulf the bird.

We ask for freedom but freedom to do what? We can only express our nature as it was created.

The prayer mat of the earth is freedom, freedom from slavery to other than the One,

Who offers an shoreless ocean of love to swim in and a horizon that extends to the next life,

Yet we chose the prison and call it freedom.

And, Allah described His Prophet as a blessing bestowed on us saying: "Certainly there has come to you a Messenger from amongst yourselves, grievous to him is your suffering, ardently anxious is he over you, to the believers he is compassionate and merciful." (9:129)

Those who patiently persevere, seeking the countenance of their Lord; Establish regular prayers; spend, out of (the gifts) We have bestowed for their sustenance, secretly and openly; and turn off Evil with good: for such there is the final attainment of the (eternal) home

Gardens of perpetual bliss: they shall enter there, as well as the righteous among their fathers, their spouses, and their offspring: and angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation)

"Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final home!"

~ sura Rad 22-24

“Those who believe, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” Surah Ra’d 13:28

Allah. There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).

~2.255

Sûrat An-Nisâ’ (The Women) – 4: Verse 59… [/I]O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger, if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.

Sûrat As-Saff (The Row or the Rank) 61: Verses 8-9…

They intend to put out the Light of Allâh (i.e. the Religion of Islâm, this Qur’ân, and the Prophet Muhammad) with their mouths. But Allâh will bring His Light to perfection even though the disbelievers hate (it).

He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islâmic Monotheism) to make it victorious over all (other) religions even though the Mushrikûn (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh and in His Messenger Muhammad) hate (it).

For, Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord;

Noble Quran 8:2

Quran 7:205


And do thou (O reader!) Bring thy Lord to remembrance in thy (very) soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in words, in the mornings and evenings; and be not thou of those who are unheedful.

Quran 7:206

Those who are near to thy Lord, disdain not to do Him worship: They celebrate His praises, and prostrate before Him.

                                                              

Silence

THE HEALING POWER OF SILENCE

By Swami Shraddhananda
Coming to the United States in 1957, Swami Shraddhananda was head of the Vedanta Society in Sacramento from 1970 until his death in 1996. He was the author of Seeing God Everywhere and Story of an Epoch as well as many articles published in both English and Bengali journals. “The Healing Power of Silence” is found in Seeing God Everywhere.
Every one of us has probably felt the beneficial influence of silence. Even the busiest people need to have breaks of silence in their work. Silence seems to be a necessary factor in our lives, yet we do not always realize the implications of the quietness we unconsciously seek and enjoy when we take a walk in a solitary meadow or in a forest or on a mountain. These quiet recreations may not occur very often, but when they do we cannot forget the spell that such solitary communion with nature leaves upon us.
Again, if we chance to wake up at dead of night when everything is calm around us, the deep silence of the night seems to penetrate into our being. Of course, silence may be frightening: some people cannot bear the absence of sound. But apart from those few, most of us welcome and profit by occasional contacts of silence in nature or even in our homes. Our nerves are soothed, energy is regained, and the total effect is bracing to our bodies and minds.
The experience of deep sleep proves our need for silence. We may be very busy throughout the day, but at night we hanker for that hour when everything—our sense perceptions, responsibilities, thoughts, worries, emotions, desires, hopes—is left behind. What is sleep? Is it not silence? In sleep nothing disturbs us. Even though we leave everything behind, including body consciousness, we enjoy the experience.
However, sleep is not emptiness. The sages of the Upanishads had great insight into the study of sleep. According to them, sleep leads human consciousness close to the Ground of universal Existence, which is infinite calmness. That is why, when we come back to the waking state, we return refreshed and at peace.
God has combined noise and silence, activity and rest; it is the plan of nature. Look at the boundless space outside. Scientists say that space is vast, containing millions and millions of stars with their planets, galactic systems, and nebulae. Yet this stellar universe is very small compared to the immensity of empty space. If by some cosmic disorder all the celestial bodies were to collide and be annihilated, the vastness of space would not be affected in the least. And what is this vast space? Is it not characterized by an immeasurable silence?
Imagine the totality of sounds emerging from this small planet of ours, the summation of all the noises produced every minute by millions and millions of human beings and all other kinds of living creatures and machines, as well as various natural phenomena. Then think of a similar noise connected with every other heavenly body. If we now add all these noises together, we can imagine what an enormous quantity of sound this cosmic universe can produce. Yet compared to the infinite stillness of space, this sound is nothing. Throughout the universe there is great activity; there are innumerable interactions throughout life, mind, and energy on one side of the picture, but there is also another side. Behind all these cosmic activities there is the vast silence of limitless space and time.
Time, like space, is inexhaustible. Like a river it flows continuously, without any regard for what happens within it. Thus space and time are both silent sentinels of these cosmic activities which we call the world processes. That is the plan of God. If God is responsible for this plan of creation, His plan includes not only evolution and activity, but also a state of quiescence that pervades the vastness of space and time.
All this refers to external silence, the quietude of our surroundings. It is necessary for every one of us in the interest of our physical and mental health to consciously avail ourselves of silence as much as we can, apart from the rest we obtain from sleep. A person can try a preliminary practice of silence by just sitting quietly without any serious thought or activity. To be by oneself, if only for ten minutes, is a healthy tonic for our physical health, but this practice also serves to relieve our cares, anxieties, and mental restlessness. One can sometimes get up at 3:00 a.m., when everything is still, and try to feel the pulse of the serene night. It will have a remarkably soothing effect on the mind.
More important than outward silence is inward silence, and that is not so easily available to us. Just as when we look outside and see a vast universe interwoven with activities and quietude, our internal world has both action and silence. When we look into the mind we ordinarily see only the surface phenomena—thoughts, feelings, and desires. We must make additional effort to experience that inner silence, the silence of the mind; we must silence our inordinate desires and passions. The background of silence escapes our notice. If we can come in touch with that inner realm of silence, our mental troubles can be healed.
Without such healing, the unrest and suffering caused by maladjustments, unbridled passions, desires, and frustrations can result in illness. We have to seek the counsel of psychiatrists who may or may not be able to help us. Driven by psychological complexes, we feel restless. Repressions and unsatisfied urges can fragment our personalities; when this occurs, the mind becomes a great burden—an uncontrollable enemy with which we cannot cope. Both our foolishness and wrong education have created the mind's restless behavior. The remedy must come from within ourselves: the remedy lies in the discovery of the true background of the personality.
Here is a simple practice for experiencing inner calmness: it consists of watching the mind and trying to see what is going on within. This practice is not necessarily spiritual; we need not remember God or meditate on a spiritual idea. All we have to do is just sit quietly and observe the movement of our thoughts. As we observe the mind, we place ourselves outside the mind for the time being. We should not allow ourselves to be involved with the ideas that appear and disappear on the mental scene. We need not feel mortified if some bad thoughts come. Neither should we be elated if good thoughts appear. We are neutral spectators, as it were. In itself, watching the mind will gradually lead us to the experience of inner silence. We will find that thoughts are no longer rushing in in an irregular way. Our nerves will be soothed, and our minds will attain considerable stability and a new power of self-control.
Next we can substitute simple "watching" with an active effort to concentrate. In general, concentration means fixing the mind on a particular object without allowing it to wander from thought to thought. The mind in its ignorant state is always restless. It is continually being pulled by sense objects outside and agitated by desires and attachments inside. This restless state of mind can be controlled by the practice of concentration.
But a spiritual perspective in this practice is essential if we wish to reach the quiescent Consciousness that illumines our bodies, minds, and the world of our experience. The objects selected for meditation may differ, according to the temperament of the aspirant. It is easy for some to concentrate upon an image. Others find it more convenient to focus their minds on a spiritual idea or a word-symbol, a mantra. The goal of concentration, however, is the same in all cases; namely, to reach the Ground of our being, the Self. To the extent that we can do this, we proportionately develop mental composure, strength, and peace.
Spiritual life is essentially a life of silence. It means learning to experience deepening, chastening states of inner quietude. What does love of God imply? Experiencing that calmness which can cure our ignorance. The more we love God, the more we become silent in the spiritual sense. There is no longer any "noise" from the turbulent mind. In the Upanishads, God is described as Shivam shantam, the essence of goodness, the essence of silence.
The more we approach God through love, the feebler our worldly attachments become. We become transformed through the touch of divine love. No longer do we suffer from the clamor of infatuation, hatred, or wild desires. The whole world becomes transfigured for us.
Love for God makes our lives quiet. Not that we become like stone; spiritual tranquillity is not inertia. It is marked by the highest wisdom and clarity of insight. External noise and perplexities do not disturb us anymore; we find harmony and peace. The whole world's tremendous activity appears to us to be the silent play of God.
The healing power of spiritual silence can also be found through unselfish actions. If we can dedicate our actions to God without considering ourselves the doers or the enjoyers of work, then this detached attitude serves to make us calm and creates an abiding calmness in the background of our lives. It is essentially an eternal, spiritual truth shining in its own majesty. Though we are always living in this truth, it remains veiled by our ego-sense, our false individuality. Unselfish action gradually tears this veil until we are given a vision of that "peace that passeth all understanding."
Finally, there is the Vedantic way of approaching the silence of our being through reflective analysis of the "seer and the seen." We read in the Upanishads, "This Atman is eternally silent." The Atman, our true Self, is the eternal subject, the "seer," and everything else is the object, the "seen." What we call movement—noise, distraction, or activities—all belong to the realm of objective experience. Behind this objective experience there is the eternal Witness which is our true Self, and the more we grasp this fact, the more we partake of the nature of the Self. By separating the subject from the object, we can eventually become centered in the Self. The Atman is never an object of thought. Nothing can disturb its silent majesty. It precedes all other facts.
The Atman, the basic, eternal Existence and Consciousness, is the primary fact of existence; everything else follows. When I am poised in the Atman, even my body is external to me. My mind, thoughts, and movements are all outside of me. This is the process of reflective analysis. In monistic Vedanta we call the process neti, neti, "not this, not this."
We have to push away everything that is not the Self. We must be extremely selfish in the spiritual sense; that is, we must know that in the Self there is no place for any other thing. Of course, this is not the final picture of truth. However, when we are trying to realize the Self, we have to practice this kind of sternness because in our perception the subject and the object have become mixed together, and this has created all our troubles. It is like a malignant tumor which needs immediate surgery. The surgical treatment is not a cruel act; the surgeon is my friend for he is saving my life. In the basic malady of life the Self has become confused with the non-Self, and, as the result of this spiritual "tumor," we are full of wrong ideas. So in
Vedanta we say, "I am not this, I am not this." Then when we discover our true Self, we find that it can never actually be confused with the non-Self. No illness, no passion, no death, no frustration, no suffering can ever disturb the eternal stillness of the Self. That is the end of all ignorance, or maya. We have reached the center of tranquillity, the source of infinite security and happiness. We have attained the culmination of healing by being one with Silence, untouched by any noise or imperfection.

When we finally know this truth, we will also know that what we had previously eliminated as not being part of us is actually within us. There is no such thing as duality. There is only one homogeneous unity, and that is the Self. Distinctions of external and internal vanish at that stage, and it is no longer necessary to call the Self "silence" because without the opposition of noise, or movements, there cannot be any concept of "silence."

Everything that is, is in the Self. Everything is the Self. Whatever names and words and ideas we use are included in the Self. That is the highest truth, and the steps to that highest truth are to be gained through the experiences of the different kinds of silence, beginning with external silence. Through all these stages, silence becomes a progressively greater healing power in our lives until ultimately it reaches its culmination in the Truth, which is our true Self.

A COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA.COM
                                        

Musaffir

                       

 Ek Kadam Hain Dhoop Chhaon Ki

Ek Kadam Hain Raftar Ki

Ek Kadam Tanhai Ki Meri

Ek Kadam Hain Raheen Quatar Ki

Yaadon ke Dhool Mein Lipti

Meri Mazi Ki Ek Dhundli Si Saya Hain

Meri Saath Chalti Hain Woh Lipat ke

Yeh Kaisi Hain Ajooba, Yeh Kaisi Maya Hain

Main Roz Chalti Hoon Ek Manzil Ki Taraf

Na Janu Woh Koun Si Dagar Hain

Jahan Haar Taraf Hain Ajnabi Si Gali

Woh Koun Si Maqam Woh Koun Sa Shaher Hain

Jin Rahoon se Main Gujarti Hoon

Wahan hain Chhote Bare Dard-e-Patthar ke Kankar

Kavi Aati Hain Khusiyan Jhoka-e-Hawa Bankar

Aur Dikhati Hain Mujhe  Jannat-e-Duniya Ki Manzar

 Main Geet Gati Hoon Hoke Magan

Yeh Zindegi Jab Deti Hain Thori Sukun

Mujhe Rulade Woh Har Ek Pal

Jab Dard Aati Hain Bewajah Leke Ranjish-e-Junoon

Kavi Dekhti Hoon Duniya Luta Rahi Hain Khud ko

Kisi Unchi Makan Ki Darr Pe Khidmat Ke Liyeh

Wohi Duniya Ban Rahi Hain Zalim Kisi pe 

Jo Mang ti Hain Dar wadar Do Tukron Roti Ke liyeh

Koi Agar Sawar ti Hain Zulfe Aur Badal ti Hain Roz Aadayein

Toh Hazzaron Kare Tarif Aur Laakhon Uski Dil Bahelayee

Par Jo Sawar ti Hain Zindegi Dussron Ki Katra Katra Apni Khun se

Woh Hain Bahut Akela Bahut Khamosh  Na Koi Usse Bulayee

Kisiko Charhi Hain Nasha Aisa Ke Duniya Ko Suhdhar Denge Hum

Par Ussi ki Gali Mein Hain Shaitan Ki Derah Yeh Kaisi Kissa Na Samjhe Hum

Kayi Sawal Uthti Hain Dil Mein Na Milti Hain Uski Jabab

Such Aur Jhuth Ki Hain Yeh Khel Hain Gazab Aadha Khula hain Aur Aadhe Mein Naqab

Mujhe Toh Bass Chalte Jana Hain  Hoke Khudse Aur Duniyah se Bekhabar

Koi Hansse Meri Ghum Pe Yah Jale Meri Khusi se Inn Rahon ko Na Hain Uski Qadar

Taqdeeron Ke Lakiron Se Jujhti Meri Yehi Hain Hairaan Si Tadbeer

Duniya Gale Lagale Ya Chahe Mujhe Thukra de Meri Kadam Hain Musaffir . 

                                                                       

                                                                 M-e-Z. :D

                                            

The Goddess Of Darkness

                                                                          

Courtesy of: Vishvarupa.com

Who can comprehend the Divine paradox of Mother Kali? Fierce, black in color, large, shimmering eyes, destructive, triumphantly smiling amidst the slaughter of billions of demons, wearing a necklace of skulls and a skirt of severed arms, glowing efficiently  like the full moon in the night sky, holding the head of a demon, a Trident that flashes like lightning and a knife etched with sacred mantras and infused with Divine Shakti, Kali stands peaceful and content, suffused with the fragrances of jasmine, rose and sandal wood!

Kali is the Guardian. The Protector. The Mother. Kali is Dharma and Eternal Time. Kali shines with the brilliance of a Million Black Fires of Dissolution and Her body is bathed in vibuthi (sacred ash). Shiva is under Her Feet and the Great Devotee, Ramprasad, envisioned Kali as stepping upon a demon that was transformed, by Kali's touch, into Lord Shiva Himself!

Just as the night sky appears black due to it's fathomless depth and as the ocean appears deep blue due to it's fathomless depth~ so too Kali appears dark due to Her Infinite depth. Kali assumes the form that reflects the attitude and bhava (emotion) of the person who approaches Her. If Kali is appraoched with the bhava of Motherly Love, She assumes the form of Lakshmi. If Kali is approached as the Guru, embodying Wisdom, Art and Education, She assumes the form of Saraswati. The demons approached Kalika with the bhava of destruction and evil. Consequently, the Divine Mother assumed the form of their Destruction by reflecting, in form, their own Evil. In truth, Kali is all of these forms and beyond them. It is for this Ever-Loving, Evil-Dispelling, Supreme Manifestation of Dharma, Mother Kali, for whom this site is dedicated. Enjoy and much Peace to you!

Scriptural References to Kali

Kali is thought to have originated as a tribal goddess indigenous to one of India's inaccessible mountainous regions. The Matsyapurana gives her place of origin as Mount Kalanjara in north central India, east of the Indus Valley floodplain. But owing to the late date of the Puranas' composition, this evidence regarding Kali's place of origin cannot be taken as particularly reliable.

At least thousand years before the Matsyapurana, the name of Kali first appears in Sanskrit literature between the eighth and fifth centuries BCE. The reference, in Mundakopanishad 1.2.4, names Kali as one of the seven quivering tongues of the fire god Agni, whose flames devour sacrificial oblations and transmit them to the gods. The verse characterizes Agni's seven tongues as black, terrifying, swift as thought, intensely red, smoky colored, sparkling, and radiant. Significantly, the first two adjectives -- kali and karali -- "black" and "terrifying," recur in later texts to describe the horrific aspect of the goddess. Karali additionally means "having a gaping mouth and protruding teeth." This verse scarcely suffices to confirm that Kali was a personified goddess during the age of the Upanishads, but it is noteworthy that the adjective that became her name was used to characterize an aspect of the fire god's power.

Kali first appears unequivocally as a goddess in the Kathaka Grihyasutra, a ritualistic text that names her in a list of Vedic deities to be invoked with offerings of perfume during the marriage ceremony. Unfortunately, the text reveals nothing more about her.

During the epic period, some time after the fifth century BCE, Kali emerges better defined in an episode of the Mahabharata. When the camp of the heroic Pandava brothers is attacked one night by the sword-wielding Asvatthaman, his deadly assault is seen as the work of "Kali of bloody mouth and eyes, smeared with blood and adorned with garlands, her garment reddened, -- holding noose in hand -- binding men and horses and elephants with her terrible snares of death" (Mahabharata 10.8.64-65). Although the passage goes on to describe the slaughter as an act of human warfare, it makes clear that the fierce goddess is ultimately the agent of death who carries off those who are slain.

Kali next appears in the sacred literature during the Puranic age, when new theistic devotional sects displaced the older Brahmanical form of Hinduism. In the fourth and fifth centuries CE the Puranas were written to glorify the great deities Vishnu, Shiva and the Devi -- the Goddess -- as well as lesser gods. One such Purana, the Markandeya, contains within it the foundational text of all subsequent Hindu Goddess religion. This book within a book is known as the Devimahatmya, the Shri Durga Saptashati, or the Chandi.

The Devimahatmya's seventh chapter describes Kali springing forth from the furrowed brow of the goddess Durga in order to slay the demons Chanda and Munda. Here, Kali's horrific form has black, loosely hanging, emaciated flesh that barely conceals her angular bones. Gleaming white fangs protrude from her gaping, blood-stained mouth, framing her lolling red tongue. Sunken, reddened eyes peer out from her black face. She is clad in a tiger's skin and carries a khatvanga, a skull-topped staff traditionally associated with tribal shamans and magicians. The khatvanga is a clear reminder of Kali's origin among fierce, aboriginal peoples. In the ensuing battle, much attention is placed on her gaping mouth and gnashing teeth, which devour the demon hordes. At one point Munda hurls thousands of discusses at her, but they enter her mouth "as so many solar orbs vanishing into the denseness of a cloud" (Devimahatmya 7.18). With its cosmic allusion, this passage reveals Kali as the abstraction of primal energy and suggests the underlying connection between the black goddess and Kala ('time'), an epithet of Shiva. Kali is the inherent power of ever-turning time, the relentless devourer that brings all created things to an end. Even the gods are said to have their origin and dissolution in her.

The eighth chapter of the Devimahatmya paints an even more gruesome portrait. Having slain Chanda and Munda, Kali is now called Chamunda, and she faces an infinitely more powerful adversary in the demon named Raktabija. Whenever a drop of his blood falls to earth, an identical demon springs up. When utter terror seizes the gods, Durga merely laughs and instructs Kali to drink in the drops of blood. While Durga assaults Raktabija so that his blood runs copiously, Kali avidly laps it up. The demons who spring into being from the flow perish between her gnashing teeth until Raktabija topples drained and lifeless to the ground.

Different Forms of Mother Kali

Kali is a powerful and complex goddess with multiple forms. In times of natural disaster she is invoked as the protective Rakshakali. At the magnificent Dakshineswar Temple in Calcutta, she is revered as the beautiful Bhavatarini, Redeemer of the Universe. The Tantras mention over thirty forms of Kali. The Divine Mother is also known as Kali-Ma, the Black Goddess, Maha Kali, Nitya Kali, Smashana Kali, Raksha Kali, Shyama Kali, Kalikamata, Bhadra Kali, Ugra Chandi, Bhima Chandi, Sidheshvari, Sheetla (the goddess of smallpox) and Kalaratri. Maha Kali and Nitya Kali are mentioned in the Tantra philosophy. When there were neither the creation, nor the sun, the moon, the planets, and the earth, when the darkness was enveloped in darkness, then the Mother, the Formless One, Maha Kali, the Great Power, was one with the Maha Kala, the Absolute. Shyama Kali has a somewhat tender aspect and is worshipped in Hindu households. She is the dispenser of boons and the dispelled of fear. People worship Raksha Kali, the Protectress, in times of epidemic, famine, earthquake, drought, and flood. Shamshan Kali (Shmashanakali) is the embodiment of the power of destruction. From her mouth flows a stream of blood, from her neck hangs a garland of human heads, and around her waist is a girdle made of arms. She haunts the cremation grounds in the company of howling jackals and terrifying female spirits. Tantrics worship Siddha Kali to attain pefection. Phalaharini Kali to destroy the results of their actions; Nitya Kali, the eternal Kali, to take away their disease, grief, and suffering and to give them perfection and illumination. She is also known as Kalikamata ("black earth-mother") and Kalaratri ("black night"). Among the Tamils she is known as Kottavei. Kali is worshipped particularly in Bengal. Her best known temples are in Dakshineshwar and Kalighat in Kolkata (Calcutta) and Kamakhya in Assam.

Some early Buddhists identified Kalika with their Prajnaparamita, the "Perfection of Wisdom", conceived of as a Multi -Armed  goddess/female wisdom energy. Buddhist tantrics viewed Prajnaparamita as the original Buddha-consort, and over time, developed this vision further. They viewed Her as the saviour  Tara, "the Compassionate One", "She who helps the devotee overcome suffering". As the dark four-armed Ugra Tara, with the dark blue Dhyani-Buddha Aksobhya on her crown, she became "the Wrathful Saviour, externally fierce to ward-off enemies and unbelievers, but internally compassionate, the "Embodiment of Compassion". Buddhists also knew the Dark Goddess as Shyam (the "Dark One") and Kali. According to the noted Bengali authority on Indian Buddhist Tantra, Dr Benoytosh Bhattacharyya, "Kali, according to Buddhist tradition, is Kadi or Kakaradi, or, in other words, all the consonants of the alphabet....all the consonants of the (Sanskrit) alphabet are deified in her."

As Maha Kali (with form) the Great Goddess is most commonly visualised as twenty-armed, ten-faced, with three eyes on each face, her complexion dark and shining. In this form she destroys the egoistic demons Madhu and Kaitabha. This is a form which emanated out of the dark goddess Durga. As Kala Ratri, tawny-eyed, cruel and fond of war, wearing tiger and elephant skins, holding axe, noose, other weapons and a skull-bowl from which she drinks blood, Kali is the "Night of Destruction" at the termination of this world, the Female Spiritual Power always ready to defeat the last demons, so none can pollute the next world. Forms of Bhadra Kali have sixteen arms, eighteen arms or one hundred arms, all giving protection to her devotees. Bhadra Kali is always visualised as huge, wearing a three-pointed crown ornamented with the crescent moon, a snake about her neck, her body draped in red and her mood jolly. She pierces the body of a buffalo with her lance, one of her many weapons. Hindu tantrics believe that in this form She pervades the whole universe.

Some of the more striking similarities between Kali and Goddesses of other parts of the world are as follows:

We find Kali in Mexico as an ancient Aztec Goddess of enormous stature. Her name is Coatlicue, and her resemblance to the Hindu Kali is striking. The colossal Aztec statue of Coatlicue fuses in one image the dual functions of the earth, which both creates and destroys. In different aspects she represents Coatlicue, "Lady Of the Skirt of Serpents" or Goddess of the Serpent Petticoat"; Cihuacoatl, "the Serpent Woman"; Tlazolteotl, "Goddess of Filth"; and Tonantzin, "Our Mother," who was later sanctified by the Catholic Church as the Virgin of Guadalupe, the dark-faced Madonna, La Virgen Morena, la Virgen Guadalupana, the patroness and protector of New Spain; and who is still the patroness of all Indian Mexico. In the statue her head is severed from her body, and from the neck flow two streams of blood in the shape of two serpents. She wears a skirt of serpents girdled by another serpent as a belt. On her breast hangs a necklace of human hearts and hands bearing a human skull as a pendant. Her hands and feet are shaped like claws. From the bicephalous mass which takes the place of the head and which represents Omeyocan, the topmost heaven, to the world of the Dead extending below the feet, the statue embraces both life and death. Squat and massive, the monumental twelve-ton sculpture embodies pyramidal, cruciform, and human forms. As the art critic Justino Fernandez writes in his often-quoted description, it represents not a being but an idea, "the embodiment of the cosmic-dynamic power which bestows life and which thrives on death in the struggle of opposites."

We find Kali in ancient Crete as Rhea, the Aegean Universal Mother or Great Goddess, who was worshiped  in a vast area by many peoples. Rhea was not restricted to the Aegean area. Among ancient tribes of southern Russia she was Rha, the Red One, another version of Kali as Mother Time clothed in her garment of blood when she devoured all the gods, her offspring. The same Mother Time became the Celtic Goddess Rhiannon, who also devoured her own children one by one. This image of the cannibal mother was typical everywhere of the Goddess of Time, who consumes what she brings forth; or as Earth, who does the same. When Rhea was given a consort in Hellenic myth, he was called Kronus or Chronos, "Father Time," who devoured his own children in imitation of Rhea's earlier activity. He also castrated and killed his own father, the Heaven-God Uranus; and he in turn was threatened by his own son, Zeus. These myths reflect the primitive succession of sacred kings castrated and killed by their supplanters. It was originally Rhea Kronia, Mother Time, who wielded the castrating moon-sickle or scythe, a Scythian weapon, the instrument with which the Heavenly Father was "reaped." Rhea herself was the Grim Reaper.

We find Kali in historic Europe. In Ireland, Kali appeared as Caillech or Cailleach, an old Celtic name for the Great Goddess in her Destroyer aspect. Like Kali, the Caillech was a black Mother who founded many races of people and outlived many husbands. She was also a Creatress. She made the world, building mountain ranges of stones that dropped from her apron.

Scotland was once called Caledonia: the land give by Kali, or Cale, or the Cailleach. "Scotland" came from Scottish, the same goddess, known to Romans as a "dark Aphrodite"; to Celts as Scatha or Scyth; and to Scandinavians as Skadi. Like the Hindus' destroying Kalika, the Caillech was known as a spirit of disease. One manifestation of her was a famous idol of carved and painted wood, kept by an old family in Country Cork, and described as the Goddess of Smallpox. As diseased persons in India sacrificed to the appropriate incarnation of the Kalika, so in Ireland those afflicted by smallpox sacrificed sheep to this image. It can hardly be doubted that Kalika and Caillech were the same word. According to various interpretations, "caillech" meant either an old woman, or a hag, or a nun, or a "veiled one." This last apparently referred to the Goddess's most mysterious manifestation as the future, Fate, and Death--ever veiled from the sight of men, since no man could know the manner of his own death. In medieval legend the Caillech became the Black Queen who ruled a western paradise in the Indies, where men were used in Amazonian fashion for breeding purposes only, then slain.

Spaniards called her Califia, whose territory was rich in gold, silver, and gems. Spanish explorers later gave her name to the newly discovered paradise on the Pacific shore of North America, which is how the state of California came to be named after Kali. In the present century, Irish and Scottish descendants of the Celtic "creatress" still use the word "caillech" as a synonym for "old woman."

The Black Goddess was known in Finland as Kalma (Kali Ma), a haunter of tombs and an eater of the dead. The Black Goddess worshiped by the gypsies was named Sara-Kali, "Queen Kali," and to this present day, Sara is worshiped in the South of France at Ste-Marie-de-la-Mer during a yearly festival.

Some gypsies appeared in 10th-century Persia as tribes of itinerant dervishes calling themselves Kalenderees, "People of the Goddess Kali." A common gypsy clan name is still Kaldera or Calderash, descended from past Kali-worshipers, like the Kele-De of Ireland. European gypsies relocated their Goddess in the ancient "Druid Grotto" underneath Chartres Cathedral, once the interior of a sacred mount known as the Womb of Gaul, when the area was occupied by the Carnutes, "Children of the Goddess Car." Carnac, Kermario, Kerlescan, Kercado, Carmona in Spain, and Chartres itself were named after this Goddess, probably a Celtic version of Kore or Q're traceable through eastern nations to Kauri, another name for Kali. The Druid Grotto used to be occupied by the image of a black Goddess giving birth, similar to certain images of Kali. Christians adopted this ancient idol and called her Virgo Paritura, "Virgin Giving Birth." Gypsies called her Sara-Kali, "the mother, the woman, the sister, the queen, the Phuri Dai, the source of all Romany blood." They said the black Virgin wore the dress of a gypsy dancer, and every gypsy should make a pilgrimage to her grotto at least once in his life. The grotto was described as "your mother's womb." A gypsy pilgrim was told: "Shut your eyes in front of Sara the Kali, and you will know the source of the spring of life which flows over the gypsy race. We find variations of Kali's name throughout the ancient world.

The Greeks had a word Kalli, meaning "beautiful," but applied to things that were not particularly beautiful such as the demonic centaurs called "kallikantzari," relatives of Kali's Asvins. Their city of Kallipolis, the modern Gallipoli, was lefted in Amazon country formerly ruled by Artemis Kalliste. The annual birth festival at Eleusis was Kalligeneia, translatable as "coming forth from the Beautiful One," or "coming forth from Kali."

Lunar priests of Sinai, formerly priestesses of the Moon-Goddess, called themselves "kalu." Similar priestesses of prehistoric Ireland were "kelles," origin of the name Kelly, which meant a hierophantic clan devoted to "the Goddess Kele." This was cognate with the Saxon Kale, or Cale, whose lunar calendar or kalends included the spring month of Sproutkale, when Mother Earth (Kale) put forth new shoots. In antiquity the Phoenicians referred to the strait of Gibraltar as Calpe, because it was considered the passage to the western paradise of the Mother.

The Black Goddess was even carried into Christianity as a mother figure, and one can find all over the world images of Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, depicted as a black Madonna.

Kali's Name

'Kal' also translates as Time and 'i' means the Cause; Kali, the Cause of Time or She Who is Beyond Time, activates Consciousness to perception, allows Consciousness to perceive. The mystery of Kali's name, which begins with the first consonant of the Sanskrit alphabet, attached to the first vowel, is deep indeed. From tantric tradition we learn that the whole material universe is but an expression of certain primordial sounds or vibrations.

These are expressed by the consonants and vowels of the Sanskrit alphabet, combined together in different ways. "Seed-syllables" (Bija Mantras), short combinations and "Spells" (Dharanis), long combinations of differing measures, are the very "fabric" from which this universe is formed. From tantric tradition we learn that the garland of heads about Kali's neck symbolize the letters or vibrations of the Sanskrit alphabet. We learn Kali's seed-syllables, names and potent Mantras, the tools by which we can transform ourselves and become one with Her.

Origins of Kali

There are two stories on the origin Kali Maa, and the one from the Durga Saptashati (a poem in praise of Durga Maa), which is part of the Markandeya Puran is more popular.

Long long ago there existed two powerful demons called Shumbhu and Nishumbhu. As they grew in strength, they usurped the vast empire of the King of Gods, Indra and dispossessed all the gods like Surya, Chandra, Yam, Varuna, Pawan and Agni. Both of them also managed to throw the god-host away from heaven. Sorely distressed the gods went to the mortal realm (Earth) and began to brood on how to get rid of these demons permanently. The solution was to pray to Durga Maa in her form of Parvati, the wife of Shiva. They reached the Himalayas and prayed to please the kind hearted Goddess Parvati. Agreeing to help, the body of Mother Parvati emerged a bright light in the form of a divine lady called Ambika. Her exit from Devi Parvati's body caused the latter to turn dark and black. She was then known as Kaushiki who began to dwell over the mountain ranges.

When the sycophants of the demons, Chand and Munda saw the dazzling light in the beautiful form of Ambika, they were enchanted by her superb beauty. They went to the demons Shumbhu and Nishumbhu and said, "Your Lordship! This woman is the most beautiful female in the entire Universe." They described her beauty in such superlative terms that Shumbhu and Nishumbhu could not resist sending their messenger Sugreeva to bring her to them.

Sugreeva reached Ambika and extolled the virtues of his masters Shumbhu and Nishumbhu to influence the Goddess. But she smiled indulgently and replied: "You may be right in the assessment of your masters but I cannot break my oath. I might have done it rather unconsciously but the fact is that now I stand committed to my oath, which is that whosoever can defeat me in battle and brow-beat me; whosoever can match my power, only he shall only be my master. So go and tell your masters to show their strength and win me in the battle."

The messenger replied: "Listen, O Lady! You are very arrogant and adamant. Don't challenge my masters, against whose might the universe shudders in fright. They, who have browbeaten the gods and have thrown them out of Heaven, are very powerful. You are a mere woman, and you cannot match their might. Follow my advice and come with me to accept their proposal. Or else you shall be pulled by your hair and taken to their feet."

The Goddess replied: "Whatever you say may be true. Maybe your Shumbhu is so powerful and your Nishumbhu is so virile but I am committed to my pledge. But go now and explain the whole situation to the Demon-lords. Let them come and defeat me!"

Sugreeva then went to his masters Shumbhu and Nishumbhu and explained the whole situation at length. Shumbhu and Nishumbhu became angry and they sent another demon Dhoomralochan to fetch her. But a mere loud cry and wrathful gaze of the Goddess was enough to incinerate the demon Dhoomralochan. The lion of the Goddess slayed the accompanying demons. Then the Demon kings sent Chanda and Munda with a large army to capture the Great Goddess. They encircled the Himalayas to nab the Goddess. The Goddess then produced a black figure of frightening form, called Kaali-Devi or Kaalika Devi. She destroyed the demons easily, hacked off the heads of Chanda and Munda and brought them to the Goddess Ambika. Since she had hacked off the heads of Chanda Munda, she became famous as Chamunda Devi.

Hearing the death of Chanda and Munda, the Demon Kings sent another huge army headed by seven commanders. To match their combined strength the seven gods: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiv, Indra, Mahavaraah, Nrisingh, Swami Kartikeya dispatched their forces. Seeing the temerity of the demons, another beam of power in the form of a woman emerged from the Goddess's body, who sent Lord Shiv as her messenger to Shumbhu and Nishambhu with the message: "If you want your welfare, return the realm of gods to gods along with their right to perform yagyas, and you must now go down to Paataal Lok (Nether world)". Shumbhu and Nishumbhu refused to accept the Goddess's advice and leading a huge army of terrible demons, reached the battlefield. Supported by the divine powers, the Goddess began to massacre the demons. At that time the demon forces were led by a demon, Raktabeeja. He had the power to reproduce as many demons of his form and dimension as the drops of his blood which fell to the ground. After a fierce battle the Goddess ordered Chamunda (Kali Maa) to spread her mouth far and wide and swallow Raktabeeja alongwith his blood. Chamunda did exactly that and hacked off the head of demon.

Kali Maa then devoured the slain bodies of the asuras and danced a fierce dance to celebrate the victory. This dance of destruction began by Kali and her attendants continued for long and none could stop her. To stop her, Shiva himself mingled among the asuras whom she was annihilating. Shiva allowed himself to be trampled upon by her in this dance of victory because this was the only remedy left to bring her to senses and to protect the world from total annihilation. When Kali Maa saw that she was dancing over the body of her husband, she put her tongue out of her mouth in sorrow and surprise. She remained stunned in this posture and this is how Kali is shown in images with the red tongue protruding from her mouth.

Durga Maa then fought the demon Nishumbhu who was slain in no time. Now Shumbhu decided to take on the Goddess (Durga Maa) himself. Reaching the battlefield, he said to the Goddess: "You take pride on others' strength. Why don't you show your own power!"

The Goddess replied with a smile: "Fool! The whole world is just Me. All Creation is my form in a variety of dimensions. I am the cause and effect of everything: all things emerge from me only and ultimately' enter me only. The whole world is in harmony with My Being."

Then after the nine celestial powers (Kali Maa being one of them) which had emerged from the Goddess (Durga Maa) went back into her and she single handedly killed the demon Shumbhu.

Mahavidyas

The Dasa-Mahavidyas, or Ten Great or Transcendent Wisdoms, is a circle of Ten Goddesses associated with Tantric practice. There are several accounts on how this dynamic circle was formed. In one version Shiva is living with the Goddess Kali in the Satya Yuga, the first and most perfect of the four periods of the world cycle. Eventually, Shiva grows restless and decides he is tired of living with Kali. He gets up and when She asks him where He is going, He answers, "Wherever I wish!" She does not reply and He begins to wander off. However, in no matter what direction Shiva goes, a form of Kali appears as one of the Mahavidyas: first Kali herself is constellated, then Tara, Tripurna-sundari, and Buvanesvari, then Chinnamasta, Tripura-bairavi, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and finally Kamala. Experiencing the all-pervasive essence of Kali in these Goddesses one by one at every turn, Shiva sees through His yearning to leave Kali and wander about, having gained the wisdom (vidya) that She "fills the four quarters in the ten directions" so that wherever he goes, She is there in one of Her energetic forms. Shiva, at last, comes home to the reality that She in all her prismatic forms and He, are One.