Mahavidyas

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 26. Chapters: Mahavidya, Dhumavati, Kali, Chhinnamasta, Bagalamukhi, Tara, Mahakali, Tripura Sundari, Matangi, Bhairavi, Bhuvaneshvari, Kamalatmika. Excerpt: (Sanskrit: , IPA: ; Bengali: ; Tamil: ), also known as Kalika (Bengali: , ), is the Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. "She who destroys".The name Kali comes from kala, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kala - the eternal time, Kali, his consort, also means "the Time" or "Death" (as in time has come). Hence, Kali is considered the goddess of time and change. Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence. Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shakta Tantric beliefs, worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman. She is also revered as Bhavatarini (literally "redeemer of the universe"). Comparatively recent devotional movements largely conceive Kali as a benevolent mother goddess. Kali is represented as the consort of Lord Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. She is associated with many other Hindu goddesses like Durga, Bhadrakali, Sati, Rudrani, Parvati and Chamunda. She is the foremost among the Dasa Mahavidyas, ten fierce Tantric goddesses. is the feminine of ("black, dark coloured"). Kala primarily means "black," but also means "time." Kali means "the black one" and also "time" or "beyond time." Kali is strongly associated with Shiva, and Shaivas derive her feminine name from the masculine Kala (an epithet of Shiva). The nineteenth century Sanskrit dictionary, the Shabdakalpadrum, states: ¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿ ¿ ¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ - ¿¿¿¿ ¿ kala¿ siva¿ ¿ tasya patniti kali - "Shiva is Kalouesua, thus his wife is Kali." Other names include ("black night"), as described above, and ("relating to time"). Coburn notes that the name Kali can be used as a proper name, or as a description of color. Kali's association with