Bhadrakali Prayer

[Faustina Bartsch]

Thename Bhadra comes from Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, "bhadra" means "auspicious" or "fortunate". Another interpretation traces the name to the Sanskrit roots "bha" and "dra". The letter "bha" signifies "delusion" or "maya", while "dra" is used as a superlative meaning "the most" or "the greatest". Together, "bhadra" may mean "maha maya" or "great delusion".[5][6]

This delusion refers to the illusion of samsara, the endless cycle of birth and rebirth. Worship of the goddess Bhadrakali is thought to grant liberation from this grand delusion. Her severed head and sickle represent Bhadrakali freeing devotees from the ego and enabling moksha, or spiritual liberation. Hence, the goddess Bhadrakali dispels ignorance and frees individuals from the bonds of illusion.

This goddess is represented with three eyes and four, sixteen, or eighteen hands. She carries a number of weapons, with flames flowing from her head, and a small tusk protruding from her mouth.[citation needed]

According to Kerala traditions, the events described in the Markandeya Purana associated with Bhadrakali (her slaying of the demon Darika to liberate the universe from the evil) took place in Kerala, near Madayi in the Kannur District.[8][9] She is seen to protect the honour of women and to bestow all spiritual knowledge.[10][11]

Among the people of the neighboring states, especially in Tamil Nadu, this form of Shakti is known as 'Malayala Bhagavathy' or 'Malayala Bhadrakali', who provides protection to her devotees irrespective of caste and religion.

In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and the Southern Travancore area of Kerala, especially in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu-speaking communities worship a form of Mahakali as 'Ujjaini Mahakali', and they consider Emperor Vikramaditya as their first teacher in this spiritual tradition, as he is thought to have established the tradition in the South.

Hindu communities in Kerala, Southern Karnataka and Southern Tamil Nadu including the Ezhavas, Billavas, Kodavas, Nadars, Namboodhiris, Moosathu Brahmins and Nairs, worship Bhadrakali as their family deity (Paradevata). They worship certain weapons in their temples which they believe to be the weapons used by the goddess. The Kuladevata or community deity of Kudumbi community is Kodungalluramma, the mother goddess of Kodungallur. Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple is one of the most famous temples in Kerala, dedicated to Bhadrakali. During the 'Thalappoli' festival, which is celebrated mainly on Makar Sankranti, Kudumbi people from all over the state (mainly Malabar, Tulunad, Kodaka) come to the temple. Many temples of Thiyyas in Northern Kerala and South Karnataka are called the Kali Sree Kurumba, Cheermba, and Paradevata. According to Castes and Tribes of Southern India by Edgar Thurston, Bhadrakali is the prime deity of Ezhavas of Travancore. According to the Nadar Community of Tamil Nadu, there were seven children born to Devarishis and Devakanyas. They gave their children to Bhadrakali. She took them and gave milk to the children. The progenies of these children are today believed to be the ancestors of the Nadar community. She is considered as the mother of Nadars. The Nadars also claim that they are the descendants of Bhadrakali. A Bhadrakali temple is usually at the center of almost every Nadar settlement. Bhadrakali is also the tutelary deity of the Nadar community of Tamil Nadu.[12] Kanyakubja Brahmins with roots in Bhadras, Kanpur worship her as their Kuladevi. The place is called Bhadras because of the presence of a very old Bhadra Kali Temple.

According to legends, the Indian Sanskrit poet Kalidasa attained literary fame [clarification needed] due to the divine will of Bhadrakali. Another legend states that the emperor Vikramaditya and his brother Bhatti were also ardent devotees of Bhadrakali, whose blessings resulted in all their successes. Vikramaditya also helped to establish small wayside Bhadrakali temples and prayer centers for pilgrims in many parts of Southern India, especially in Tamil Nadu. The devotional traditions focused around these small temples exist even today.[13]

It is believed Bhadrakali protects the practitioners of Kalarippayattu, a traditional martial arts form. In Malabar, it is believed that all the victories of Thacholi Othenan and other martial artists were due to the blessings of Bhadrakali of the Lokanarkavu Temple, also known as 'The Shaolin Temple of Malayalees'. Most traditional villages in Kerala have their own Kalari, ancient martial arts schools, and local temples dedicated to Bhadrakali associated with them. Among Tamils, Bhadrakali is equally important as the patron deity of traditional martial arts and a guardian of all law-abiding citizens.

Kerala has a tradition of folk artist rituals and dances associated with the worship of Devi in the form of Bhadrakali. These rituals are performed in places of worship called Kavu (roughly translated as grove) or in small temples. Besides the general welfare of the village, these rituals aim at warding off of such calamities like smallpox and other epidemic diseases. The ritual themes generally revolve around the triumph of Bhadrakali over the demon Darika and other evil characters.

According to Shaktism, she is one of the fierce forms of the Supreme Goddess Shakti, or Adi Parashakti, mentioned in the Devi Mahatmyam. In Vaishnavism, Bhadrakali is among the many epithets of Yogamaya, the internal potency of illusion of the preserver deity, Vishnu.[2] According to several Puranas, Bhadrakali is a form of the goddess Parvati.[3] She is worshipped in Kerala as Bhagavati, Mahakali, Chamunda, Sree Kurumba, and Kariam Kali Murti. She is purported to be the auspicious and fortunate form of Mahakali who protects the good, known as Bhadra.

In Sanskrit, Bhadra means auspicious. Another interpretation of this name is that Bhadra comes from 'Bha' and 'dra', The letter 'Bha' means 'delusion' or 'Maya'and 'dra' is used as a superlative i.e. meaning 'the most/the greatest etc.' which makes the meaning of Bhadra as Maha Maya.[4][5]

In other words, maya represents the illusion of the samsara we are in, and worshipping of Bhadrakali is thought of getting liberated from this maha maya. This can be seen with the head that she holds in her hand - the chopped head and the sickle represents that Bhadrakali gives liberation (i.e., liberates ourselves of our own ego, hence the chopped head).

This goddess is represented with three eyes, and four, sixteen, or eighteen hands. She carries a number of weapons, with flames flowing from her head, and a small tusk protruding from her mouth. Her worship is also associated with the Tantric tradition of the Matrikas as well as the tradition of the ten Mahavidyas and falls under the broader umbrella of Shaktism.

Bhadrakali is primarily worshipped in four forms: Darikajit (as the killer of the demon Darika), Dakshajit (as the killer of Daksha), Rurujit (as the slayer of the demon Ruru) and as Mahishajit (as she who killed Mahishasura). There are at least five traditional versions regarding the origin-incarnations or avatar of Bhadrakali:

In Kerala, where the worship of Bhadrakali is prevalent even today, she is worshipped most commonly as "Darikajit," the slayer of Darika, based on a story that originated in the Markandeya Purana, and is called the "Bhadrakali Mahatmyam" or "Darika-vadham".

The asura Darika was said to have a very chaste wife, Manodari, who had in her possession a special mantra that would keep her husband invincible, and thus her marriage forever safe. Darika used his newfound invincibility to torment the lokas and usurp the kingdom of the devas. When Shiva learned of the demon Darika's misdeeds, he opened his fiery third eye and the massive ferocious form of Bhadrakali emerged. Shiva ordered Bhadrakali to destroy Darika, with a Vetala as her vehicle.

However, the goddess found it impossible to kill the demon as he was ever in the protection of his wife's mantra chanting. The goddess split her form into that of her fierce warrior self that continued to engage in combat and that of a common woman. The goddess went to Manodari, claiming to be the wife of a soldier who was fighting for Darika in his army in the losing battle. With this, Manodari broke her chanting to console the worried woman, breaking Darika's invincibility shield. Kali immediately disappeared from Manodari's presence while on the battlefield she had already managed to injure Darika.

As Darika lay at her feet, about to be killed, he was said to have appealed to her motherly nature as a last resort, with faux praises and prayers. But the devas gathered there began to sing praises to the goddess (such as the mantra "Kante Kalatmaje Kaali, Kante Kali Namostute"), thus reminding the goddess of the atrocities Darika had committed that caused her birth in the first place. Turning a blind eye to Darika's faux innocence, Bhadrakali severed his head and held it aloft in her left hand as she danced around on the battlefield.

But her anger would not succumb and so the devas invoked Shiva to intervene and calm Kali down, as when in anger Kali had the tendency to reduce the universe into nothingness. Shiva lay in her path as a crying baby and this time (Gandakarna), Kali's true motherliness was awakened. A now calm Kali expressed her wish to stay at the spot and protect the local people till the end of time. The spot where she remained is said to be the Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple. Bhadrakali at Kodungallur remains one of her 3 most auspicious temples in Kerala, along with Thirumandhamkunnu Temple and Parumala Valiya Panayannarkavu Devi Temple. It is also listed as one of the 13 'kaavu' temples of Kali and as one of the main 64 Bhadrakali temples in Kerala.

Another version of the Bhadrakali story is from the Devi Mahatmyam of the Markandeya Purana, during the battle between Raktabija and goddess Kaushiki (Durga). Kali was born from the wrath of goddess Kaushiki, from her forehead. She slew Chanda and Munda and earned the epithet 'Chamundi'. She also slayed the demon Raktabija, which is her most famous feat. This Chamundi-Kali form is said to be the leader of the Sapta-Matrikas and is the most popular form of the goddess in Northern India.

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