A beautiful small size of Goddess Mata Kali Murti made in brass. Goddess Kali is one of the ten Mahavidyas, a list which combines Sakta and Buddhist goddesses. Kali's earliest appearance is that of a destroyer of evil forces. She is the goddess of one of the four subcategories of the Kulamārga, a category of tantric Saivism.
Kali comes from the Sanskrit root word Kaal which means time. There is nothing that escapes the all-consuming march of time. Kali is represented as the consort of Lord Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. Shiva lies in the path of Kali,whose foot on Shiva subdues her anger. She is the fierce aspect of the goddess Durga. Kali's association with darkness stands in contrast to her consort, Shiva, who manifested after Her in creation, and who symbolises the rest of creation after Time is created.
As per the legends, Goddess Kali, becoming drunk on the blood of Her victims on the battlefield, dances with destructive frenzy. In her fury, She fails to see the body of Shiva, who lies among the corpses on the battlefield and steps on His chest.Realizing Shiva to lie beneath her feet, Her anger is pacified and She calms Her fury. The 'Devi-purana", which goes into great depths about Goddess Kali,reveals the true reason for the symbolism of the tongue. The characteristic icons that depict Kali are the following; unbridled matted hair, open blood shot eyes, open mouth and a drooping tongue; in her hands,she holds:a Khadga (bent sword or scimitar) and a demon head, and an enchanted Shiva lies beneath Her feet. Each of these icons represent a deep philosophical epithet. The drooping out-stuck tongue represents her blood-thirst. Lord Shiva beneath her feet represents matter, as Kali is undoubtedly the primeval energy. The depiction of Kali on Shiva shows that without energy, matter lies "dead". In tantric contexts, the tongue is seen to denote the element (guna) of rajas (energy and action) controlled by sattva.
Design: Made in brass.
Brass is well known for its grasping capacity. It grasps the divine spirit upto 30%, when compared to other metals. The spiritual vibrations are attracted towards these shining idols easily.
Dimensions: 3.1 inches (H) x 2.1 inches (W) x 1 inch (depth) (8 x 5.5 x 2.5 cm) approx
Weight: 230 grams approx
Importance of Idol worship: Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors,but shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards God. Though the image is worshipped,the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out his devotion unto it.Regular worship, Puja and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of Divinity in the idol unveils the Divinity latent in it.This is truly a wonder and a miracle.The picture comes to life.The idol speaks.It will answer your questions and solve your problems.The God in you has the power to awaken the latent Divinity in the idol.The lives of Mirabai, Sant Tukaram, Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Yogananda are a few instances to prove the point.They proved beyond doubt that idol worship has its own brighter side and through simple faith and intense devotion one can realize God through it.
Idols are the "finite representation of the Infinite".As per Vishnu Samhita (ch 29, v 55-7), persuasively endorses the use of imagery (idols) and puts it:"Without a form how can God be mediated upon? If (He is) without any form, where will the mind fix itself? When there is nothing for the mind to attach itself to,it will slip away from meditation or will glide into a state of slumber.Therefore the wise will meditate on some form, remembering, however,that the form is a superimposition and not a reality."