Kali: The Feminine Force

by Ajit Mookerjee

Book Overview

The author draws on the powerful imagery of painting, sculpture, and literature in this celebration of the Hindu goddess.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892812125
• ISBN13: 9780892812127
• Release Date: March 1988
• Publisher: Destiny Books
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Passionate, Powerful, and Free

The value of this book is multifold and many-petaled: a compilation of interesting and beautiful images; informative text; and a medium for reflection upon divinity, the feminine principle, and how sacredness manifests in our world. The focus is Kali, a goddess created from Durga in order to defeat evil forces. So mighty was her power, according to Hindu belief, that after Kali defeated all the demons, her wrath and power were so great that only the loving surrender of Shiva, upon whose prostrate form Kali is often portrayed as standing, could assuage her. In that image alone, there is much to consider. Today, as the world's body is being destroyed by violence and poison, there is urgent need to "ground" the free-floating rage and greed that threaten us all. It is useful to meditate upon the paradox of Shiva's appeasement of Kali, the red-tongued goddess now worshipped as the great liberator, ruler of death, and identified with blood. The acknowledgement of feminine power and yielding to it brings both peace and liberation to the cosmos. Unsurprisingly, Kali is especially important to women, signifying as she does, a power often obscured and even suppressed in the land where she is most often officially reverenced. The author of this book begins by noting his wife's visionary or spiritual experience centered upon Kali, and alludes to how this subsequently transformed their marital relationship. This is a good illustration of how Kali and the feminine force embodied in her is not to be regarded as something "on the shelf" or solely present during puja (ritual worship); rather, her greater significance is the emergence of women from traditional limitations, opening them to the realization of their intrinsic power. Readers who identify with Tantric, pagan, Wiccan, or mainstream Hindu traditions will find immediate relevance and value in this text and the wonderful images contained therein; those of a more secular inclination will appreciate this book's artistic and humanist impulse towards the liberation of humanity's greater half, with all the promise that holds for our shared destiny.

wonderful and thorough introduction to Kali

A lot of books on Kali come necessarily from a scholarly perspective that is deeply rooted in patriarchal presuppositions (as this is the nature of most of the research that's been done). However, Mookerjee's book delves into the heart of Kali, creating balance in the approach. This book is a thorough and thoughtful introduction to her history and worship, and demystifies her symbolism and terrible imagery, reminding us that Kali is seen both as the fierce destroyer AND the benevolent, all-encompassing, compassionate mother.I highly recommend this to those who are new to Kali, as it's very accessible for Westerners.

Om Krim Kali!

This book is beautyful! The photographs, paintings and drawing are breathtaking. The information is on target. Its not a big book, but for its sized it has a good amount of information. The auther knows her stuff. I cant stand it when people write about Kali and have no idea what they are talking about and believe me people I see it often. Kali is not all about destruction, or hexing, or the end of time. Shes not just a goddess in her "Crone phase" Shes not just a Goddess of the moon. Kali is used for many things even for healing. In her Bhadra Kali aspect shes a young virgin. But some people do not know this about her. If theres one complaint about this book is that sometimes the auther can get off the subject of Kali. But regardless all the information is informative and wonderful. Its well researched. Its not as devotional as Kali by Elizabet U Harding but its defenitly a compliment to her book as well as to the book Kali Puja. I reccomend all three.

The TRUTH about Mother Kali

This wonderful book, written by a respected spiritual teacher, gives accurate and culturally truthful information about Divine Mother Kali. It is about true spiritual devotion to the Divine Feminine - a perfect antidote to the misguided Western notion that Kali is the psychological reflection of the dark psyche and an expression of anger and violence.