Why Does Mother Kali Stand On Lord Shiva's Chest

While there are a lot of stories about how Kali slayed the demon Raktbeej and shiva requested her to step on him , this particular iconography has always been misunderstood and actual essence is entirely different . Kali is the first of the 10 mahavidyas . The image that we see of Shiva lying under Kali is actually a shava (dead corpse in English ) . Without Shakti , shiva is Shava. The Purusha (male energy ) is inactive without Prakriti (female energy ). It’s only by Her Grace that he attains Shiva-tattva.

 

Just researched it & found this article. Have heard this story from others too..
Disclaimer:
I don’t vouch for the correctness & this should not be seen as an invitation to debate


“In popular story-telling, the reason for Kali sticking out her tongue is rather domestic. After killing the demon Daruka, Kali drank his blood. The blood drove her mad with bloodlust. She went around the world killing at random. The gods begged Shiva to stop her. So he took the form of a handsome man and lay in Kali's path. As soon as Kali stepped on him, she bit her tongue out of embarrassment. She was ashamed to learn that her bloodlust had prevented her from seeing and recognising her own husband.”

Kali and her tongue - Times of India

 

Very nice Post ...........Jai Maha Kali......Thanks for sharing!!

 

These days am looking for different stotras in sanskrit like shiva, ganesha, Durga, dattatreya and others. do you have any idea where can i get MP3 downloads.

 

Maa Kali, after killing demon Raktbeej, is in an extreme state. While in the state of Parvati, she is in perfect control and harmony with Lord Shiva, when she assumes the form of Kali, she is furious and uncontrollable. She is Prakruti – she is the nature. Think of nature’s fury and how no one can control it. In the Kali form, that is how she is. After she drinks the blood of Raktbeej, she is on the lust for more. She roams around, in her fierce form, craving for blood. All the Lords request Lord Shiva to help calm down Kali, so she can go back to being the kind, nurturing and benevolent Parvati.

Knowing Kali and her fury, Lord Shiva thinks of a way. He believes Parvati, in her Kali form, may have forgotten her true self and might have lost control, but she will never forget her devotion to Him. So while she is marching forward in search of blood, He lies on her path. Not seeing Him in her fury, she mistakenly steps on Him. As soon as she does, she looks down to see it is her Lord, the Mahadev himself. Immediately she regrets it and is heartbroken that she stepped on her own husband. In her agony, hurt and shame, her tongue hangs out.