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Kali Puja 2022: Why Does Goddess Kali Protrude Her Tongue Out?

Regardless of our beliefs and moorings, trust the existence of a supernatural power above all of us, that sustains, supervises and destroys this universe. By this, we could infer that a supernatural element has to be just that with respect to the abilities of omniscience and omnipotence and omnipresence.

Goddess Kali Protrudes Her Tongue Out

Apart from the forms, they don at every instance of an avatar, there is something formless and infinite about them which we recognize but fail to understand. When it comes to the question why Goddess Kali sticks her tongue out, we usually produce very commonsensical observations. An uninitiated mind, being unaware about the Supreme Godhead naturally thinks that Goddess Kali stepped on her own husband who was asleep and due to embarrassment, bit her tongue." This sounds like a quite inappropriate response that can't be expected of a being with the stature of a Goddess.

1. The Devi Mahatmya Perspective

Devi Mahatmya mentions the battle between Goddess Durga and Rakthbeej demon wherein the significance of the protruding tongue can be understood. The battle went on and almost all the demon army of Shumbh Nishumbh had started to disappear due to the valor of the goddesses who had sprung from Goddess Durga. A great demon called Rakthbeej, overcome by rage, by watching all this, pounced forward on Devi, in order to exterminate her. However, he had been protected by a boon from Brahma that had given him the power to produce replicas incase a drop of his blood falls and touches the ground. War started with Rakthbeej. Several goddesses came into the picture and fought with a view to d subdue the demon.

However, as drops of his blood fell onto the ground, due to the wounds inflicted by goddesses on him, several replicas with similar fighting skills as the Demon Rakthbeej were created, and battle grew more severe in intensity, Goddesses Aindri, Kaumari, Vaaraahi, Maheshwari And Vaishnavi tried their best to bring him under control, but they failed due to the emergence of Rakthbeej replicas that fought them back ferociously.

Watching all this, Goddess Chamunda decided to swallow the demons along with their blood drops so that no blood drop shall trickle onto the ground. When the blood of Rakthbeej stopped dripping finally. The demon had shed a lot of blood in the warfare and finally the Goddesses attacked him with various powerful asthras and killed him. Goddess Kali used her tongue as a weapon to drink the blood of and swallow and kill the asuras.

Mother Goddess was not hungry for blood in this case. She had to do this exercise in order to kill the ferocious demons who were a menace to all the beings of the three worlds. Her tongue is the symbol of hope that is given to warriors who worship her during times of war. Goddess shows her astras she holds in her ten hands and in a similar fashion shows her tongue too, as an armour that led to the downfall of the wicked.

There is another incident described about Lord Shiva and his battle with the demon Chandrachud. She joined in with her son in the warfare that Lord Shiva was carrying on with the demon army. Looking at her aggressive form, the demon army started fleeing and finally Chandrachud had to come to the fore to protect the interests of his demonical men. Astras (weapons) were exchanged in this fierce war, and Mother Goddess swallowed all the weaponry and laughed at the failing attempts of the demon. Then finally as the last step, Goddess Kali swung him in the sky, holding him with her two hands, but he was destined to die at the hands of Lord Shiva. So Goddess Kali drank the blood of all the demon army of Chandrachud and returned to Lord Shiva, after which, Lord Shiva killed the demon in one instant. Tongue is shown here as the ultimate source of power.

Goddess Kali Protrudes Her Tongue Out

2. The Mundakopanishad Perspective

Mundakipanishad describes the tongue of Goddess Kali as the leaping fire in the form of tongue that represents her seven aspects namely Kaali, Karali, Manojava, Sulohita, Sudhumravarna, Sphulingini and Vishvaruchi. Sacrifice is always performed by offering the bali to the Agni or the fire, and hence the demons were swallowed and sacrificed in the fire of her tongue. She is the feminine power that accepts the sacrifice or the bali of the demons or the wicked in order to end their brutality in the world. Her tongue is to be visualized by the Sadhaka (practitioner) as a blazing and leaping tongue of fire, finally consuming everything including the Sadhaka.

The leaping tongue of fire of the goddess exterminates the desires that surround our mortal existence. Every time, we implant a seed of desire in our mind, new seeds of desire are born from the same breeding ground. In the same way, the entire earth is full of seeds of desire which the Goddess evacuates with her powerful presence.

Totally aware of all this, the Gods reached out to Goddess and prayed to her to stick out her tongue and swallow the demons and end the constant torture for the Devas. They pleaded her to consume the desires of existence so that the beings on earth will be free of all desires. This is the reason Goddess Kali shows her tongue in order to make the creation desire free.

3. The Yogic Perspective

Protruding and lolling tongue also, as per the yogic concept, shows a yoga kriya or procedure that involves the use of the tongue, in the Simha Kriya. As per this pose, the yoga practitioner sticks his tongue out in the same manner as Goddess Kali. One's breathing in this yoga kriya, sounds like the roar of a lion. Many yogis perform this for their spiritual uplift, emotional stability, and fitness. For spiritual upliftment, physical fitness, and emotional balance. This yoga kriya is highly recommended for keeping the throat, and respiratory organs healthy.

How Simha Kriya Can Be Beneficial?

Health Benefits:

Simha Kriya relieves you of the stress inside your system. It destroys diseases from within and helps you to be independent, self-reliant, and self-sufficient. It also activates muladhara chakra, jalandhara, and uddiyana. It revitalizes the mystical powers in a practitioner It firms and lifts the face, benefits the tongue and fixes bad breath as well. The tonal quality of your voice improves. If you stammer while talking, and have gut issues, teeth grinding habit etc., this yoga is the answer for that. With Simha Kriya , one can eliminate disabilities of minor nature.

Beauty Benefits:

Simha Kriya is one of the best facial exercises. It gives a fresh glow, a tight skin, reduces think lines on the face, removes wrinkles and crow's-feet.

Simha Kriya relaxes the neck muscles, eradicates back pains, and releases stress completely.

When the ordinary humans get so many benefits from sticking out our tongue, how can it be a just a fierce impulsive act by Goddess? Tongue is designed to be powerful even in another way, during mundane conversations and hence needs to be used with discretion. Here's what we need to know.

Goddess Kali Protrudes Her Tongue Out

4.The Perspective Of Regeneration

Goddess Kali has always appeared when there were demons with regenerative powers. Rakthabija - he could manifest himself again from even a simple drop of blood). Shankachooda (Shiva Purana) can transform himself. Then Kali appears with her huge mouth, described as an endless vacuum into which she swallows everything.
Most things in this world can regenerate. Prime examples for these are water and trees. Human soul also regenerates or reinvents itself by giving itself different forms in different episodes of its life cycles again and again. When it is time to change the system, Goddess Kali comes to break the vicious cycle and swallows the entire creation to award mukti to all beings. Mahakali as the first of the ten wisdom goddesses, the tongue is explained as evoking disgust on purpose.

5.The Mystical Interpretation

Finally, according to certain opinions, Goddess Kali's red tongue and white teeth indicate the subjugation of the rajasic by the sattvic (rajasic- tongue and sattvic -whiteness of teeth).

Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky does not confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption.

Story first published: Tuesday, September 27, 2022, 14:08 [IST]
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