She is in everything

Sri Ramakrishna (on the photo to the left), the Tantric master of Dakshineswar, a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali near Colcuta, India, had many teachers.

One of them was a Vedanta inspirant, who taught Sri Ramakrishna about the formless Divinity, Brahman, the impersonal aspect of Godhead.

Here I share how that Vedanta scholar came to realize the nature of our Goddess Kali:


"...The “Naked One,” as Sri Ramakrishna called Totapuri, remained at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple for eleven months. He did not believe in Kali when he arrived but, when he left, he did. This change of attitude happened as follows.

Totapuri, one day, began to suffer from acute dysentery. Excruciating pain did not allow him to rest or meditate on Brahman.

And, one night, when the pain was especially bad, Totapuri felt he should give up his body. Chanting “Hari Om,” he walked into the Ganges.

Although he walked farther and farther into the river and almost reached the other shore, the water never got higher than his ankles . “Is there not enough water in the Ganges to drown myself!?” cried Totapuri.

Suddenly, in one dazzling moment, he sees on all sides the presence of the Divine Mother. She is in everything; She is in everything. She is in the water; She is on land. She is the body; She is the mind. She is pain; She is comfort. She is knowledge; She is ignorance. She is life; She is death. She is everything that one sees, hears , or imagines. She turns “yea” into “nay,” and “nay” into “yea.” 

Without Her grace no embodied being can go beyond Her realm. 

Man has no free will. He is not even free to die. 

Yet, again, beyond the body and mind She resides in Her Transcendental, Absolute aspect. She is the Brahman that Totapuri had been worshipping all his life..."


From the book: Kali: the black Goddess od Dakshineshwar


OM KLIM KALI