Shloka 18
Adhyaya 87 — The Slaying of Dhumralochana and the Emergence of Kali; the Fall of Chanda and Munda (Chamunda Named)
ततो जहासातिरुषा भीमं भैरवनादिनी ।
काली करालवक्त्रान्तर्दुर्दर्शदशनोज्ज्वला ॥
tato jahāsa atiruṣā bhīmaṃ bhairavanādinī | kālī karālavaktrāntar durdarśadaśanojjvalā ||
ಆಗ ಕಾಳೀ ತೀವ್ರ ಕ್ರೋಧದಿಂದ ಭೀಕರವಾಗಿ ನಕ್ಕಳು—ಭೈರವನಾದದಂತೆ ಘೋರ ಗರ್ಜನೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ; ಅವಳ ಬಾಯಿ ವಿಕಟವಾಗಿ ತೆರೆದಿತ್ತು, ಅವಳ ದಹಿಸುವ ದಂತಗಳು ನೋಡಲೂ ಭಯಂಕರವಾಗಿದ್ದವು.
FAQs
The divine ‘fierce’ form is not cruelty but protective necessity: when adharma becomes violent and entrenched, the restoring power manifests in a terrifying mode to end harm decisively.
Carita: a theophany within a battle episode. It reinforces dharma by depicting the Goddess as the ultimate regulator of cosmic order.
Kālī’s laugh/roar represents the shattering of fear-based delusion; ‘dreadful to behold’ signals the ego’s inability to face impermanence (kāla). The blazing teeth symbolize discriminative power that ‘chews’ through illusion.