Ma Kalarati’s Powerful Form and the Benefits of Her Sadhana

prakrtistvamca sarvasya gunatraya vibhavini |

Kalaratrih maharatrih moharatrischa daruna | |

(Durga Saptashati: Verse 75)

(You are the primordial cause of everything. Bringing into force the three qualities: Sattva, rajas and tamas. You are the dark night of periodic dissolution. You are the great night of final dissolution and the terrible night of delusion)

Accepting Darkness 

The seventh form of Ma Durga, Devi Kalaratri, is fierce and powerful. She represents the triumph of divine light over the darkness of ignorance. 

She is symbolically God’s shadow—the darker side of life. The unknown dark fills our minds with fear. Essentially, fear is closely tied to our thoughts and the way we react to them. There are many small fears, but the greatest fear is that of death. She personifies the acceptance of fears as they are. You can face your fear, accept it, and move beyond it so it doesn’t control your life.

Her worship reminds us that everyone has the power to change and grow and that we must face and overcome fear to find true spiritual freedom. She is associated with the dissolution of time and the liberation of the soul. Ma’s blessings bring spiritual transformation, liberation from worldly attachments, and the fulfillment of desires that are good for your ultimate good.  

The Energy Behind Destruction and Pain

Ma Kalaratri is the destructive part of who we are. In the Mahabharata (Shalya Parva 9.11), she is like Bhima’s energy on the battlefield. He was maddened with anger and had a mace (resembling the bludgeon of death) that is compared to Kalaratri—extremely destructive, fierce as a female snake, brutal as thunder, smeared with marrow, fat, and blood, resembling the tongue of the God of Death, producing shrill sounds like the thunder of the King of Heaven.

Devi Kalaratri’s energy rules over deep pain and suffering in the Universe. Worshipping her calms this energy and removes poverty, sadness, grief, and illness. It heals and brings auspiciousness.

We go through tough times at some point. The challenging phases shape us, help us grow, and make us value life more deeply. Those who never struggle often miss the deeper truths of life. All praise to the form of Mother Divine, who guides us through challenges and makes us stronger.

Inevitably, on the spiritual path, we become mindfully aware of our egoistic tendencies. We witness the ideas of “me, mine, and I,” which are so conditioned in our thought process that we blindly, yet ambitiously, go through life, trying to accumulate more and more for ourselves.

Unfortunately, unless we get help, these thoughts are an endless succession in a perpetual cycle. What do we do?

To the rescue is the seventh form of Nav Durga, Kalaratri Devi, the fiercest form of Ma Durga worshipped on the seventh night of Navratri.

Rātri means night. Kāla means time, death, black or dark. So, Kalaratri is She who is beyond time, the darkness of night. Devi Kalaratri is the great dark night mother of overcoming ego.

She represents the unfolding of time. The time on the clock keeps moving forward, making us older, inching us forward towards death with every passing moment.

The Destroyer of Ego

Apart from being the goddess of the dark-night, Ma Kalaratri’s name also suggests that she is the goddess of the night of Death (Kala). Death is similar to deep sleep. You let go of your body and enter the dark realm with no body consciousness. Yet, the state of sleep is temporary, a mere pause. We awaken to her real essence when we understand the short- lived (transient) nature of life.

A fierce form of Ma Durga, Devi Kalaratri burns our ego in the yagna fire.

The Powerful Form of Devi Kalaratri

Ma Kalaratri is terrifying to demons, but kind and protective to her devotees.

She has an inky black body, as dark as the deepest night. Her hair flies wild symbolic of her untamed primal power. Her eyes flash with power. The blood of demons shines on her body like red hibiscus flowers. Despite her fearsome form, Ma Kalaratri is a bringer of blessings—Shubhankari, the auspicious one.

She wears a glowing garland of skulls that shimmers like the moon. With three powerful eyes, Ma Kalaratri is called Trinetri. Her four hands protect her devotees: in one, she holds the deadly Vajrayudha (thunderbolt); in another, a sharp Khadga (scimitar). While the vajra represents her indestructible energy, the sharp blade of Khadga cuts through evil and negativity.

Ma Kalaratri’s other two hands are in the Abhaya (protection) and Varada (blessings) mudras. She rides a donkey, a symbol of service and loyalty. Flames surround her, and she opens her third eye to destroy all evil.

Benefits of Ma Kalaratri’s Sadhana

The fearful looking Ma Kalaratri bestows many blessings on her devotees. Here are some benefits of her sadhana.

🌸 Protection from all harms that can affect devotees on the path of Dharma.

🌸 Provides clarity of thought and purpose. 

🌸 Removes the darkness of ignorance and shines the light of wisdom.

🌸 Deepens spiritual connection with the primordial Shakti. 

🌸 Awakens spiritual consciousness, sharpens intuition and promotes spiritual growth.

🌸 Builds confidence and the belief to overcome difficulties.

🌸 Protection from negative energies and malefic planetary conditions. 

🌸 Grants profound inner transformation and inner purification. 

🌸 Brings peace of mind and harmony. 

🌸Grants auspiciousness, prosperity, and fulfilment.

Ma Kalaratri removes the impacts of sanchit karma (consequences of karma in past lives) on the sukshma sharir (subtle body) of her devotee.

Ma Kalaratri and the Kundalini Connection

On the seventh day of Navratri, yogis and Shakti practitioners concentrate on the Sahasrara chakra (crown centre). You can visualise Ma Kalaratri’s form and chant her mantra on the Sahasrara. She can be meditaed on the Anahata(heart) Chakra as well.

In Lalita Sahasranamam, Ma Kalaratri is referenced as ‘kalaratryadi shaktyoghavrata’ (name 491).  Rakini (the presiding yogini of the Anahata Chakra) is surrounded by twelve of her assistants Maha Shaktis, one of them is Devi Kalaratri.

The Tantric Invocation 

Ma Kalaratri’s tantric forms are Yakshini, Roopdipika, and Pragya, invoked as per the Durga Tantra and Vamkeshvara Tantra on the seventh day of Navratri. This tantric invocation grants Mother Divine's blessings and progresses Sadhaks on their spiritual journey. 

Those interested in pursuing Tantra Sadhana are recommended to perform a full invocation of Devi Kali.

May the grace of Devi Kalaratri descend upon you!

Om Devi Kalaratryai Namah!