Hymn to Kali, by Arthur Avalon (Sir John George Woodroffe), [1922], at sacred-texts.com
VERSE 14
O KĀLĪ, spouse of Giriśa, 1 Thou art Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. 2 Thou art all. Thou art one and beneficent. 3 What can be said in praise of Thee, O Mother? Of Thy mercy show Thy favour towards me, helpless as I am. By Thy grace may I never be reborn. 4
COMMENTARY
'Kālī'
Dispeller of the fear Kāla or Death.
'Thou art Earth' (Dharitrī kīlālangshachirapi samīropi gaganam)
Guptārṇava-Tantra says, 'Thou art Earth, Thou art Water, Thou art Fire, Thou art the Air of the world, Thou art Ether, Thou art Mind as Manas, Ahaṁkāra, Mahat (Buddhi) and Thou art Prakṛti. Thou art also, Oh Mother, Ātmā. Thou art the Supreme. Nothing is greater than Thee. Oh Devī of terrible form showing Thy teeth may my sins be forgiven me.' The Triputā-Stotra also says, 'Thou art the Ādhāra-Śakti and the Ādhāra. Thou dost pervade the world and the world is in Thee.'
'One' (Ekā)
Without a second.
'Beneficent' (Kalyānī)
Because She grants Nirvāṇa Liberation to Jīvas.
'Spouse of Girisha' (Giriśaramanī)
Spouse of Śiva. Or He who is in the Giri or Kūta is Giriśa that is Kūtastha-Brahman; His spouse or Śakti. Though changeless (Nirvikārā) Thou dost appear as the twenty-four Tattvas, namely,
[paragraph continues] Earth and the rest through Thy Māyā. The Devīsūkta of the Ṛg-Veda says, 'Thou who art one and many, subtle and the Vikāras (gross things) and giveth birth to millions of universes.'
'All' (Sakalaṁ)
Śruti says, 'Verily all this is Brahman '.
'Helpless' (Agatikaṁ)
On account of liability to rebirth despite Sādhana.
Footnotes
76:1 p. 77 The Lord who inhabits the mountain, whereas, Giriśa is Lord thereof.
76:2 Liṅgapurāṇa says, Devī becomes matter' (Kṣetra). She is Kṣetrasvarūpā, that is, the field or matter which is known by the soul (Kṣetrajña). See Lalitā Sahasranāma (fourth hundred) for the Brahman who creates the visible world Itself enters into it (Tat sṛṣtvā tād evānuprāviśat.)
76:3 Kalyāṇi. According to the Padma-Purāṇa, Devī is worshipped as Kalyāṇi in the Malaya Mountain.
76:4 Bhavaṁ anu na bhūyān mama januh, that is, liberated. The Śyāmārahasya reads Bhavaṁ ananubhūyāt, using bhavaṁ as meaning duhkhaṁ (pain), arising from bhava (the world) (K. B.).