Resting peacefully in the destruction of objectivity (12 Kalis #3)

The third Kali: Sthitināśakālī – resting peacefully

Destruction in the cycle of objectivity. The third expansion*.

Here is the verse from the Ancient Kramastotra, written by Abhinavagupta,** and its translation by Lilian Silburn…

3. Sthitināśakālī.

वाजिद्वयस्वीकृतवातचक्र-
प्रक्रान्तसंघट्टगमागमास्थाम् ।
शुचिर्ययास्तं गमितोऽर्चिषा तां
शान्तां नमामि स्थितिनाशकलिम् ॥३॥

vājidvaya svī-kṛitavāta cakra-
prakrānta saṁghaṭṭa-gamāgamasthām /
śucir-yayāstaṁ gamitorciṣā tāṁ
śāntāṁ namāmi sthitināśa kālīm //

I pay homage to that well appeased Sthitināśa-kālī who absorbs the destroyer. Established in the unifying center of the conscious and unconscious, which begins at the wheel of life force-(prāṇan), she makes Her own both the outward and inward breath (prāṇa apāna). By Her flame, the pure light of subjective awareness sets in the horizon.

This is the third Kali: Destruction in the cycle of objectivity.

How she rests peacefully in the destruction of objectivity?

“She merges both the objective and subjective worlds in Herself, she is called Sthitināśakālī.

When the sense organs are fully satisfied with this the action of enjoying, then they get introverted and the devīs of the senses come to the place of heart, and there they are united with Bhairavanātha, they embrace Bhairava.” ~Swami Lakshmanjoo, Tantraloka, Audio Archive Lakshmanjoo Academy.

The moment when the object has been seen by the sense organ i.e. seeing, and is being destroyed, in the sense that we move on to the next object. At this point, the senses are fully satisfied, and there is a chance to enjoy the peace and merge into God-consciousness (embrace Bhairava).

Fire: Not just the external fire but also internally our digestive fire turns food into nourishment.

While I was painting images of destruction arose – with the summer and another wildfire season in California approaching – and I was reflecting on how, even after such violent fires, nature bounces back, even in some cases thrives. In fact, some trees can’t propagate and grow seeds without being exposed to the fire and extreme heat. And even without fires, all the time, the worms and bugs and microbes turn (“destroy”) vegetable leftovers into wonderful compost that allows for new growth. Even emotionally we often only grow after intense times of trauma or challenges.

So in the painting, fire appears in one world (objective), the roots (growth) in another (subjective). And the eye (subjective), when it has seen one thing (objective) and hasn’t yet moved to another, is resting in a very peaceful place of connection with that which lies beyond object and subject. Which leads to the next Kali…

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