Kalaratri is the seventh of the nine forms of Durga, worshipped on the seventh day of Navaratri. She is the fiercest form in the Navadurga series: black as the darkest night, hair loose, breath full of flames. Yet devotees know her as one of the kindest, because the fear she causes is meant for demons, not for those who come to her.
Kalaratri dhyana sloka and its meaning
करालरूपा कालाब्ज समानाकृति विग्रहा । कालरात्रिः शुभं दद्याद्देवी चंडाट्टहासिनी ॥
Karālarūpā kālābja samānākṛti vigrahā | Kālarātriḥ śubhaṃ dadyāddevī caṃḍāṭṭahāsinī ||
Meaning: May Goddess Kalaratri grant us what is auspicious: she whose body has the deep black glow of a dark lotus, and who laughs a loud and terrible laugh.
Karāla means fearsome. Kālābja is a dark lotus or blue-black water lily. Caṇḍāṭṭahāsinī is "the one with the fierce, roaring laugh". The sloka does not soften her. It asks this very form to bless us.
Watch the story
A narrated retelling from our YouTube channel, in the regional language of this site.
What the name Kalaratri means
Kala means time, and also dark or black. Ratri means night. Kalaratri is "the dark night". Devotees see her as the darkness that swallows every other darkness, which is why her worship is linked with the end of fear.
Devotees also call her Shubhankari, "the one who does good", as a reminder that her frightening form always works for the good of her devotees.
The form of Kalaratri
Kalaratri's body is as black as thick darkness. Her hair is loose and spread out. Around her neck is a necklace that flashes like lightning. She has three eyes, round like the universe itself, and flames come out with every breath. Her vehicle is the donkey.
She has four hands:
- one shows varada mudra, giving boons;
- one shows abhaya mudra, removing fear;
- one holds a spiked iron weapon;
- one holds a sword.
Two hands that frighten and two hands that bless. That balance is the whole meaning of Kalaratri.
The story of Kalaratri: Chanda, Munda and Raktabija
How Kalaratri appeared
Two asura brothers, Shumbha and Nishumbha, defeated the devas and took over heaven. The devas went to Lord Shiva and begged for protection. Then Parvati created Goddess Ambika from her own body.
Shumbha and Nishumbha sent their two commanders, Chanda and Munda, to fight Ambika. When they came, Ambika brought out from herself a terrifying form: Kali, that is, Kalaratri. Kalaratri killed Chanda and Munda, and from that victory she received the name Chamunda, the one who destroyed Chanda and Munda.
The defeat of Raktabija
After this, an asura named Raktabija came to the battlefield. His name means "the one whose blood is a seed", and it was true. If even a single drop of his blood fell to the ground, a new asura just like him rose from it. Every wound the Goddess gave him only made the army bigger.
Kalaratri found the answer. She stretched out her tongue and caught his blood before it could reach the earth, so that not one drop touched the ground. With no new asuras rising, Raktabija could be killed, and she destroyed him.
Tradition links the outstretched tongue seen in many pictures of Kali to this moment. It is not a sign of anger alone; it shows how she won a battle that could not be won any other way.
Fearsome to enemies, kind to devotees
Kalaratri is terrible to her enemies and full of compassion for her devotees. She is the Mother who gives boons. She drives away the darkness of ignorance and gives the light of knowledge. Devotees believe that by worshipping her, they overcome the fears inside themselves.
How Kalaratri is worshipped on the seventh day of Navaratri
On the seventh day, the Goddess is worshipped as Kalaratri. There is no need to be afraid of her image at home; she is worshipped with the same lamp and flowers as every other form.
Flowers: Blue flowers are offered to her, especially blue water lilies.
Naivedya: A popular custom is to offer black grapes, black sesame and sugarcane juice.
Mantra: Devotees chant this mantra 108 times:
ॐ ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं कालरात्र्यै नमः
Oṃ aiṃ hrīṃ klīṃ kālarātryai namaḥ
What devotees pray to Kalaratri for
Devotees believe that worshipping Kalaratri removes the fear of enemies. Every kind of fear, including the fear of fire and the fear of the night, is said to vanish by her grace. She is also prayed to for success in every undertaking.