Kalika Upanishat
Shree kaal'ikopanishat
Atha hainam' brahmarandhre brahmasvaroopineemaapnoti | subhagaam' trigunitaam' muktaasubhagaam' kaamarephendiraam' samastaroopineemetaani trigunitaani tadanu koorchabeejam' vyomashasht'hasvaraam' bindumelanaroopaam' taddvayam' maayaadvayam' dakshine kaal'ike chetyabhimukhagataam' tadanu beejasaptakamuchchaarya bri'hadbhaanujaayaamuchcharet | sa tu shivamayo bhavet | sarvasiddheeshvaro bhavet | gatistasyaasteeti | naanyasya gatirastaati | sa tu vaageeshvarah' | sa tu naareeshvarah' | sa tu deveshvarah' | sa tu sarveshvarah' | abhinavajaladasankaashaa ghanastanee kut'iladam'sht'raa shavaasanaa kaal'ikaa dhyeyaa | trikonam' panchakonam' navakonam' padmam | tasmin devee sarvaange'bhyarchya tadidam' sarvaangam' om kaal'ee kapaalinee kullaa kurukullaa virodhinee viprachittaa ugraa ugraprabhaa deeptaa neelaa ghanaa balaakaa maatraa mudraa'mitaa chaiva panchadashakonagaah' | braahmee naaraayanee maaheshvaree kaumaaree aparaajitaa vaaraahee naarasim'hikaa chetyasht'apatragaah' | shod'ashasvarabhedena prathamena mantravibhaagah' | tanmoolenaavaahanam' tenaiva poojanam | ya evam' mantraraajam' niyamena vaa lakshamaavartayati sa paapmaanam' hanti | sa brahmatvam' bhajati | sah' amri'tatvam' bhajati | sa aayuraarogyamaishvaryam' bhajati | sadaa panchamakaarena poojayet | sadaa gurubhakto bhavet | sadaa devabhakto bhavet | dharmisht'hataam' pusht'imahatavaacham' vipraa labhante | mantrajaapino hyaatmaa vidyaaprapoorito bhavati | sa jeevanmukto bhavati | sa sarvashaastram' jaanaati | sa sarvapunyakaaree bhavati | sa sarvayajnyayaajee bhavati | raajaano daasataam' yaanti | japtvaa sa sarvametam' mantraraajam' svayam' shiva evaahamityanimaadivibhooteenaameeshvarah' kaal'ikaam' labhet ||
Aavayoh' paatrabhootah' san sukri'tee tyaktakalmashah' |
Jeevanmuktah' sa vijnyeyo yasmai labdhaa hi dakshinaa ||
Dashaam'sham' homayettadanu tarpayet | atha haike yajnyaan kaamaanadvaitajnyaanaadeenaniruddhasarasvateeti | atha haishah' kaal'ikaamanujaapee yah' sadaa shuddhaatmaa jnyaanavairaagyayuktah' shaambhaveedeekshaasu raktah' shaaktaasu | yadi vaa brahmachaaree raatrau nagnah' sarvadaa madhunaa'shakto manasaa japapoojaadiniyamavaan | yoshitpriyakaro bhagodakena tarpanam' tenaiva poojanam' kuryaat | sarvadaa kaal'ikaaroopamaatmaanam' vibhaavayet | sa sarvadaa yoshidaasakto bhavet | sa sarvahatyaam' tarati tena madhudaanena | atha panchamakaarena sarvamaayaadividyaam' pashudhanadhaanyam' sarveshatvam' cha kavitvam' cha | naanyah' paramah' panthaa vidyate mokshaaya jnyaanaaya dharmaadharmaaya | tatsarvam' bhootam' bhavyam' yatkinchiddri'shyamaanam' sthaavarajangamam' tatsarvam' kaal'ikaatantre otam' protam' veda | ya evam' manujaapee sa paapmaanam' tarati | sa bhroonahatyaam' tarati | so'gamyaagamanam' tarati | sa sarvasukhamaapnoti | sa sarvam' jaanaati | sa sarvasam'nyaasee bhavati | sa virakto bhavati | sa sarvavedaadhyaayee bhavati | sa sarvamantrajaapee bhavati | sa sarvashaasravettaa bhavati | sa sarvajnyaanakaaree bhavati | sa aavayormitrabhooto bhavati | ityaaha bhagavaan shivah' | nirvikalpena manasaa sa vandyo bhavati ||
Atha hainaam |
Moolaadhaare smareddivyam' trikonam' tejasaam' nidhim |
Shikhaa aaneeya tasyaagneratha toordhvam' vyavasthitaa ||
Neelatoyadamadhyasthaa vidyullekheva bhaasvaraa |
Neevaarashookavattanvee peetaa bhaasvatyanoopamaa ||
Tasyaah' shikhaayaa madhye paramaatmaa vyavasthitah' |
Sa brahmaa sa shivah' sendrah' so'ksharah' paramah' svaraat' ||
Sa eva vishnuh' sa praanah' sa kaalo'gnih' sa chandramaah' |
Iti kund'alineem' dhyaatvaa sarvapaapaih' pramuchyate ||
Mahaapaatakebhyah' pooto bhootvaa sarvamantrasiddhim' kri'tvaa bhairavo bhavet | mahaakaalabhairavo'sya ri'shih' | ushnik chhandah' kaal'ikaa devataa | hreem' beejam' hroom' shaktih' kreem' keelakam' aniruddhasarasvatee devataa | kavitve paand'ityaarthe jape viniyogah' | ityevamri'shichchhandodaivatam' jnyaatvaa mantra saaphalyamashnute | atharvavidyaam' prathamamekam' dvayam' trayam' vaa naamadvayasamput'itam' kri'tvaa yojayet | gatistasyaasteeti | naanyasya gatirasteeti | om satyam | om tatsat ||
Atha hainam' gurum' paritoshyainam' mantraraajam' gri'hneeyaat | mantraraajam' gurustamapi shishyaaya satkuleenaaya vidyaabhaktaaya suveshaam' striyam' spri'sht'vaa svayam' nishaayaam' nirupadravah' paripoojya ekaakee shivagehe laksham' tadardham' vaa japitvaa dadyaat | om om om satyam' satyam' satyam | naanyaprakaarena siddhirbhavati | athaaha vai kaal'ikaamanostaaraamanostripuraamanoh' sarvadurgaamanorvaa svaroopasiddhirevamiti shivam ||
Ityaatharvane saubhaagyakaand'e kaal'ikopanishat samaaptaa |
Meaning
The Sri Kalikopanishad is a profound tantric Upanishad revealing the essence of Goddess Kāli, the supreme Shakti. The text describes how the seeker, meditating at the Brahmarandhra, realizes Kāli as pure consciousness—the embodiment of the three gunas and simultaneously beyond them. Through bija mantras such as Kūrca, the dual principles of Maya, and the seven sacred seeds, Kāli manifests as the radiant cosmic power within the practitioner. One who practices correctly becomes filled with Shiva-consciousness, attaining all siddhis and becoming the master of speech, knowledge, prosperity, and spiritual power.
Kālī is visualized as the dark, cloud-like, fierce Mother seated on a corpse—symbolizing victory over death and ignorance. She resides in the triangle, pentagon, and nine-petaled lotus, surrounded by the sixteen-syllabled mantra wheel and the eight forms of Shakti like Brāhmī, Māheśvarī, and Vārāhī. These represent cosmic functions of creation, protection, destruction, and knowledge.
The Upanishad teaches that chanting the Mantra-Rāja destroys sin, grants Brahman-realization, immortality, health, wealth, and complete spiritual fulfillment. The aspirant must worship with the five “M’s” symbolizing transcendence of duality and cultivate unwavering devotion to Guru and Devi. This leads to mastery of scriptures, profound intelligence, poetic inspiration, and the state of Jīvanmukti.
Kundalini is described vividly: a lightning-like energy in the Muladhara, the seed of cosmic fire. In its core is the supreme Self—Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Time, Fire, and Moon—manifesting as one consciousness. Meditating on this dissolves all sins and grants Bhairava-siddhi. The mantra must be received from a qualified Guru and practiced in purity and discipline. Such a practitioner ultimately realizes “I am Shiva,” attaining Kāli’s complete grace.
The Upanishad concludes that all existence—past, present, future, moving, unmoving—is woven within the fabric of Kāli’s Tantra. One who chants this mantra becomes free from karmic defects, attains purity, renunciation, omniscience, and liberation.
Benefits
• Realization of Kāli as supreme consciousness
• Destruction of karmic impurities and attainment of liberation
• Awakening of Kundalini and inner radiance
• Mastery over knowledge, scriptures, and spiritual disciplines
• Health, longevity, prosperity, and fearlessness
• Attainment of Shiva-consciousness and ultimate freedom
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