During first week of July 2022, Ms. Mahua Moitra, the MP of TMC from West Bengal, has gleefully entered into a controversy by making loose remarks on Goddess Kali. In Sanatan Dharma Goddess Kali has ten forms viz: Dakshina Kali, Matangi Kali, Chhinnamasta, Shamsana Kali, Bagala, Bhairavi, Tara, Shodoshi, Kamala and Dhumavati. Each form has distinctive set of attributes. The variation in the names of Kali, mentioned above, may also be present from place to place.
In Sanatan Dharma there are six traditions viz: Shaiva, Baishnav, Shakta, Ganaptya, Kumarik and Surya. Unlike the Muslims, followers of one tradition of Sanatan Dharma do not call followers of other traditions as non-Sanatani. This is the beauty of tolerant and inclusive Sanatan Dharma. Followers of Shakta tradition worship Mother Goddess in different forms and Kali is one of those forms. Again, system of worshiping Kali, like any other God or Goddess, can be different. Under Tantrik System, meat of sacrificial he-goat and wine are offered to Kali.
In West Bengal, Tantrik system of Kali worship is performed in ‘Tarapith Temple’ only. Mahua Moitra has selectively referred to ‘Tarapith Temple’ to establish her agenda driven point. But Secretary of ‘Tarapith Temple’ has criticized Mahua Moitra for her loose tongue on Goddess Kali. Tantrik system is not dominant among Hindu Bengali of West Bengal. Annual ‘Kali Puja’ (‘Puja’ means worship in Bengali) is celebrated on the day of Diwali in tens of thousands of clubs across West Bengal, where members of the clubs eat meat and drink wine liberally.
This club culture of eating meat and drinking wine in annual Kali Puja has been an extension of ruling party’s activity in the state of West Bengal since 1970s. Mahua Moitra mixed-up that club culture and Tantrik System of Kali Puja very badly. She, strangely enough, took the role of sole representative of all Hindu Bengali and only spokesperson of Kali Puja.
This is the problem of liberal Hindus, like Mahua Moitra (and Shashi Tharoor and many more), who do not have basic understanding of Sanatan Dharma and try to explain it through their Abrahamic Binary Vision of ‘either this or that’ and misplaced information base. But Sanatan Dharma is too multi-dimensional and too complex for them to comprehend.
Unlike Nupur Sharma (who told the full truth), Mahua Moitra told partial-truth about Mother Kali. But she remained as responsible as Nupur Sharma for mocking religious belief and sentiment of some community. Fortunately for Mahua Moitra, there is no concept of blasphemy in Sanatan Dharma.
It is funny to see that of all Hindu liberals, Swara Bhaskar has jumped in the bandwagon of Mahua Moitra and started crying ‘more strength to Mahua’s voice’ in Jihadi Twitter. This is the same Swara Bhaskar who participated in a TV debate on CAA two years back without reading the Act and the TV anchor, Rubika Liyaquat, extracted a stupid out of her in that live show.
Leena Manimekali, the original perpetrator of Kali controversy, made Goddess Kali an immoral and ill-informed entity by showing her smoking cigarette and remaining oblivious of the bad health impact of smoking. Leena also went further by leveling Kali as anti-Capitalism and anti-Hindutva. What a messed-up brain Leena has! For her, Kali was a convenient Hindu Goddess who could be shaped as per her Jihadi-Leftist requirements. Will Leena depict her mother as a call girl to score a few ‘Liberal Points’?
The most important attribute of Goddess Kali, Leena forgot, was slaying the demons. Today’s demons are violent Jihadis and disruptive Leftists. Mahua’s Kali is also accompanied by two Chudels, one on each side, who are named Dakini and Yogini. The three-some of Mahua, Swara and Leena may decide who among them will be the two Chudels.
