Kālikā purāṇa: a summary

Kālikā purāṇa, unlike popular purāṇas is not a mere purāṇa, rarther it can be considered as a fusion of a regular purāṇa and a tantra śāstra manual. First forty five adhyāyas of the text dominantly contains the paurāṇika legend while remaining forty five adhyāyas contains the tantra śāstrika portion with a clear spatial connection to śākta yoni pīṭha in Kāmākhyā. Together it contains ninty adhyāyas comprised of 8394 ślokas. As is the usual affair with all the purāṇas it appears in the form of a conversation between the assembly of brāhmaṇas and ṛṣi mārkaṇḍeya bhārgava who responds to queries put forth to him by the former.

In the later part of the purāṇa the conversation is between Sagara and his ācārya Bhārgava Aurvā.

Adhyāya 1 - Describes the emergence of Uṣā and Kāma from Brahmā

Adhyāya 2 - Contains a description on charms of Rati

Adhyāya 3 - Contains a description of vasanta

Adhyāya 4 to 5 - Narrates how Brahmā invoked Viṣṇu Māyā aka Yogamāyā to decieve Rudra. She is described as dark as aṅjana, mukta keśī or having untied long hair, carrying a kartrika and riding a siṁha. Due to her dark hue, She acquires the name Kāli and purāṇa in turn is named as Kālikā purāṇa, which is still not competent enough to narrate her full glories. The description given here exactly matches with narration of Devi Ekānaṁśā, found in Hari-vaṁśa and it is understood they are the very same tattva.

Adhyāya 6 - Contains a celebrated stotra addressed to Bhagavati Kālikā and also a description of Śiva-gaṇas.

Adhyāyas 7 to 18 - Satī upākhyāna is given. Prajāpati Dakṣa invoking Goddess Mahāmāyā to be born has his daughter, Kāma coaxing Śiva to leave the life of tapasyā to engage into household pleasures, Śiva/Satī vivāha, amorous affairs of Śiva and Satī, Dakṣa Yāga, immolation of Satī, desolation of Dakṣa Yāga followed by manifestation of Śakti pīṭhas from Satī's aṅgas after Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śani enter the corpse of Satī and shatter it to segments, is described.

Adhyāyas 19 to 23 - Histories of Arundhatī the wife of Ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha, quarrel between Candra and Dakṣa after Candra married Dakṣa ̍s daughters, origination of tīrthas such as Candrabhāga and kŚipra is narrated by Brahmā to Rudra.

Adhyāyas 24-29 - Sarga portion of the Purāṇa

Adhyāya 25 - Śrī Hari's Varāhāvatāra

Adhyāya 30 - Stuti of Viṣṇu, Ravages of Varāhāvatāra, Rudra assuming the form of Śabara to subdue Varāha are mentioned

Adhyāya 31 - Describes emanation of different Vaidika Yajñāṅgas from the dissected body parts of Varāha.

Adhyāyas 32 to 35 - More sarga content. Description of Viṣṇus Matsyāvatāra, pralaya, re-establishment of world after pralaya, Rudra relinquishing the Śabara form after annihilation of Varāha to save the world is described.

Adhyāyas 36 to 40 - Birth of Narakāsura aka Bhaumāsura from Varāha and Pṛthivī, His Rājyābhiṣeka at Prāgjyotiṣa-pura, his intense Tapasya and aquirement of immeasurable power is described.

Adhyāyas 40 to 45 - Kāli's appearance as Pārvatī through Himavān and his wife, Kāma's attempt to provoke Śiva and Kama's destruction, tapasya of Pārvatī, Śivas parīkṣā of Pārvatī and their marriage is described.

Remaining portion of Kālikā Purāṇa is called Uttara Kāṇḍa is the Tāntrika portion of the Purāṇa. This portion contains a collection of vidhānas and prayogas fitted in to the conversation between Ṛṣi Aurva and Rājā Sagara.

Adhyāya 46 - Describes the emanations of Bhairavas and Vetālas emanating from Rudra. Also contains a stava on Śaṅkara.

Adhyāyas 47 to 50 - Avatāras of Śiva and Pārvatī as Candraśekhara and Tārāvatī are described.

Adhyāya 51 - Vasiṣṭhokta Tāntrika vidhi for arādhana of Rudras pañca-brahma mūrtis are described.

Adhyāyas 52 to 56 - Mahāmāyā Kalpa/ Vaiṣṇavī Tantra. Expounds the Vaiṣṇavī Mahā-mantra - " om̐ hrīm̐ śrīm̐ vaiṣṇavyai namaḥ "

Also describes the āvarṇas of Vaiṣṇavī with 64 and 8 yoginīs. 64 Yoginīs includes devatās like Gupta-Durgā, Bhuvaneśvarī, Saptakoṭeśvarī, Vindhyāvāsinī etc. and those headed by Skanda-mātā, hence are different from the Yoginīs found in other Āvarṇas.

Paśu-bali consisting of both humans and animals to please both Yoginīs and Vaiṣṇavī are also detailed.

Adhyāya 56 - Devī-kavaca

Adhyāya 57 - Kāmarāja Mantra as per Uttara Tantra

Adhyāya 58 - Worship of Mahāmāyā Yoganidrā Ekānaṁśā as the primary deity of Kāmākhyā kṣetra is described.

Adhyāya 59 - Caṇḍikā Pūjā vidhāna along with worship of Her Āvaraṇas - Ugracaṇḍā, Pracaṇḍā, Caṇḍogrā, Caṇḍa-nāyikā, Caṇḍā, Caṇḍavatī, Cāmuṇḍā is described.

Adhyāya 60 - Durgā Tantra, describes the Mahiṣamardinī pujā on the day of Mahānavami.

Adhyāya 61 - Pūjā vidhānas for eighteen armed Ugracaṇḍā on aṣṭami, sixteen armed Bhadrakāli on navami, ten armed Jaya Durgā on Vijaya-daśami is described.

Adhyāya 62 - Śrī Kāmākhyā Pūjā Tantra - Pūjā vidhānas for Bhagavatī in the form of Jagad-Yoni in Kāmākhyā is given.

Adhyāya 63 - Tripurā Tantra - describes the worship of Vaṭuka Bhairava and Tripurā along with Her yoginis.

Adhyāya 64 - Kāmeśvarī Tantra. Describes the worship of ṣaṭkoṇa Yantra in three pīṭhas - Kāmarūpa, Jālandhara, Oḍḍiyāna as per Śrī Kula.

Adhyāya 65 - Śāradā Tantra. Describes the worship of daśa-bhuja Vajra-Śāradā, riding a lion, specially during navarātri.

Adhyāya 66 - Namaskāras and Mudrās.

Adhyāya 67 - description of Paśu Bali along with anukalpa bali done with a barley flour made piṣṭa paśu is described.

Adhyāya 68 - Āsanas for sthāpana of Devī biṁbas with variety of materials such as loha, śilā, dāru, carma are described.

Adhyāya 70 - Bhojya varieties and Naivedyas are described.

Adhyāya 71 - Pradakṣiṇa namaskāras are described.

Adhyāya 66 to 71 - outlines the Śoḍaṣopacāras of Śakti worship.

Adhyāya 72 - Praise of Kamākhyā Devi. Also some anti Vaiṣṇavite elements can be noted in this section. Also Kamākhyā kavaca is found here.

Adhyāya 73 - Mātṛkā nyāsas for worship of Bhagavati Kāmākhyā is given.

Adhyāya 74 - Various Prayogas along with necessary mudrās and yantras are given.

Adhyāya 75 - Tripura Bhairavīs Puraścaraṇa, Kavaca and pujā vidhāna.

Adhyāya 76 - Vasiṣṭha describes Kamākhyās worship along with different mantras.

Adhyāyas 77 - 79 - Kāmākhyā kṣetra is described in detail along with minor tīrtha sthānas around.

Adhyāya 80 - Worship of Viṣṇu accepting to Pāñcarātras along with worship of other devatās is described.

Adhyāya 81 - Emergance of Vāmacāra Tantras is described.

Adhyāya 82 - Appearance of river Lauhitya, water of the same river cleansing Bhārgava Rāma from sin of Mātṛ hatyā is described.

Adhyāya 83 - Exploits of Bhārgava Rāma

Adhyāya 84 - 85 - Rāja dharma and other Dharmik matters as per dharma-śāstras

Adhyāya 86 - Śākta worship done on Puṣya tritīya is described

Adhyāya 87 - Prauṣṭhapāda Indra dvādasi with erection of Indra dhvaja is described

Adhyāya 88 - Viṣṇu Yāga on Jeṣṭha daśami and Śrī pūjā on Śrī pañcami

Adhyāya 89 - Khāṇḍhava dahana and putra's of Bhairava are described

Adhyāya 90 - Vetāla's sons and glories of Śrī Kālikā purāṇa

om̐ namaḥ ādyāyai !!!

🙏 Namo Narasiṁha 🙏