Hierarchical Divide In Hindu Goddesses

In Hindu tradition, goddesses are often referred to as “devis.” They have held a reputation of being pure and angelic. Hindu followers pray to different goddesses depending on their circumstance. A few that are well known to the public are Sarasvati who is in charge of learning of the arts and sciences, Laksmi Goddess of good fortune and financial reward, and the list goes on. These women are all understood to bring great treasures and knowledge to their admirers. The trouble with having such high standards for the goddesses is that one flaw can create a bad image for them. A hierarchical divide separates goddesses who display angelic qualities from those who are stereotyped as exemplifying bad qualities. This hierarchical divide contributes
She is seen as a mess who cannot be restrained. Before her being known dancing on Shiva’s pale body she is fighting all of the people doing wrong in her eyes, decapitating anyone in her path. None of the gods nor the people from the world knew how to stop her and instead her husband Shiva had to take control by risking himself and he stood in her way of destruction and faced his death. She took a moment to realize what she had done and he became the only thing that calmed her down and stopped her rampage. With that being said, Shiva himself is known for destroying and also being found on cremation grounds. This does not stop him from being one of the most loved deities instead he is admired for his destruction as well as his creation. In a way, he reminds me of a male version of his wife Kali. This is where inequality of men and women affects many of the Hindu myths. Men in these stories can do no wrong and instead they embrace their flaws and are loved for them. Kali’s love for her husband was overlooked because she killed him. He was what calmed her soul and instead she is only seen to be a monstrous murder. Shiva was given the title of a hero while she was the beast who could only be tamed by the death of her
Without bad you cannot acknowledge good. This was mentioned in an article called INTERROGATING URBAN SPACES: KALI AND THE INTELLECTUAL IN TWO CONTEMPORARY NOVELS by Adriana Raducanu; it says “unique, omnipotent and undifferentiated principle that is, everything in everything, in good as well as evil” which “set forth the Goddess and order her to feed on blood” (van Woerkens:171). This is explaining how Kali doing immoral things for others was a perfect description of how we need bad to do good. The gods use Kali’s destruction to rid demons and evil but yet she is criticized for all of the saving she does for them. They need Kali’s destruction to do good. She is the definition of a paradox. She should be the goddess all people look up to, she is free from all and she is naked because she is held by