Kali Quotes in Sanskrit With Meaning: Bio, WhatsApp Status and Saptashati Shlokas
Kali's first appearance in Sanskrit literature that everyone knows is a single moment of rage. The asura generals Chanda and Munda march on the Goddess with drawn bows; her face turns dark as ink, and from her frowning brow leaps Kali — gaunt, roaring, a garland of heads at her throat — who eats their army whole. A chapter later she drinks the blood of Raktabija, the demon who multiplied with every drop he spilled. Here are the Kali shlokas people reach for most for an Instagram bio, a WhatsApp status or a tattoo — each one complete in Sanskrit, never cut in half, with how to read it and its meaning in Hindi and English.
Every shloka comes with its real source and who says it. Some much-shared "Kali quotes" — including the line on our own Kali poster — aren't from any scripture we could trace; we've marked those near the end.
Kali Sanskrit shlokas with meaning
In story order, starting with her birth in battle. All are from the Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati), chapters 81–93 of the Markandeya Purana; each source gives the Saptashati chapter and the Markandeya Purana verse number. The Devanagari is checked against two public e-texts of the Markandeya Purana (GRETIL and Sanskrit Wikisource).
कोपेन चास्या वदनं मषीवर्णमभूत्तदा ॥
भ्रुकुटीकुटिलात्तस्या ललाटफलकाद्द्रुतम् ।
काली करालवदना विनिष्क्रान्तासिपाशिनी ॥
kopena cāsyā vadanaṃ maṣīvarṇam abhūt tadā
bhrukuṭīkuṭilāt tasyā lalāṭaphalakād drutam
kālī karālavadanā viniṣkrāntāsipāśinī
द्वीपिचर्मपरीधाना शुष्कमांसातिभैरवा ॥
अतिविस्तारवदना जिह्वाललनभीषणा ।
निमग्नारक्तनयना नादापूरितदिङ्मुखा ॥
dvīpicarmaparīdhānā śuṣkamāṃsātibhairavā
ativistāravadanā jihvālalanabhīṣaṇā
nimagnāraktanayanā nādāpūritadiṅmukhā
काली करालवक्त्रान्तर्दुर्दर्शदशनोज्ज्वला ॥
kālī karālavaktrāntardurdarśadaśanojjvalā
युद्धयज्ञे स्वयं शुम्भं निशुम्भं च हनिष्यसि ॥
yuddhayajñe svayaṃ śumbhaṃ niśumbhaṃ ca haniṣyasi
चामुण्डेति ततो लोके ख्याता देवि भविष्यसि ॥
cāmuṇḍeti tato loke khyātā devi bhaviṣyasi
उवाच कालीं चामुण्डे विस्तीर्णं वदनं कुरु ॥
मच्छस्त्रपातसम्भूतान् रक्तबिन्दून् महासुरान् ।
रक्तबिन्दोः प्रतीच्छ त्वं वक्त्रेणानेन वेगिना ॥
uvāca kālīṃ cāmuṇḍe vistīrṇaṃ vadanaṃ kuru
macchastrapātasambhūtān raktabindūn mahāsurān
raktabindoḥ pratīccha tvaṃ vaktreṇānena veginā
मुखेन काली जगृहे रक्तबीजस्य शोणितम् ॥
mukhena kālī jagṛhe raktabījasya śoṇitam
जघान रक्तबीजं तं चामुण्डापीतशोणितम् ॥
jaghāna raktabījaṃ taṃ cāmuṇḍāpītaśoṇitam
चामुण्डे मुण्डमथने नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
cāmuṇḍe muṇḍamathane nārāyaṇi namo 'stu te
त्रिशूलं पातु नो भीतेर्भद्रकालि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
triśūlaṃ pātu no bhīter bhadrakāli namo 'stu te
कालरात्रिर्महारात्रिर्मोहरात्रिश्च दारुणा ॥
kālarātrir mahārātrir moharātriś ca dāruṇā
In the Devi Mahatmya, Kali isn't a separate goddess who wanders in from outside: she is Ambika's own anger, given a body. She fights beside the Goddess, takes the names Chamunda and Bhadrakali, and in chapter 10 returns into her with all the other powers when the Goddess tells Shumbha, “I alone exist in this world.” The later Kali of Tantric hymns — the Karpuradi Stotra and others — grew from this root.
Famous "Kali quotes" that aren't from the scriptures
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कालिका तव रूपं भीषणं… रुद्ररूपां मातृरूपां…The two lines printed on our own Kalimata poster and frame. They're written in a Sanskrit style, but we couldn't trace them to the Devi Mahatmya or to any stotra, and they don't follow a classical metre. Treat them as a modern devotional line — we're happy to say so.Modern devotional line · source untraced
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जय काली कलकत्ते वालीA popular chant, especially at Kalighat, Kolkata. Heartfelt, but not a line from any scripture.Popular chant · not scripture
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Kali stuck out her tongue in shame after stepping on ShivaA much-told story, but not in the Devi Mahatmya — there her tongue lolls because she is in the middle of battle (87.7), and Shiva is not under her feet. The story belongs to later tradition, mainly in Bengal.Later tradition · not in the Devi Mahatmya
Questions people ask
Where does Kali first appear in the scriptures?
In chapter 7 of the Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati): when Chanda and Munda attack, the Goddess's face turns dark with anger and Kali springs from her brow (Markandeya Purana 87.4–5). She returns in chapter 8 to drink the blood of Raktabija.
Why is Kali called Chamunda?
Because she brought the heads of Chanda and Munda to the Goddess, who told her: “you will be famed in the world as Chamunda” (Devi Mahatmya ch. 7, Markandeya Purana 87.26).
What is the most fierce Kali shloka?
Many choose the description of her birth — “काली करालवदना विनिष्क्रान्तासिपाशिनी”, Kali, terrible-faced, springing forth with sword and noose — or the gods' salute “दंष्ट्राकरालवदने शिरोमालाविभूषणे”, to the fanged goddess garlanded with heads.
Are the Karpuradi Stotra and the Adya Stotra genuine?
The Karpuradi Stotra is a real Tantric hymn to Dakshina Kali; its own closing line credits it to Mahakala (Shiva), and John Woodroffe published it in English as "Hymn to Kali" in 1922. We haven't quoted it here because most of its verses encode mantra syllables and ritual, and the only free text we could read is badly garbled. The Adya Stotra is often said to come from the Brahma Yamala, but we couldn't trace that.
Where do these meanings come from?
The Sanskrit is from the Markandeya Purana as given in the GRETIL and Sanskrit Wikisource e-texts. The English and Hindi meanings are our own close renderings.
Shakti, gyan and sanhaar, together
