Thank you Laura and team for the session.
I had a lookup about it, also known as "Arnis", on Wikipedia:
Arnis - Wikipedia
There seems to be much cloudiness surrounding the origin of the term "Kali" this is a Wikipedia summery of origin terminology possibilities:
Goddess Kali is VERY significant due to her being the *first* of the Mahavidya
Mahavidya - Wikipedia
- Kali – The ultimate form of Brahman, "Devourer of Time" (Supreme Deity of Kalikula systems).
The Mahavidyas crosses both Hinduism and Buddhism:
"Mahavidyas (Great Wisdoms) are a group of ten aspects of Adi Parashakti in Hinduism. After the decline of Buddhism in India, Sakta and Buddhist goddesses were combined to form this list of ten.[1]"
Interestingly, there was a kingdom called "Kallingga" in Java
Kalingga Kingdom - Wikipedia
... And earlier "Kallinga" in actual India, named after a 3rd Century BC tribe the "Kalingas" according to the
Mahabharata : Kalinga (historical region) - Wikipedia
Some thoughts about "Kali'. I find it hard to find out the origins of these word given that so much time with happenings, so many groupings came and gone. Here is the list as I understand as of now.
- Around 6000 BC Aryans invaded India ( C's) - probably directly from the Steppes or From steppe's through Iran. They came there with their hierarchical system ( Casts - upper ( Warrior, Brahmin casts etc.) and lower ), agricultural technology, language (I guess Sanskrit and its variants given that Sanskrit exclusive language used by Brahmin) ) etc. Recent DNA analysis depict multiple waves of migrations (one around 10K, later 2k Etc.) from Iran pushing previous migrations further south from North India (
David Reich's book -"Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past" ) .
- Hindu religion tend to be around Vedas. C's call Veda's are compilation of truths discovered through meditation over the time. Hard to say how long.
Kali – A Most Misunderstood Goddess
It is likely that Kali’s origins begin, as do the origins of most divine figures, with tribal folklore deeply rooted in the history of humankind.
The name Kālī first appears in the Atharva Veda, a collection of hymns and mantras published between 1200 BCE and 1000 BCE.
However she is not a goddess but rather a fierce black tongue, one of seven belonging to Agni, the god of fire. It is another 400 years before Kali is described as an individual in her own right, when she appears around 600 CE in the Devimahatmya as a battlefield goddess personifying the wrath of Durga. Her aspect at this time is terrible – a skeletal and frightening crone, coloured black (a literal interpretation of her name), wearing animal skins and carrying a khatvanga, the skull-topped staff associated with tribal shamans. Other texts of the period associate her beginnings with Shiva. The Linga Purana (500 to 1000 CE) describes how Shiva asks his wife Parvati to defeat the demon Daruka, whom only a female can kill. Parvati merges with Shiva, reappears as Kali and does the deed, but at a terrible cost; her bloodlust becomes uncontrollable, only calming when Shiva intervenes. The Vamana Purana (900 – 1100 CE) has a different version. When Shiva addresses Parvati as Kali, "the black one," she is affronted and performs certain austerities to lose her dark complexion, ultimately generating Kali as a separate entity.
- Before 600 BC, Hindu religions tend to be more of Vocal traditional transmission of Vedic Sanskrit hymns ( C's says Sanskrit roots goes back to Atlantis ).
- Around 600 BC, in reaction to the Brahmin excesses, reforms or alternatives started, Budhism and Jainism became some alternatives.
- Around 300 BC ,
Mauryan empire, which contains most of the modern india, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mynamar, Nepal converted to Buddhism, promoted Widely.
- With Demise of the Mauryan empire around 200 BC Hindu kingdom's had been revived along with the religion for another 1400 years.. This also took the form of documenting the once privileged brahmin vocal traditions into texts in the numerous local languages. They seems to have the change in emphasis on characters from Vedas ( Fire, Wind, Indra etc. ) to new characters like Trinity of Hindu religion ( namely Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma), . Velokovsky uses Vedas to name Vishnu and Shiva as planets Venus and Jupiter. These Hindu kingdoms' seems to expanded to Indo-china area (malaysia, Indonesia etc), pushing the Budhism out of India. Later 300+ muslim rule or 150+ british rule, didn't change much of religion for whatever the reason they have.
Even to this date, The local languages highly influenced by rulers of the times (local or empires) is very difficult to origin - What I mean, Sanskrit, Indo-European languages etc. Most local languages has Sanskrit words. Given the India is isolated with water on 3 sides, one side by mighty Himalayas leaving small space in invade, some of the old stuff survived, while the rest of the land morphed into later religions.
