Kala (java)
Encyclopedia
denotes a fixed or right point in time (compare rtu
, kairos
). It is also the name of a deity, in which sense it is not always distinguishable from meaning "black".
1 means "black, of a dark colour, dark-blue ..." and has a feminine form ending in – – as mentioned in 4-1, 42.
2 means "a fixed or right point of time, a space of time, time ... destiny, fate ... death" and has a feminine form (found at the end of compounds) ending in , as mentioned in the .
According to Monier-Williams, 2 is from the verbal root "to calculate", while the root of 1 is uncertain, though possibly the same.
As Time personified, destroying all things, Kala is a god of death
sometimes identified with Yama
. As a traditional Hindu unit of time
, one kālá corresponds to 144 seconds.
is the god of destruction. Batara Kala is depicted as giant
, born of the sperm of Bathara Guru
, the kings of gods.
In Borobudur
, the gate to the stairs is adorned with a giant head, making the gate look like the open mouth of the giant. Many other gates in Javanese traditional buildings have this kind of ornament. Perhaps the most detailed Kala Face in Java is on the south side of Candi Kalasan
.
Rtu
Ritu in Vedic Sanskrit refers to a fixed or appointed time, especially the proper time for sacrifice or ritual in Vedic Religion, The word is so used in the Rigveda, the Yajurveda and the Atharvaveda...
, kairos
Kairos
Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment . The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of indeterminate time in which something special...
). It is also the name of a deity, in which sense it is not always distinguishable from meaning "black".
Etymology
Monier-Williams's widely used Sanskrit-English dictionary lists two distinct words with the form .1 means "black, of a dark colour, dark-blue ..." and has a feminine form ending in – – as mentioned in 4-1, 42.
2 means "a fixed or right point of time, a space of time, time ... destiny, fate ... death" and has a feminine form (found at the end of compounds) ending in , as mentioned in the .
According to Monier-Williams, 2 is from the verbal root "to calculate", while the root of 1 is uncertain, though possibly the same.
Kāla as a Deity
As applied to gods and goddesses in works such as the and the Skanda , 1 and 2 are not readily distinguishable. Thus Wendy Doniger, translating a conversation between and from the Skanda , says may mean " 'the Great Death' ... or 'the Great Black One' ". And , a Hindu translator of the , renders the feminine compound (where means "night") as "dark night of periodic dissolution".As Time personified, destroying all things, Kala is a god of death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
sometimes identified with Yama
Yama
Yama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...
. As a traditional Hindu unit of time
Hindu units of measurement
Vedic and Puranic units of time span from the Paramáńu to the mahamanvantara . Its clearly given in Hindu Vedic knowledge that the creation and destruction of the universe is a cyclical process and the timespan of the universe is 311.04 trillion years...
, one kālá corresponds to 144 seconds.
Kāla in Other Cultures
In Javanese mythology, Batara KalaBatara Kala
Batara Kala is the god of the underworld in traditional Javanese and Balinese mythology, ruling over it in a cave along with Setesuyara. Batara Kala is also named the creator of light and the earth. He is also the god of time and destruction, who devours unlucky people. He is related to Hindu...
is the god of destruction. Batara Kala is depicted as giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
, born of the sperm of Bathara Guru
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, the kings of gods.
In Borobudur
Borobudur
Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues...
, the gate to the stairs is adorned with a giant head, making the gate look like the open mouth of the giant. Many other gates in Javanese traditional buildings have this kind of ornament. Perhaps the most detailed Kala Face in Java is on the south side of Candi Kalasan
Candi Kalasan
Kalasan , also known as Candi Kalibening, is an 8th century Buddhist temple in Indonesia. It is located 13 km east of Yogyakarta on the way to Prambanan temple, on the south side of the main road 'Jalan Solo' between Yogyakarta and Surakarta....
.
See also
- KalachakraKalachakraKalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
- MahakalaMahakalaMahākāla is a Dharmapala in Vajrayana Buddhism, and a deity in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, particularly in the Vajrayana school. He is known as Daheitian in Chinese and Daikokuten in Japanese...