Every moment of perception is governed by twelve Kalis — and understanding them is the key to liberation from transmigration. This scholarly paper, presented at the Abhinavagupta Institute conference on Krama traditions, maps the twelve forms of Kali onto the three orbits of consciousness.

The speaker draws on the Kramastotra and Lakshmanjoo Maharaj’s commentary to explain how the Supreme Goddess (Samvit Devi) expresses herself through four acts — creation, sustenance, dissolution, and the inexplicable — across three realms: the perceiver, the means of perception, and the perceived. Four times three yields the twelve Kalis.

The practical significance is profound: the transmigrating soul, due to ignorance, remains unaware that these twelve states permeate all worldly transactions. Recognising them transforms even ordinary experience into self-bliss. Pramana, Prameya, and Pramata are symbolised by Surya, Soma, and Agni — a cosmological encoding of consciousness itself.

About The Speaker:

Prof. (Dr.) Alka Tyagi, a bilingual poet, researcher, and translator, has been teaching English at Delhi University for more than 20 years. However, her philosophical and spiritual inclinations have propelled her research interest in ancient Indian literatures, yogic studies, the Upanishads, and the non-dual Kashmiri Trika Śaivism. She has authored five books, co-edited two, and translated two books for Sahitya Akademi. Her research papers have been published in reputed journals. A former fellow at IIAS, Shimla, she completed her monograph on Bhavana (Creative Contemplation) and Bhairava (Supreme Reality) in Kashmir Trika Shaivism. Dr. Tyagi has been an ardent practitioner and exponent of yoga and meditation in the Satyananda Yoga tradition for over thirty years.