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Podcast Episode

What Form of Kali Do I Worship? | Ādyā Kālī vs. Kṛṣṇa

For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish·Nishanth Selvalingam·12 September 2026·3h 59m

About this episode

Every time Krishna Janmāshtamī/ Kali Jayanti (the 8th day waning moon of the holy month of Shiva, śrāvana) I find that I am especially inspired. It is no insignificant thing that Kālī & Krishna share the same "birthday"! Last year, we gave a talk on the subject called Krishna = Kali and I still think it's one of the best talks we've given, like, ever. Last night, similarly inspired, we went even further into the issue by asking: what is my Ishta, chosen ideal actually? What does our lineage understand Kālĩ to be in our highest theological conception? And as such, what does the worship of this form of Kālī actually look like in our day to day (or rather, night to night) Tāntrik practice. Essentially, in this talk I discuss my favorite form of Kālī, the sarvākāra nirākara, the formless Void which shines as all forms. Our central thesis is as follows: Premā svarupā iti şaktih: God is not love; rather, love itself in all of its forms is God. You cannot love Shakti because she is not the lover nor the beloved but the relational act of loving itself. So Kali is not Kali! Kali, I.e Ādyā is Love in and of itself in all of its forms. Our Ishta (Chosen Ideal/Main Deity) as such is not Kali understood as God; our Ishta by whatever mantra we approach Her, is God understood as Love in all of its forms. As such, my final claim: Krishna is the greatest expression of that Love Herself. There is no such thing as Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Materialism or any ism. There is no conflict anywhere. Krishna, Radha, Christ, Ramakrishna are Avatāra because they are the greatest historical experience we’ve had of the most intense love, that love which is not for God but IS GOD.Hit Me Up xSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM