Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: The embodiment of compassion and mercy toward all beings.
Elaboration
Daya means "compassion," "mercy," or "pity." As a name of Kali, it reveals her as the supreme embodiment of divine love and empathy. Although she often appears in fierce and terrifying forms, this name brings forward her maternal heart and makes clear that even her most fearsome acts arise from boundless compassion.
Fierce Compassion Kali's compassion is neither weak nor passive. It acts, cuts, and when necessary takes a fierce form because it ends suffering at its root. She is the Mother who wields the sword to sever the bonds of ignorance (avidya) and ego (ahamkara) that keep her children bound to the cycle of pain and rebirth (samsara). Her terrible form is therefore not the opposite of mercy. It is one of the ways mercy works when the soul must be shaken awake.
Relief from Suffering As Daya, she is the refuge of those in distress. She answers the cry of suffering beings by destroying the causes of that suffering, whether they arise outwardly as oppressive forces or inwardly as karmic burden, delusion, and spiritual obstruction. Her mercy does not appear only as comfort. It also comes as the removal of obstacles and the destruction of whatever keeps the soul bound.
Universal Motherhood Daya also reveals Kali as the universal Mother who feels the pain of all her creation. Her heart holds every being, and her actions, however severe they may appear, are directed toward liberation (moksha) and lasting peace. In this way, even her destructive power is compassionate, because it serves the highest good.