Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: She who bears the skull, showing Her transcendence over mortality and the cycle of creation.
Elaboration
Kapalini means "She who bears a Kapāla," with Kapāla referring to a skull, often shown in her iconography as a severed head or a begging bowl. This name points to one of the most powerful and philosophically charged symbols associated with Mahakali.
The Skull as a Symbol of Impermanence The skull is a stark sign of the fleeting nature of embodied life and the certainty of death. By holding it, Kapalini reveals her absolute dominion over mortality (Mṛtyu) and over the whole cycle of birth, decay, and death that governs beings in the phenomenal world. All existence must pass through this law, yet She herself remains forever beyond it.
Transcendence Over the Cycles of Creation The skull also signifies the dissolution of all created form. When life departs, the body is gradually reduced, and the skull stands as a remnant of what once appeared solid and enduring. By bearing this symbol, Kapalini asserts her role as the power of final dissolution (Pralaya), which brings to an end not only individual lives but also the vast cosmic movements of creation, sustenance, and destruction (Sṛṣṭi, Sthiti, Saṃhāra). In Her, all distinctions and manifested realities return to the unmanifest.
The Begging Bowl and Renunciation In some interpretations, the skull serves as a begging bowl, symbolizing complete renunciation and detachment. This iconography reflects the yogic ideal of Vairagya (non-attachment) and freedom from worldly possession and desire. As Kapalini, She embodies the state of absolute freedom from material conditioning. For the devotee, this teaches that to walk Her path is to shed attachment and move toward true liberation.