Sahasranama position 1044 of the 1,072 names

Raktakarshana Karini

रक्ताकर्षण कारिणी

Raktākarṣaṇa Kāriṇī

What Raktakarshana Karini means

Raktakarshana Karini is name 1044 in the Adya Mahakali Sahasranama, the 1,072-name devotional text to Maa Kali. The One who draws forth blood, summoning and subduing vital essence itself.

Also spelled

  • Raktakarsana Karini
  • RaktakarshanaKarini
  • Source transliteration: RAKT'AKARSHHANA KARINI

Sanskrit names travel into English in several romanizations. This page keeps the common spelling, the IAST form, and the source transliteration together so the same name is discoverable under each spelling readers use.

Meaning and elaboration

Meaning: The One who draws forth blood, summoning and subduing vital essence itself.

Elaboration

Rakt'akarshhana Karini means "She who draws forth (akarshhana) blood (rakta)." This name reveals a formidable aspect of Mahakali as the power who governs the primal life-force and can call it forth at will.

The Symbolism of Blood (Rakta) In many spiritual traditions, blood is regarded as the visible carrier of life, vitality, and karmic imprint. It is bound to the body, yet it also points to prana, the living force that animates embodied existence.

Drawing Forth and Subjugation As Rakt'akarshhana Karini, the Goddess is the power that draws forth this vital essence. This can be understood on several levels:

Cosmic Level: She holds the power to draw forth the life-force from beings and even from cosmic manifestation itself. This affirms her authority over creation, sustenance, and dissolution. All life belongs to her and remains subject to her will. Destruction of Evil: In her fierce forms, especially in battles against Asuras, she is the one who drinks or draws out the blood of hostile forces, stripping them of power and ending their capacity to endure. No evil, however intense, can stand before her all-consuming force. Spiritual Level: For the sadhaka, she is the power that draws forth and purifies the vital energies within body and consciousness. When the devotee offers even ego-bound vitality to her, she transforms it. She subdues the lower forces and turns them toward awakening.

Ultimate Control Over Life Force This name declares her sovereignty over existence in its physical, vital, and spiritual dimensions. She rules the primal current of life itself and can transform even the densest energies into vehicles of transcendence.

Text and sources

The name list follows the Adya Mahakali Sahasranama as compiled for this project. The English meaning and elaboration are interpretive notes for devotional study, not a translation of a single critical edition.

Read the editorial method and source notes →

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