The Sovereign Tantra “Praises to Śrīdevī Kālī”

The Sovereign Tantra “Praises to Śrīdevī Kālī” opens in the Pāruṣyaka grove on the summit of Mount Sumeru, where the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi has assembled with a large retinue of divine and demonic beings. Vajrapāṇi introduces the goddess Śrīdevī Kālī and implores the members of his retinue to make offerings to her and praise her. Twelve members of the assembly then praise Śrīdevī Kālī in turn, with each praise providing a fresh perspective on how the goddess’s physical features and virtuous qualities reflect her status as a distinctively Buddhist deity.