Ratri Suktam – A Salutation to Mother Kali and a Prayer for Protection

Ratri Suktam is a hymn from the Rig Veda. This Sukta describes two kinds of nights. One that mortal beings experience, when all ephemeral activity stops, and another, when the activity of divinity comes to a standstill. The word Kala denotes time, and this absolute night is the power of Kala, the night of destruction. Goddess Kali’s name comes from this word. Ratri Sukta is also the 5th chapter in Purva Bhaga of Devi Mahatmyam, and is also known as Vanadurga Suktam. It is an invocation to Goddess Kali or Durga, both the primordial darkness and the protectress of all beings. The Suktam praises the Goddess and invokes her protection. It calls on her to dispel the darkness of ignorance through spiritual realization, and remove delusion, confusion, and egotism from the devotee’s mind, and liberate them from the birth-death cycle.