Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: Honored and worshipped by the gods.
Elaboration
Deva Manita literally means "honored by the gods." The name points to Kali's supreme place within Hindu cosmology and shows that even the highest deities revere her.
The Hierarchy of Deities In the Vedic and Puranic traditions, Devas such as Indra, Agni, Varuna, and even Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, though immensely powerful, are shown turning to a higher and more original power when they face forces beyond their reach. Deva Manita reveals that Kali is that supreme power before whom even the Devatas bow.
Source of Divine Power This name also suggests that the powers and functions of the individual gods arise from her. She is the source from which their divine energies emerge. When the gods faced overwhelming demons such as Raktabija or Shumbha-Nishumbha, they sought refuge in Mahakali, acknowledging that her power surpasses and contains their own. Their worship of her is thus an acknowledgment of her as the primordial Shakti, the Divine Cosmic Energy.
Universal Reverence That even the gods venerate her points to her absolute and universal sovereignty. If the highest celestial beings bow to her, then her authority extends across every plane of existence, from the human world to the highest heavens. In this sense, she stands as the ultimate reality, Parabrahman in feminine form.
Auspiciousness of Worship For the devotee, the knowledge that even the gods worship Kali gives great auspiciousness and assurance to one's own spiritual practice. It means that by worshipping her, one aligns with the source of all divine blessing and protection and seeks the grace that even the gods desire.