Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: The One who measures out time to all beings, and is Death itself.
Elaboration
The name Kala here is the feminine form of the Sanskrit term "Kala." Kala primarily means "time," but it can also mean "death" or "fate." When applied to the Goddess, it points to her supreme authority over these fundamental dimensions of existence.
The Measurer of Time Kala embodies the principle of measure and the finite condition of all things within the phenomenal world. She is the divine force that allots to every being its span of life, its seasons of joy and sorrow, its rise and decline. She sets the rhythm of creation, preservation, and dissolution. In this way she reveals the impermanence (Anitya) of all embodied existence and the relentless movement of time that spares no one.
The Embodiment of Death (Mahakala-rupini) As the feminine personification of Kala, she is Death itself, not merely an agent of death but its very essence. She is the ultimate end, the devourer of worlds, the great dissolver (Pralaya Karini). For the advanced devotee, this aspect is not meant to be understood in a merely fearful or worldly sense. It is also the force that clears away what has completed its course, brings an end to states of suffering, and opens the way toward liberation from the cycle of birth and death (Samsara).
Beyond Duality By being Kala, the Goddess reveals that she transcends all dualities, including life and death. She brings death to all manifest forms, yet she herself remains eternal and unmanifest. Her devotees understand that to approach her as Kala is to face the truth that there is a reality beyond temporal existence and physical form. Through her, time and death themselves are ultimately transcended.