Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: Adorned with garlands, especially skull-garlands, signifying Her mastery over death.
Elaboration
The name Mālini means "She who is adorned with a garland (Mālā)." In the iconography of Kali, this garland is not a mere ornament. It carries profound symbolism and reveals an essential aspect of Her fierce nature.
The Muṇḍamālā: Garland of Skulls When this name is applied to Kali, the garland usually refers to the Muṇḍamālā, the garland of severed heads or skulls so central to Her form. This fearsome adornment is deeply symbolic. Each head is often understood to correspond to one of the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, the Mātṛkās, traditionally counted as 50 or 52. In that sense, the garland expresses Kali's complete mastery over knowledge, speech (Vāk), and the manifested universe itself, which unfolds through these primal sounds.
Mastery Over Death and Ignorance The severed heads also symbolize the destruction of ego (ahaṅkāra) and ignorance (avidyā). As Mālini, Kali wears them as signs of Her victory over illusion and the limited self. This imagery confronts the devotee with impermanence and with the need to transcend the fear of death. For the sadhaka, the Muṇḍamālā becomes a vivid emblem of spiritual liberation through the dissolution of the individual ego into cosmic consciousness.
The Cyclic Nature of Existence The garland of heads also represents the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (saṃsāra). As Mālini, She is shown as sovereign over this entire process, for She creates, sustains, and dissolves all forms, including conditioned existence itself. Her adornment is therefore not merely decorative. It declares Her cosmic function as the ultimate power of transformation and liberation.