Kali's final dwelling place, which was the cremation ground, denotes a place where the five elements are dissolved, and is where dissolution takes place.

In terms of devotion and worship, this denotes the dissolving of attachments such as anger, lust, and other binding emotions, feelings, and ideas. The heart of the devotee is where this burning takes place, and it is in the heart that Kali dwells. The devotee makes her image in his heart and under her influence burns away all limitations and ignorance in the cremation fires. This inner cremation fire in the heart is the fire of knowledge, which Kali bestows.

The image of a recumbent Shiva lying under the feet of Kali, represents Shiva as the passive potential of creation, and Kali as his Shakti. The generic term, Shakti, denotes the universal feminine creative principle and the energizing force behind all male divinity including Shiva. Shakti is known by the general name Devi, which is from the root div that means to shine. She is the shining one, who is given different names in different places and in different appearances, as the symbol of the life giving powers of the universe.

Kali powers him. This Shakti is expressed as the I in Shiva's name, and without this I, Shiva becomes Shva, which in Sanskrit means a corpse. This suggesting that without his Shakti, Shiva is powerless or inert. Kali is the appropriate image for conveying the idea of the world as the play of the gods. The spontaneous, effortless, dizzying creativity of the divine reflex is conveyed in her wild appearance. Kali is identified with the phenomenal world, as she presents a picture of that world that underlies its ephemeral and unpredictable nature.

In her mad dancing, disheveled hair, and eerie howl there is made present the hint of a world reeling and careening out of control. The world is created and destroyed in Kali's wild dancing, and the truth of redemption lies in man's awareness that he is invited to take part in that dance, to yield to the frenzied beat of the Mother's dance of life and death. Kali and her attendants dance to rhythms pounded out by Shiva, who was the lord of destruction, and his animal headed attendants who dwell in the Himalayas.

Associated with chaos and uncontrollable destruction, Kali's own retinue brandishes swords and holds aloft skull cups from which they drink the blood that intoxicates them. Kali, like Shiva, has a third eye, but in all other respects the two are distinguished from one another. In contrast to Shiva's sweet expression, plump body, and ash white complexion, dark Kali's emaciated limbs, angular gestures, and fierce grimace convey a wild intensity. Her loose hair, skull garland, and tiger wrap whip around her body as she stomps and claps to the rhythm of the dance.

Many stories describe Kali's dance with Shiva as one that threatens to destroy the world by its savage power. Art historian, Stella Kramrisch, has noted that the image of kali dancing with Shiva follows closely the myth of the demon Daruka. When Shiva asks his wife, Parvati, to destroy this demon, she enters Shiva's body and transforms herself from the poison that is stored in his throat. She emerges from Shiva as Kali, ferocious in appearance, and with the help of her flesh eating retinue attacks and defeats the demon.

Kali became so intoxicated by the blood lust of battle that her aroused fury and wild hunger threatened to destroy the whole world. She continued her ferocious rampage until Shiva manifested himself as an infant and lay crying in the midst of the corpse strewn field. Kali became calm as she suckled the baby. When evening approached, Shiva performed the dance of creation, which is known as the tandava, to please the goddess, and as she was delighted with the dance, Kali and her attendants joined in.