Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: Goddess without a gross physical body, yet adorned with the girdle of the universe.
Elaboration
Anangga-Mekhalā is a deeply esoteric and philosophical name. It means "She whose girdle (mekhalā) is bodiless (anangga)." The name points to Kali's transcendental nature, her subtle presence throughout the cosmos, and her identity beyond every physical form.
The Formless (Anangga) Anangga literally means "without a body or limbs." Here it refers to Kali in her ultimate state as the transcendent, unmanifest Brahman, the Supreme Consciousness that exists before and beyond all material creation. She is the formless Void (Śūnya) from which all forms arise and into which all forms dissolve. Her bodiless nature shows her freedom from the limits of matter, space, and time. She is pure potentiality, the subtle essence behind manifestation rather than any gross physical form.
Mekhalā: Girdle of the Universe Though bodiless, she is described as adorned with the girdle of the universe. A mekhalā is a girdle or waistband, an ornament that encircles and defines a form. Here it signifies the entire cosmos, the sun, moon, stars, galaxies, and all phenomenal existence, as her adornment. The paradox is deliberate: while she herself is beyond form, the whole manifest universe becomes her subtle body or garment. Every atom, every star, every being, and every event is woven into her being, forming the girdle that reveals her all-encompassing nature.
Cosmic Immanence and Transcendence This name perfectly expresses the twofold nature of the Divine Feminine: transcendent as Anangga and immanent as Mekhalā. She stands beyond creation, yet she pervades and sustains every part of it. The universe is not separate from her; it is her own divine emanation, her own play (Līlā), adorning her boundless, formless self. For the devotee, this name awakens the understanding that the Divine is not merely some distant power but the very essence and fabric of reality itself.