Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: Adorned with a necklace of Sun-stone and Moon-stone, symbolizing the union of cosmic opposites.
Elaboration
Surya Kantendu Kant'adhya-Sparshh'ashhma Kantha-Bhushhana means, "She whose neck ornament (Kantha-Bhushhana) is made of touchstones (Sparshh'ashhma) rich with the radiance (Kant'adhya) of the Sun (Surya) and the Moon (Indu)." The image is elaborate, but its meaning is direct and profound. It presents Mahakali as the one who contains within herself the full play of cosmic opposites.
Cosmic Opposites Held in One Surya, the Sun, suggests illumination, activity, heat, day, and the outward movement of consciousness. Indu, the Moon, suggests coolness, receptivity, night, nurture, and inwardness. By wearing both as a single ornament, Kali is shown not as limited by either pole but as the power in which both arise and rest together. She is the reality in which apparent opposites meet and lose their conflict.
The Meaning of the Touchstone Sparshh'ashhma means touchstone, the stone used to test the purity of metal. In this image, even the solar and lunar principles are brought before Kali as the final measure of truth. Her presence reveals what is real and what is only appearance. She is the ground on which illusion is tested, and the unity beneath manifested forms is disclosed.
Beyond Duality (Advaita) This ornament points to Kali's place beyond all dualistic thought. She is not merely light or darkness, creation or destruction, life or death taken separately. She is the source that contains and surpasses them all. The fierce brilliance of the Sun and the calm radiance of the Moon abide in her without contradiction, showing that both action and stillness are held within her being.
Symbol of Universal Sovereignty As the one who wears such a necklace, Kali is shown as sovereign over the entire universe, ruling light and shadow, life and death alike. The Sun and Moon govern time, seasons, and recurring cycles. By adorning herself with them, she reveals that Time itself is within her power. This is central to her nature as Mahakali, the Great Time who transcends and governs all its movements.