Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: Beloved of those who worship the Self-born One, Shiva, the primordial unmanifest reality.
Elaboration
The name Swayam-bhu Pujaka Priya joins Goddess Kali directly to the deepest philosophical understanding of Shiva and the ultimate reality in Shaivism and Tantra.
Beloved of the Worshippers of the Self-Born "Swayam-bhu" means "Self-born" or "Self-existent," pointing to that which is uncreated, primordial, and present without any external cause. The term is most often applied to Shiva, the ultimate reality who is unborn and the source of all existence. "Pujaka" means "worshipper," and "Priya" means "beloved" or "dear." The name therefore means, "She who is dear to those who worship the Self-born One, Shiva."
The Supreme Consort of Shiva This name emphasizes Kali's complete oneness with Shiva. She is not merely Shiva's consort or an external energy. She is Shakti, the power through which the Self-born manifests and acts. Those who truly worship Shiva as the ultimate, unmanifest Brahman are naturally drawn to Kali as well, because she is the active principle of that same reality. To revere Shiva deeply is also to revere Kali, and for that reason she is beloved by such devotees.
The Manifestation of the Unmanifest Swayam-bhu can also refer to primordial, unmanifest consciousness that abides without cause. Kali, as the dynamic aspect of that ultimate consciousness, is the power through which the self-born reality appears as the cosmos. Those who seek to know and worship this uncaused existence find Kali to be the gateway, because through her that realization becomes living and immediate.
Philosophical Non-Duality This name points to the non-dual (Advaita) relationship between Shiva and Shakti. There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva. To worship the Swayam-bhu, Shiva in his pure unmanifest being, is already to honor his dynamic power, Kali. She is beloved to such a worshipper because she makes that realization possible and complete. She is the delight and culmination of the seeker's effort to realize the Self-born.