Kali (demon) in the context of Gandharva

Damayanti (Sanskrit: दमयन्ती, romanized: Damayantī) is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, primarily known for her role in the episode of Nalopakhyana, which is embedded within the Vana Parva (the third book) of the epic Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). She is celebrated for her beauty, intelligence, unwavering love, and steadfast devotion to her husband, Nala, the king of Nishadha kingdom.

Damayanti is the princess of ancient Vidarbha Kingdom and the daughter of King Bhima. She falls in love with Nala after hearing about his virtues from a divine swan. She chooses him in a swayamvara (self-choice ceremony), even rejecting gods who had disguised themselves as Nala. Their happiness is short-lived when Nala, influenced by the malicious deity Kali, loses his kingdom in a game of dice and is forced into exile. Overcome with despair and shame, he abandons Damayanti in the forest. Undeterred, she endures great hardships and eventually reaches her father’s court. Determined to find Nala, she devises a plan to draw him out by organizing a second swayamvara. The plan succeeds, and they are joyfully reunited. Nala then regains his kingdom, and the two are restored as the rightful king and queen of Nishadha.

Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a legendary king of ancient Nishadha kingdom and the central protagonist of the Nalopakhyana, a sub-narrative within the Indian epic Mahabharata, found in its third book, Vana Parva (Book of the Forest). He is renowned for his valor, wisdom, and exceptional skill in charioteering. His story revolves around his love for Damayanti, the princess of Vidarbha, and his struggle to reclaim his lost fortune.

According to Nalopakhyana, despite his virtues, Nala falls victim to a curse from the malicious deity Kali, who influences him to lose his kingdom in a game of dice against his brother Pushkara. Forced into exile, he abandons Damayanti in the forest, believing she would suffer less without him. Wandering in disguise under the name Bahuka after being transformed by a serpent’s bite, Nala takes service as a charioteer in the court of King Rituparna of Ayodhya, where he acquires new skills in gambling and horsemanship. Meanwhile, Damayanti devises a plan to find him. Their eventual reunion leads to Nala reclaiming his true identity, allowing him to challenge Pushkara in a new game and restore his kingdom.

In Dvaita philosophy, Tamo-yogyas are a group of souls, classified by Madhvacharya, which consists of the souls who are damnable. Madhvacharya divides souls into three classes: one class of souls which qualifies for moksha, or liberation (Mukti-yogyas); another as subject to samsara, eternal rebirth or transmigration (Nitya-samsarins); and a third class that is eventually condemned to eternal hellish life in Andhatamisra (Tamo-yogyas).

According to Madhvacharya, Naraka (hell) is temporary for sinners like thieves and drunkards, but not for those who express eternal hatred against God, the Dvaita gurus or the Vedas. Therefore, the eternally damned would consist of the most evil, sadomasochistic living entities, including the demon Kali, who although he carries out the orders of God also enjoys being punished, and who is said to be the most wicked being. They would sink down into Andhatamisra, which would remain independently during every kalpa. Some Dvaitins regard this as an expression of universal kindness, because it would fit in with their nature, comparing it to the neem tree, which prefers bitter minerals for its growth.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, based on a story by George Lucas. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jones film series and a standalone prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film stars Harrison Ford, who reprises his role as the titular character. Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone and Ke Huy Quan, in his film debut, star in supporting roles. In the film, after arriving in British India, Indiana Jones is asked by desperate villagers to find a mystical stone and rescue their children from a Thuggee cult to all appearances practicing child slavery, black magic and ritual human sacrifice in honor of the demon Kali.

Not wishing to feature the Nazis as the villains again, executive producer and story writer George Lucas decided to regard this film as a prequel. Three plot devices were rejected before Lucas wrote a film treatment that resembled the final storyline. As Lawrence Kasdan, Lucas's collaborator on Raiders of the Lost Ark, turned down the offer to write the script, Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, who had previously worked with Lucas on American Graffiti (1973), were hired as his replacements.