shiva_shakti

SHIVA-SHAKTI

God can only be Father according to Christianity and the Great Creator according to Islam. Actually, it is far more reasonable to conceive Him as Father-Mother than merely as Father. This is what the cult of Shakti has done. Shiva is Pure Being (Inactive Brahman) and Shakti is Pure Will (Active Ishwara). Each is a complement of the other. If separated completely from the other, both will be mere fictions. Together they are the Cosmic Whole. They are factually one. They are the static and the dynamic aspects of the same Spirit.They are as inseparable as fire and heat or sun and sunshine. Sri-Chakra is a diagramatic representation of the Alogical Shiva-Shakti, and its cosmic manifestation. Lalitambika, the central dot in the diagram, is a more concrete form of it as divine Personality for adoration, praise and meditation.

Shakti, the dynamic aspect of the Reality, is more important to us, as we are caught up in this dynamic universe of created beings and have in us an urge to transcend our present state. As we generally fear our fathers and love our mothers, the concept of a mother-Goddess appeals more to our hearts than that of a father-God. Lalita, the Goddess Shakti, is not a cold virgin, but a young wife passionately fond of her husband-Kaameshwara. She is also a mother who loves her children and takes pride in their exploits.

Such a magnificent conception of the Goddess is the result of a long process of evolution, beginning probably with a crude tribal deity in the dim pre-historic past. We should judge a tree by its fruits. We have several of her forms arising to quell the demons of the day - Chandi arising to quell Mahishasura; Kaali coming to kill Chanda and Munda; Lalita to slay Bhanda and his sons etc.

In the early Vedic literature there were a number of Goddesses like Ushus, Raatri, Vaak, Prithvee, Saraswati etc. and a number of consorts of gods, like Indraanee, Varunaanee etc. But all of them occupy a very subordinate position. Before the end of the Vedic period we see signs of the emergence of a Supreme Goddess as well as of a Supreme God. Just as Vishnu rises in importance by assimilating to himself the traits of Indra, Soorya and Varuna, so does the consort of Rudra by assimilating to herself the traits of the other Goddesses, especially Vaak. In the Taittireeya Aaranyaka she is referred to by 3 different names - Kaatyaayanee, Kanyaakumaaree and Durgaa. In the kena Upanishad she is identified with Umaa, Haimavatee. In the Mundaka Upanishad she is associated with Kaalee and Karaalee, the two tongues of fire.

This process of syncretism, which begins in the Vedic period itself, continues in the Epic period (Raamaayana & Mahaabhaarata) on a much larger scale. At last a Devi worshipping sect is formed, equal in status to the worshippers of Vishnu and Shiva. At the instance of Krishna himself, Arjuna descends from his chariot and prays to Durgaa for success in battle. The Goddess appears before him and assures him of victory. One of the noteworthy features of the hymn is the number of names by which the Goddess is addressed : Kumaaree, Kaapaalee, Kapilaa, Bhadrakaalee, Mahaakaalee, Chandee, Kaatyaayanee, Karaalee, Kaushikee, Umaa, Shaakambharee, Mohinee, Maayaa etc. Here she is decribed as the sister of Krishna. She dwells in the nether regions also and conquers the demons in battle. She is described as the mother of Skanda. She is the mother of the Vedas as well. She is hailed as Brahma-vidyaa among Vidyaas.

In the Vishnu Puraana there is mention in praise of her as Aaryaa, Durgaa, Vedagarbhaa, Ambikaa, Bhadraa, Bhadrakaalikaa, Kshemee, Kshemaankaree etc.

There is only one Goddess with a number of different names. At times she is called Vishnumaayaa and Naaraayanee. We thus enter into the beginnings of the doctrine of Shakti, which afterwards led to astonishing developments in the worship of the Goddess. The devi cult enters on a new stage in the period which saw the rise of Taantric literatures like Lalitaasahasranaama, Devi Bhaagavata and Soundaryalahari and the later Shaakta Upanishads. The Tantras are essentially Saadhanaa Shaastras. Their aim is severely practical. They generally accept the philosophy of the Advaita Vedaantaa and suggest the ways and means to achieve Self-realisation.

The Tantra affirmed that the creative force of the universe resided in all the letters of the alphabet. The different letters symbolised the different functions of that creative force, and their totality was designated 'Maatrikaa' or the Mother in miniature. Thus we arrive at the famous doctrine that a mantra is not a mere combination of sounds , but is the subtle form of the presiding Devataa herself. The object of one's meditation on the mantra is to identify oneself with the Devataa of the mantra. The sound has to pass through several stages before it is actually heard by the ears. These stages were called Paraa, Pashyantee, Madhyamaa and Vaikharee.

The most celebrated mantra connected with the worship of the Devi is the 'Panchadashaaksharee' mantra. As its name indicates, it consists of 15 syllables divided into 3 kootas or sections, known as Vaagbhava-koota presided over by Agni (Moolaadhaara and Swaadhishtaana), Kaamaraaja-koota presided over by Soorya (Manipooraka and Anaahata) and Shakti-koota presided over by Soma (Vishudhi and Aajna). The mantra is not a mere formula. It is the Devi herself in her subtle form. The Panchadashaaksharee mantra may be called the Gaayatree of the Shaaktas. The 15 syllabled mantra has also a 16th syllable, which is kept secret. Including this secret syllable, the mantra is called 'Shotashaaksharee' mantra. With this background in view, we can now understand the significance of names like 'Maatrikaa-varna-roopiniee', 'Panchaashat-peetha-roopinee', Sarvamantra-swaroopinee' etc.

The creative world-process is seen not only in the production of articulate speech, but also in the organization of the human body. That man is an epitome of the universe, that the microcosm is an exact parallel to the macrocosm, that conditions are the same in both 'Pinda' and 'Brahmaanda' is a very ancient idea. It had found expression in various ways in the Upanishads. The Tantra took up this idea and made it the basis of an elaborate system of 'Saadhanaa'. The creative force of the universe which was supposed to dwell in the letters of the alphabet was also supposed to dwell in the nerve-centres of the human system.

Chakra	Yogini	Colour	Petals	Location	Granthi	Kantam
Moolaadhaara	Saakini		4	Between Anus and Linga	Brahma	Agni
Swaadhishtaana	Kaakini	Yellow (Peeta)	6	Root of Linga	Brahma	Agni
Manipooraka	Laakini	Ruddy hue (Rakta)	10	Navel	Vishnu	Soorya
Anaahata	Raakini	Shining dark (Shyaamala)	12	Heart	Vishnu	Soorya
Vishudhi	Daakini	Rosi (Aarakta)	16	Neck	Rudra	Soma
Aajna	Haakini	White (Sukla)	2	Between Eyebrows	Rudra	Soma
Sahasraara	Yaakini	All colours	1000	Top of head		Tooriya