Shiva – Shakti

 

Shiva–Shakti:

All you need to know about the Tantric Union – The ‘Tantric Cosmology’ bases its foundation on two fundamental forces on which the entire universe is created, perceived – they are indestructible in their cosmic union; these forces are known as ‘Shiva Shakti‘.

Shakti is cosmic existence as well as liberation, its most significant form being the Kundalini Shakti, a mysterious psychospiritual force. In Shaktism, Shakti is worshipped as the Supreme Being. Shakti embodies the active feminine energy ofShiva and is synonymously identified with Tripura Sundari or Parvati.

Essential aspects of masculine and feminine principle:   

When we take metaphysical principle into consideration, both Shiva and shakti correspond to major principle; that of masculine and feminine energy. Masculine principle represents the god force and the feminine principle represents ‘Energy’ in its raw form

The act of creation: 

Shakti, who often manifest as Kaali or Durga, represents the immanent aspect of the divine force, participating actively in the act of creation.

Shiva Shakti:

The same whole Shiva and Shakti are the twin flames; the mirror image of each other. They complete each other, thus they are the indestructible force that unites together to create the entire cosmos.

Shakti is in Charge:  

It’s true that Shakti takes the active role and takes the charge to actively participate in the act to procreate whilst, Shiva is mostly depicted to lie immobile, however, according to the metaphysical knowledge both, the male and female divine parts involve in the divine union. Shakti merely initiates actively.

Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have power to create. Otherwise the Lord doesn’t even have the power to stir. Shiva and Shakti are essentially one. It is also said in the very first verse of Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsa that Shakti and Shiva stand to each other in the same relationship as the word and its meaning. Just as heat and fire are inseparable, so Shakti and Shiva are inseparable. Shakti is the dynamic power of Shiva through which he manifests the worlds and their myriad objects and beings. Shakti is inseparable from Shiva just as heat from fire, light from the sun, night from the sky or a reflection from the mirror. Shiva is both the efficient and material cause of creation. Shakti is manifested by Shiva only during creation and is withdrawn into himself at the end of creation. He brings forth the worlds and their beings through his will and dynamic energy.

Ardhanarishwar :  When Shiva pulled in Shakti to amalgamate in him as his half, that represents the masculine and the feminine that we all have within us. When the masculine and the feminine is balanced, we are in an ecstatic state. This union is not external, but internal.

What is this divine union about : Tantric Union is not two people longing to meet, rather two dimensions of life longing to meet in the divine union. Shiva and Shakti include each other as their halves to denote the way of life – to denote the power that a man and a woman is in their entirety with each other

The Shiva-Linga  : The Shiva-Linga is the union of Shiva and Shakti is a notion preposterous. The Shiva- Linga represents the very fabric of the Universe. How universe is balanced on the masculine and the feminine energy.

The human form: A woman on earth represents the Prakriti, the ultimate feminine power who creates, whilst a man represents the Purusha, the ultimate masculine power who empowers the creation.

Shiva Shakti and beyond : Whilst in our society today, females are considered to be the weaker sex – it is to be understood that if there was only masculine energy that existed, there will be everything but nothing at the same time. Because both Shiva and Shakti are everything and nothing in their own wake – If Shiva is nothingness, the Shunya, Shakti empowers it as the beginning.

Lord Shiva cannot do anything without Shakti. Shakti is like the snake with motion. Shiva is like the motionless snake. Waveless ocean is Shiva, Ocean with waves is Shakti. Shiva is absolutely calm, motionless, breathless, with His eyes closed in Samadhi. He is untouched by the cosmic play, He is absolutely dead to the world. He is beyond the three Gunas. There is no duality, no plurality, no relativity, no differentiation between subject and object, no distinction, no difference, no Triputi, no Dvandvas, no Raga-Dvesha, no good and evil in Him. He is ever pure. And yet He is the source, substratum, support, first cause for this universe. He simply gazes. Shakti is vitalised. She works and creates. In His mere presence Shakti keeps up the play of this universe or Lila. He is superconscious and yet He has cosmic consciousness. He constitutes all the names and forms and yet He is above all names and forms. Without Shiva, Shakti has no existence and without Shakti, Shiva has no expression. It is through Shakti that the Impersonal Supreme Being Shiva or Nirguna Brahman becomes the Personal Being or Saguna Brahman.

Shiva is the Soul of Durga. Shiva and Shakti are one and neither is higher than the other. Worship of SHAKTI is equivalent to worship of Shiva, and vise versa!

### With inputs from the Speaking Tree

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