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Eternal India
encyclopedia
PERCEPTIONS
SHAKTHI
(SOURCE OF FEMININE ENERGY)
By you this universe is home, by you this
world is created.
By you it is protected, O Devi. By you it is
consumed at the end.
You who are eternally the form of the whole
world, at the time of creation you are the
form of the creative force, at the time of
preservation you are the form of the pro-
tective power, and at the time of the dis-
solution of the world you are the form of
the destructive power.
You are the Supreme Knowledge, as well as
ignorance, intellect and contemplation.
'Devi Mahatmya'
PURUSHA
(COSMIC MAN)
Creation of Man from the cosmic
sacrifice
The Cosmic man,
the first born is anointed on the divine altar.
With Him, the Divine, the faultless and the
sages sacrifice.
They create mankind.
In parts do they conceive it?
What becomes of His mouth, His two arms
and thighs, and what of His feet?
Preceptors of mankind flow from His mouth,
From His arms the protectors of the world
are born
His thighs the creators of wealth beget
His feet to them that serve
and nourish humanity
RV. X 90
{Purusha Sukta)
7,11-12
Without
Shakthi,
Shiva is Dead.
Shiva is matter,
Shakthi
is energy,
Their combination creates synergy.
Shiva is Adam and
Shakthi
is Eve,
Life is generated when they interweave.
Matter and energy are connected by a thread,
Without
Shakthi,
Shiva is dead,
Matter and energy are infinitely spread,
When
Shakthi
is furious, Shiva feels dread.
Matter and energy are embedded in nature,
Metaphorically represented as
Ardhnareeshwar,
The two are connected by an unseen string,
In temples they are represented by Shivling.
—
'Creation from Shunya'
"Trikenu"
Yantra of Shiva and Shakthi
Yantra
Yantra is a diagram that acts as a receptacle
for mantra shakti. Through the rituals of
tantra, yantra gets empowered by the man-
tra.
sivah saktya yukto yadi bhavati saktah prabhavitum
na ced evam devo na khalu kusalah spanditum api
atas tvam aradhyam hariharavirincadibhir api .
pranantum stotum va katham akrtapunyah prabhavati
If Siva united with Sakti becomes able to
manifest,
If otherwise this God does not know even
how to pulsate,
How, then, could one of ungained merit be
able to bow to, or even praise,
One such as You, adored even by Vishnu,
Siva and Brahma?
SHAKTHI
(COSMIC ENERGY)
Shakthi connotes feminine creative en-
ergy. It is considered as energising prin-
ciple, because it energises the inert matter,
which finds its manifestation in all other
natural forces. Shakthi worship has its ori-
gin in the basic principle of feminine force,
vlherein the female dominates.
In
Markandeya Purana,
Durga repre-
sents this dominating principle. She
crushes the demonic forces, against which
even gods were powerless.
Goddess Kali, born from Durga's brow
during the battle, represents the annihilat-
ing power, as well as power of creation and
dissolution. Shakti is worshipped in its
many different forms in different parts of
the country..
“To awaken the people it is the woman
who must be awakened. Once she is on the
move the family moves, the village moves,
the nation moves”.
—
Jawaharlal Nehru