Shiva and Shakti
Of consciousness & energy
Swami Maheshwarananda Puri explains to R.C. Ganjoo some of the finest and
sensitive facets of yoga which help individuals to explore the path of "Light" within
and beyond.
Swami Maheshwarananda
Amongst the
attributes of the
Chakras we meet
important symbols:
Shiva and Shakti.
SHIVA symbolises
consciousness, the masculine
principle.
SHAKTI symbolises the
feminine principle , the
activating power and energy..
Whenever a power becomes
active, and wherever energy
exists, Shakti is working.
Other
terms for these primal principles
are PURUSHA and PRAKRITI.
Purusha is consciousness and
Prakriti is nature.
Lord Shiva is generally
portrayed holding a trident,
which represents the trinity of
Ishvara , Purusha and Prakriti
( Ishvara, Purusha and Prakriti
mean God , Self and Nature).
Ishvara is the omnipresent ,
eternal, formless divine
principle; Purusha is the Atma
and Prakriti is the
manifestation, nature.
An
eclectic light can be used to
explain their relationship.
The
electric current, which is the
source of the light, is Ishvara:
the light is Purusha, and the
object that is illuminated is
Prakriti.
SHAKTI ( or Prakriti) means energy, power, movement,
change, nature. It is the material
principle - the provider,
abundance . In the human as
well as in the animal kingdom
the mother offers nourishment ,
warmth and security. There is
no greater love than the love of
mother.
The mother carries and
nourishes the child in her own
body. She provides it with
mother's milk and raises it at the
sacrifice of he own self until it
becomes self-reliant.
SHIVA ( or Purusha) , on the
other hand, is pure
consciousness - the unchanging,
unlimited and unanswerable
observer. Purusha has no
desires whatsoever. These are
inherent only in Prakriti.
Purusha is the empty, clear
screen onto which Prakriti
projects her colourful film.
Shiva and Shakti are
manifestations of the all-in-one
divine consciousness - different
sides of the same coin.
In many
pictures these two primal powers are each depicted as
being one half of the same
image; one side female and one
side male. The left side is the
Divine Mother, Parvati the
"feminine" energy and the right
side represents Shiva , the
"masculine " consciousness.
Through the splitting of the
primordial principle at the
advent of creation the duality
within our lives come into being,
together with a strong force that
is constantly striving to re-unite
with the other part.
Only when Shiva and Shakti
combine can action, movement
and creation arise. Until energy
is impregnated with
consciousness it is ignorant ,
disordered, aimless and " blind".
Energy alone can produce
nothing: consciousness bestows
upon it content, form and
direction.
Conversely, consciousness
without energy is dormant
power, sleeping energy , and on
its own is unable to be the
cause of anything. Just as
Prakriti without Purusha is
unable to act, Purusha without
Prakriti is also incapable of
creating anything.
The meaning of Shiva and
Shakti is occasionally
misunderstood when Shiva and
Shakti are looked upon as
"man" and " woman" and their
union is regarded as a sexual
relationship . Sexuality is
something completely natural
and misunderstanding arises
only when sexuality and
spirituality are mixed.
SEXUALITY is the union of
man and woman.
SPIRITUALITY is the union of
the human and the divine
consciousness.
Shiva and Shakti exist within
each of us as the masculine
and feminine principles. This has
an effect on the physical level.
It is the cause of the sexual
attraction. Within man there
exists a tendency towards the
feminine qualities , and within
woman a tendency towards the
masculine . Through this the
masculine consciousness is
attracted by the feminine and
vice versa. If both are in balance
there is no sexual attraction. But
if a tendency for the masculine
predominates in man, or the
feminine in women, this results
in a preference for a
homosexual partner.
The meaning of Shiva
and Shakti is
occasionally
misunderstood when
Shiva and Shakti are
looked upon as "man"
and " woman" and their
union is regarded as a
sexual relationship .
Sexuality is something
completely natural and
misunderstanding arises
only when sexuality and
spirituality are mixed.
Shiva resides in the
Sahasrara Chakra and Shakti
in the Muladhara Chakra.
When Prakriti and Purusha
unite in the Sahasrara
Chakra, knowledge , knower
and the object of knowledge
become one. Once we have
experienced this, no desires
remain within us, because we
realise unequivocally that
everything we have ever yearned
for a carried within us.
In this state of absolute
consciousness there are no
polarities and therefore no more
sorrows; there is only
everlasting, unconditional love,
unlimited compassion and total understanding for all living
beings.
For as long as consciousness is
connected to the physical body it
is unable to remain constantly in
the Sahasrara Chakra and so
returns to the residence of a the
Atma in the Heart Centre
(Anahata Chakra). A realised
person always thinks, feels and
acts from the heart. Embedded in
eternal love and eternal
happiness, that person is always
consciousness of the immortal
Atma, the ocean of bliss and their
consciousness is ever connected
to the divine consciousness.
SHAKTI is the motherly love
of God that surrounds us with
warmth, caring and protection.
SHIVA is the paternal love of
God that gives us consciousness
clarity and knowledge.
I wish for you the blessing of
the Divine Mother who loves
within you as energy and vitality ,
and blessing of the Divine Father
who presides within you as
consciousness and knowledge .
May they always take care of you,
protect you and guide you and in
their infinite love lead you to the
cosmic consciousness !
His Holiness Vishwaguru
His Holiness Vishwaguru
Mahamandaleshwar
Paramhans Sri Swami
Maheshwarananda Puri of
Panchayati Maha Nirvani
Akhara is the disciple and
successor of Hindu
Dharmsamrat Paramhans
Sri Swami Madhavananda.
Since 1970 he has been living
and working in Europe.
Through his long lasting
activities in the West,
Swamiji has become
familiar with the way of life
and the problems people
face in the modern world.
Swami Ji can be contacted
at :
swamiji@vienna.at