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May 2017 Edition of Power Politics is updated.  Happy Diwali to all our subscribers and Distributors       May 2017 Edition of Power Politics is updated.   Happy Diwali to all our subscribers and Distributors       
Issue:May' 2017

YOGA IN DAILY LIFE-XIII

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