Shiva and Shakti
Rudra, thus took the form of Ardhanarishwar and generated a female principle from His left half who was the Rudrani. Each of the 11 Rudras similarly obtained a consort thus providing Brahma some satisfaction of seeing his creations multiply. Shiva's consort Uma or Shakti is the primeval Goddess who also represents the Yogmaya of Lord Vishnu.
The festival of Mahashivaratri marks the night when Lord Shiv was married to Parvati, the final form of Uma who was earlier born as Daksha's daughter Sati.
The union of Shiva and Shakti is represented symbolically in the form of the Lingam and the Yoni. It symbolizes Hieros-gamos or the 'Sacred Union' between God and the Goddess that gives birth to creation. It is yet another tribute to the ancient Indians' acceptance of the sexual act as a natural phenomenon and one that needs to be worshiped and not abhorred.
The festival of Mahashivaratri marks the night when Lord Shiv was married to Parvati, the final form of Uma who was earlier born as Daksha's daughter Sati.
The union of Shiva and Shakti is represented symbolically in the form of the Lingam and the Yoni. It symbolizes Hieros-gamos or the 'Sacred Union' between God and the Goddess that gives birth to creation. It is yet another tribute to the ancient Indians' acceptance of the sexual act as a natural phenomenon and one that needs to be worshiped and not abhorred.
The same union is celebrated in Tibetan Tantrism where it is referred to as Yab-Yum (Father-Mother). Shiva is depicted here as Yamantaka or End-of-Yama revealing the episode when He rescued Rishi Markandeya from Yamdev's noose literally at gun-point (Trident point if you please!).
Mahashivratri is also believed to be the night when Shiva appeared in the form of a Lingam of Fire and challenged the gods Brahma and Vishnu's contest for supremacy. That was the night Lord Vishnu's magnanimity came to fore while Brahma's cheating led to Shiva putting the curse that he would never be worshiped.
Mahashivratri is also believed to be the night when Shiva appeared in the form of a Lingam of Fire and challenged the gods Brahma and Vishnu's contest for supremacy. That was the night Lord Vishnu's magnanimity came to fore while Brahma's cheating led to Shiva putting the curse that he would never be worshiped.
We see now a reason why Shiva would have invoked belligerence in his father-in-law Daksha Prajapati. After all, Daksha was the eldest Manas-putra of Brahma and could not have taken kindly to this denigration of his father's position from the Head-of-the-Trinity to its bottom! Perhaps, that was also the reason, that he balked at the idea of his most favored daughter Sati, falling in love with the man he so heartily despised!!
Sati did eventually marry Lord Shiv against her father's wishes and ultimately sacrificed herself in the Yagnya fire at Kankhal, Haridwar to protect her husband's honor. The story shows a completely new side of Shiva where the Supreme Master-of-Senses loses control and decides to take revenge by beheading Daksha!
Sati did eventually marry Lord Shiv against her father's wishes and ultimately sacrificed herself in the Yagnya fire at Kankhal, Haridwar to protect her husband's honor. The story shows a completely new side of Shiva where the Supreme Master-of-Senses loses control and decides to take revenge by beheading Daksha!
This is what makes Shiva more relatable to us humans.. it shows that even at the highest level of spirituality, the bonds of affection may cause a person to slip and plunge into gloom or anger.
Shiva carries the corpse of Sati on His shoulder lamenting His loss till Lord Vishnu uses His Chakra to disintegrate the body. Each part of the body falling on Earth provides a Divine foundation and thus are formed the 51 Shaktipeeths (Seats-of-Energy)!
While both Shiva and Shakti represent the Male and Female forms, their vehicles also represent their innate attributes. Shiva's vehicle Nandi, the bull, represents magnificence, virility and proud masculinity while Parvati's vehicle, the mountain Lion or Singh represents her Power or Shakti and the taming of animal instincts by the Mother Goddess.
Archaeologically, we find this reflected in the Zebu bull seals of Indus-Saraswati Civilization (which may represent Nandi) and surprise, surprise, in a far-off valley in Turkey known as Yazili Kaya! The rock-cut friezes in these caves belong to 16th-17th century BCE and show a God Teshav riding a bull, while the accompanying Goddess Hakat rides a Lion and is accompanied by a young boy Kumarbi (Kumar Kartikeya?).
The worship of Shiva and Shakti thus represents an ancient rite of recognizing the Universe as a balance of the Male and the Female, the Doer and the Energy, the Yin and the Yang and the Yab and the Yum. Similar Oneness in Duality is also seen in the combined form of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Har) that depicts both deities as two faces of the same coin working hand-in-hand to ensure smooth functioning of the Universe.
Shiva is universal consciousness. It is space that engulfs "all that is" and can be considered static.
Shakti is the primordial cosmic life force energy that moves through the entire Universe.
Vibrations in Shiva consciousness causes thoughts. These thoughts first unite with Shakti in order to get life force/prana and then split into duality as physical matter and subtle energy for them to manifest on to a plane of existence as creation.
The plane of a physical human being is the most gross and dense form of manifestation of a thought and the Shakti of this "being" lies in the root of manifestation (root chakra) . The direction of the manifesting energy resulting from the divine union of Shiv-Shakti is top to down...from oneness to duality...the journey of claiming what is ours...the journey of manifestation.
Shakti goes through the experience of Shiva's thought in the physical plane and longs to unite back with Shiva forever (Sadashiva), but will not until she has mastered the experiences of every facet of the thought.
On mastery (for humans it could take many lifetimes), every thought manifested has to be liberated to complete the cycle and add to the wisdom of Shiva consciousness.The direction of the liberating energy resulting to the union of the Shiv-Shaki is from down to top...from duality to oneness...the journey of detaching from what we claimed as ours...the journey of liberation.
This constant cycle of oneness to duality and duality to oneness that Shiv-Shakti go though for the evolution of this Universe is represented as the "Shiv-Lingam".
At Shiva's Abode, Shiv-Shakti is also referred to as Universal Yin-Yang.
In this universe we are constantly in a cycle of manifestation, experience, and liberation just like we are in the cycle of birth, life, and death, also represented by the Hindu Trinity Godhead Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Hence, like death, Shiva resembles the energy of transformation from one form to another or from one consciousness to another and Shakti becomes Shiva's transformative power.
Shakti is the primordial cosmic life force energy that moves through the entire Universe.
Vibrations in Shiva consciousness causes thoughts. These thoughts first unite with Shakti in order to get life force/prana and then split into duality as physical matter and subtle energy for them to manifest on to a plane of existence as creation.
The plane of a physical human being is the most gross and dense form of manifestation of a thought and the Shakti of this "being" lies in the root of manifestation (root chakra) . The direction of the manifesting energy resulting from the divine union of Shiv-Shakti is top to down...from oneness to duality...the journey of claiming what is ours...the journey of manifestation.
Shakti goes through the experience of Shiva's thought in the physical plane and longs to unite back with Shiva forever (Sadashiva), but will not until she has mastered the experiences of every facet of the thought.
On mastery (for humans it could take many lifetimes), every thought manifested has to be liberated to complete the cycle and add to the wisdom of Shiva consciousness.The direction of the liberating energy resulting to the union of the Shiv-Shaki is from down to top...from duality to oneness...the journey of detaching from what we claimed as ours...the journey of liberation.
This constant cycle of oneness to duality and duality to oneness that Shiv-Shakti go though for the evolution of this Universe is represented as the "Shiv-Lingam".
At Shiva's Abode, Shiv-Shakti is also referred to as Universal Yin-Yang.
In this universe we are constantly in a cycle of manifestation, experience, and liberation just like we are in the cycle of birth, life, and death, also represented by the Hindu Trinity Godhead Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Hence, like death, Shiva resembles the energy of transformation from one form to another or from one consciousness to another and Shakti becomes Shiva's transformative power.