SHARDHA BATRA writes of the potential manifestations of Shakti and related myths
Every night when you fall asleep, you face an incredible opportunity to explore the world of invisible and subtle forces. Every normal person dreams in a phase of sleep called the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Most dreams are carry overs of mundane activities. However, some dreams are symbolic and have a deeper meaning which has to be decoded. A symbol depicts something deeper and more meaningful than its surface appearance. As you broaden the horizons of your consciousness, you naturally get tuned into the reality which throbs beneath the appearance of phenomena. A myth is a dream of cosmic proportions. The universe is a giant living entity and it also dreams just as we do.A myth represents a cosmic event in symbolic form, just as a dream is often a secret message from your deeper consciousness to the waking. The Puranas are replete with myths which personify the polar aspects of the Supreme Truth, the static being — Chit or Shiva, and the dynamic being — Ananda or Shakti. Each of us is a miniature universe — yatha pinde tatha brahmande — and shares this polarity with the whole. Each of us is Pure Awareness and the dynamic activity which emanates from it.The myths of Shiva and Shakti are symbolic renditions of the divine couple — the father and mother of the cosmos.
Sati’s Saga
One such myth is about Sati — another name for Shakti, the consort of Shiva — wanting to attend a yajna, a fire sacrifice, being performed by her father Daksha, who had never really accepted the greatness of Shiva. He invited the who’s who of the celestial community but excluded his daughter and eccentric son-in-law. Insisting on going uninvited, Sati felt insulted when Shiva refused to accompany her. She reminded him of her status as Jagadambika, the divine mother, without whom Shiva is shav or corpse. On seeing her fearful form, Shiva tries to flee but she multiplies into 10 different forms to block his exit.These are the 10 aspects of cosmic energy — Kali, Tara, Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Baglamukhi, Matangi and Kamala. Each of these 10 forms of the primordial universal energy is called a mahavidya or great wisdom goddess. Each is also a universal archetype which is an occult secret power lying dormant in the unconscious of the human psyche. An archetype is an energy mould or pattern which exists in the deeper unconscious close to where we are all interconnected to each other and the Source. Each archetype has a form, a personality, vibration, sound, and geometrical design with lines, triangles and circles which represent its components. Since everything in the universe can be communicated with, we can also commune with these universal archetypes and realise them from within our consciousness. Through the tools of mantra, yantra — sound and the design of the deity — meditation and deep surrender,we can actualise the versatile occult powers in our daily life. As Shakti herself told Shiva, “Sadhaks invoking any of my ten forms will get dharma,artha,kama and moksha as well as siddhis of various kinds.”
Meeting Our Real Self
Realising any one of these archetypes will also result in the Divine Mother holding us by the hand as mother and guru, leading us through the maze of samsara to a face-to-face meeting with our real Self, an Atma sakshatkar, the very purpose of human birth. Going back to the other archetypes in the story of Sati and Shiva, Shiva represents the consciousness within each of us, which renounces all actions for the ultimate goal of being subsumed into the Atman. Brahmn represents the Divine Illumined Mind out of which the universe is created. Daksha is the dexterous intellect which is arrogant and rejects the ascetic spirit of the archetypal yogi.The 10 forms of Devi are the powerful abilities which lie hidden and unrealised as we grope for respite from our suffering in the outer world, not realising that all the miracles we seek outside are within.¦
COMMENT