Kamal Ghorui
Many of us mistakenly equate shakti with power or force. And power is always associated with masculine energy. But the Hindu way of thinking is different. In Sanatan Dharm, shakti is essentially the feminine principle, goddess or Devi.
It is not without reason that every major deity in the Hindu pantheon has His own consort or Shakti. She represents his ‘better’, kinder, more compassionate half. Shakti worshippers believe that without Her, He has no power. It is Shakti who uses Her intuitive feminine powers to bring balance to the world. Shakti is also a divine force that helps in destroying demonic forces. Shakti complements the masculine and provides a sense of balance. Indeed, she is inherent power in all things, primordial manifest being, cosmic principle of life.
The divine image of Shiv as Ardhanarishwar represents divinity as half male and half female. This image symbolises affinity and unity between two principles, which may appear opposed, but are nevertheless indivisible and function in harmony in each act of creation. They are two aspects of the same being, both to be adored and veneratedas much as the other. It is not without significance that every woman in India is seen as a manifestation of this divine principle, Shakti. It is not merely a force; Shakti is integration, in the truest sense of the term. Today, disintegration is setting in.
A woman, who is the centre of social integration, can stem the tide that threatens to destabilise our society. To reassert Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani’s claim: “The woman-soul has the shakti to rebuild a shattered world on the strength of her intuitions, her purity, simplicity, spiritual aspirations, sympathy and silent sacrifice. The woman-soul will lead us!” Consider Sita, the delicate princess who followed her beloved Ram into vanvas with a smile on her lips; Sita, who defied the mighty Ravan even in captivity. Consider Maitreyi, who rejected her husband’s offer of material wealth and comfort and insisted instead that he should share his wealth of wisdom and spiritual knowledge with her.
Consider Mira, who rejected social conventions and gave up the life of a queen to seek Krishn. Indian scriptures, epics and history stand testimony to the greatness of a woman-soul.
Given this background, it is sad that what we are witnessing today is a detrimental movement away from this concept of the sacred feminine. I read an ancient Greek story about a city that was threatened by a mythical monster called the Unicorn. Warriors and other brave men of the city could not stand up to the monster and fled in disarray. But a pure, simple, virtuous young maiden confronted the monster – who had to flee from the Shakti that she represented.
Our world today is threatened by nameless, faceless monsters that are compounded of hatred, violence, intolerance, insensitivity, ruthlessness and avarice. It is only a woman, pure, gentle, virtuous, strong in the spirit of simplicity, service and sacrifice, who can take on the monster and overcome him with her spiritual Shakti.
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