Śiva-śakty-aikya-rūpiṇī (999)This is the most revered, admired, perplexed, incomprehensible and secretive from of the Divine Couple, the confluence of Shiva and Shakthi. The universe is created, sustained, dissolved and re-created by them at their will that is indentured by the law of karma.
Soundarya Lahari (verse 1) says, “Shiva becomes capable of creating the universe, only when united with Shakthi, otherwise He is incapable of even a stir (known as spanda).” Shiva is also known as ‘Parabrahman’ and Shakthi as ‘Parāśaktī’. Parabrahman is the static energy and is niṣkāma (desire less, disinterested and unselfish) in nature. The nature of Shiva is explained in Mandukya Upanishad (7), which says, “It is neither consciousness of what is happening within nor the consciousness of what is happening externally. It is not conscious of all objects and it is not unconscious either. It is beyond perception of any organ, beyond thought and sound. In it there is only consciousness of the Self and there is a total cessation of the world as such. It is the embodiment of peace and all that is good. It is without a second.” This is the typical explanation of the Brahman that is preternatural and interpenetrating.
Shakthi is primordial and latent energy of Shiva that alone manifests as the universe, its sustentation and disintegration and recreation. The consciousness referred by Manduka Upanishad is nothing but the domain of Shakthi. That is why it is said that Shakthi is the primordial and latent energy of Shiva. She exists along with Shiva and cannot be separated. If Brahman and consciousness are discriminately differentiated out of nescience, the question of creation and existence does not arise. In reality, such differential existence does not prevail. But for easier understanding of the complex issue of creation, Shiva and Shakthi have been perceived as two different aspects of the same entity. One cannot segregate the heat produced by the fire from the fire itself. The heat of the fire is primordially present in the fire. Neither fire, not heat can be of any use unless they subsist together. This is a typical example showcasing Shiva and Shakthi, the one without the other remain only an inert.
Shiva is self-illuminating. Without His existence, the universe will be plunged into darkness. Shiva is present in prakasha (illuminating) form. Prakasha can be explained as visible, shining, universally noted, brightness, lustre, splendour, etc. Prakasha also refers to Shiva and the Brahman. Shakthi is His vimarsha form. Vimarsha can be explained as reasoning, knowledge, consideration, reflecting etc. In spite of Shiva being the grandeur amongst the cognized existences, He cannot realise His own incomparable splendour without something that is able to reflect His grandeur. This is like a human not able to see his own self without an object that is capable of reflecting his image. Shakthi acts like a reflecting mirror where Shiva is able to realise His Reality, like a mirror reflecting the image of a person who stands before it. Pure consciousness is Shiva and realising the pure consciousness is Shakthi. If Shiva is not present, the consciousness itself does not exist. If Shakthi is not present, the presence of consciousness cannot be realised. In the state of prakasha ‘I’ and ‘This’ stand united and in the vimarsha aspect ‘This’ is separated from ‘I’. Therefore prakasha aspect is ‘I + This’ and vimarsha aspect is ‘This’ alone. ‘I’ is the origin of the universe and ‘This’ is the expansion of the universe. Shiva is ‘cit’ and Shakthi is ‘citi’. Cit means foundational consciousness and Citi means the consciousness that brings about cognitive operations. Shakthi segregates ‘I’ and ‘This’. Without Shakthi this vital segregation cannot take place. Shiva causes the initial pulsation for creation that is carried forward by Shakthi.
Shakthi pushes forward the throb created by Shiva through different principles or tatvas (thirty six) and sustains it through Her māyā or illusion. Māyā is the sole factor that separates a soul from the Brahman. She is the manifested conglutination of Shiva and Shakthi and therefore She is both the seed and the sprout. This also drives home the point that for creation two objects are required. For example, a soul alone cannot be born on its own. It has to come into contact with prakriti or Nature in order to manifest. Procreation is not possible without conjoining of masculine and feminine energies.
Moving on from the perceptible to subtle, a lot more is said about Their subtle conjugation. They are referred as two bindus (dots), white and red, denoting Shiva and Shakthi respectively. These two bindus, in mutual conjunction expand and contract. When expand the creation takes place by means of vāk (word) and artha (lit. meaning). Vāk means the Sabda Brahman and artha means 36 tatvas or principles. These two bindus which enter one another are known as ‘Kāma-Kāmeśvarī’. Shiva, the Supreme is in the form of the first alphabet of Sanskrit A (अ), is the cause of all sounds of Vedas. He attains the form of a bindu after having entered His own vimarsha form, Shakthi, in whom the entire universe is dissolved. Like prakasha form of bindu entering the vimarsha form of bindu, vimarsha form of bindu also enters prakasha form of bindu, which is already within it. As a result of this conjugation, a third bindu called as miśra bindu is born. Miśra means combined. Now there are three bindus, white, red and miśra. These three bindus form a triangle, red and miśra are below and the white bindu is placed above them causing a perfect triangle. The miśra bindu has all the tatvas or principles within itself and is the cause for further creation. This is the innermost triangle of Sri Chakra. When these three dots are connected, the three connecting lines represent all the triads such as three gunas, three stages of consciousness, iccha, jnana and kriya shakthis, etc. This triangle becomes the cause for creation beginning with Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra. These three dots are also referred as sun (top), moon (right) and fire (left). There is an inverted triangle below the three dots. The three connecting lines of this lower triangle represent three kūtās of Panchadasi mantra (nāmā 89). The upper most bindu (of the upper triangle) is the face of Shakthi (the third eye, denoting dissolution, the two lower dots represent Her bosoms (representing nourishment or sustenance) and the inverted triangle below mean Her procreative organ (representing creation). This is known as kāma kalā and is considered as the most secretive principle of Shiva-Shakthi union.
The explanation provided in Varivasya Rahasya, the treatise on Panchadasi mantra, corroborates with the explanation offered for Kāma Kalā Vilasa, yet another treatise on Sri Vidya. Varivasya Rahasya (verses 69 to 72) says, “Shiva and Shakthi embrace each other. The Brahman (Shiva) with the desire to create glanced on His other half, His consort and assumed the form of a bindu (referring to male procreative fluids), into which Shakthi enters assuming the form of another bindu (representing female procreative fluids). The mixture formed by their aggregation is known as ‘aham’ or ‘I’, the ego.” This is the subtle form of the union of Shiva and Shakthi.
The one more interpretation is possible for this most secretive nāmā of this Sahasranāmām. The scene goes like this. Shiva is sitting alone meditating, His usual posture. Shakthi enters the place of Shiva. Shiva wakes up. First, Shakthi sits next to Shiva. Later on She moves to His left lap and finally occupies His entire left side, blessing the universe with their ‘Ardhanārīśvarā’ form causing creation and sustenance. When Shakthi moves away from Shiva, He starts His cosmic dance, causing annihilation. Shakthi witnesses His cosmic dance (nāmā 232 and 571).
Soundarya Lahari (verse 34) says, “I consider your pure frame to be Shiva. Hence the relationship of the principal and the accessory exists in common among you both who as transcendent bliss and consciousness are equipoised.”
This nāmā salutes Her undifferentiated form from Shiva, that is inseparable eternally.
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