Understanding Shiva-Shakti Sadhana

Hinduism's greatest feature has been its positive ideas and those who do not belong to it are not infidels or heretics. Hinduism does not believe in bringing about a mechanical uniformity of belief and worship by a forcible elimination of all that is not in agreement with a particular creed. Hindus have never conquered, plundered or committed genocides on other people and they never will, primarily because the deeper values enshrined in the Sanatana Dharma are against such mindless violence and expansionism. At one level every true Hindu sees his/her self being one with the Universal Self, the concept of a harmonious global society that should unite, prosper and live in peace. There is no other country in the world with so many distinctive temples to the Goddess or so many colourful festivals dedicated to her celebration as India.

There are innumerable forms of the Goddess as the nine Durgas, ten Mahavidyas, eight Lakshmis and 64 Yoginis. She is not only the underlying unity of all existence; she has personal aspects at every place in nature and for each creature. She is your mother and the mother of all, present in every process of life, starting with our every breath. The Devi is auspicious Lakshmi, regal Durga, fierce Chandi, artistic Saraswati, and blissful Lalita. She is not just the mother but also the girl child, consort, warrior princess, queen, high priestess, and supreme yogini. She embraces the whole of life and all the roles of the womanhood from the home to society to the entire cosmos. The Goddess is lauded through every possible image, sculpture, chant, dance, mantra, and ritual. There is no restriction as to how we can approach her, except to do so with love and respect. She is the ultimate iconic form, present in every expression, movement and mood, natural and supernatural.

The Divine Mother in various religions of the world: Divine feminine qualities are recognised by different religions in various ways. Christianity has the Madonna and her beautiful paintings. But in Christian theology, the Madonna is not the Divine Mother and does not have the power to create or dissolve the universe. She is the mother of Jesus, helps you by virtue of her son, and is rarely depicted without him. Worship of World Mother was more common in ancient times and remains so in native traditions. Pagan images of the Goddess from the ancient world are abundant, intricate and sublime. Indigenous people revere Mother Earth as a sacred presence in all that they do. The Mother Goddess remains an essential part of our global spiritual heritage that India has best preserved for the benefit of all humanity.

Shiva does not discriminate between positive and negative; both are a part of Shiva, essential to maintain the balance of creation. The reason why someone is closer or further away is because of their shakti, which is accumulated through sadhana and seva under the sannidhya of one’s guru. If there is “guru kripa”, the being’s ego dissolves and s/he merges into Shiva. In the absence of a guru, the ego increases exponentially as one’s siddhis/shaktis blinded by ego and desire, the person drifts apart even after accessing Shiva. Shakti Sadhana is the practice of Yoga. Sadhna is your daily spiritual practice. You may start by just setting aside some time each day to practice techniques and activities such as meditation, yoga, chanting, reading sacred literature and deeply understanding the nature. However, if you are sincere in your spiritual journey, your whole life will eventually reflect your Sadhana.

There is a misconception that to be spiritual you need to run away from or give up the world. You can certainly do this but for most people that’s not practical. Remember, we are spiritual beings who are having a human experience so the key is to make this human, material experience an integral part of your spiritual growth. At first the material world may still seem very attractive while the spiritual might seem lonely and difficult. This is the great illusion of the ego. If you look beneath its superficial surface values, the material world is like a dry garden and Sadhana is the nourishment that brings it back to life. Your Sadhana re-ignites your inner world, transforming your outer world into a bliss-filled land of infinite possibilities. The basic difference between an enlightened saint and the average person is the level of awareness each enjoys. Everything you do becomes a spiritual act if you do it with awareness. Awareness transforms even the most mundane act into Sadhana.

Everything can be part of your spiritual practice but here are a few recommendations to help guide you in your daily Sadhana. Be aware of everything you are experiencing through your senses, Be aware of the needs and feelings of others and your environment, Be aware of your emotions, Eat, walk, and act with awareness, Make conscious choices, Be present in your thoughts, words, and actions, Accept the moment with no regrets of the past, Let go of expectations, embrace the wisdom of uncertainty, Be open to infinite possibilities, Enjoy the Great Silence, Spend time each day in silent meditation, Spend time in nature, Learn to listen, Be Grateful, Recognize the opportunity and blessing in everything, Begin every day with gratitude, Practice forgiveness, Accept the gratitude of others, “Thank you” is the only mantra with unconditional Love, Be in love with yourself, Allow yourself to be loved, Be compassionate. Be charitable and Perform selfless service without expectation of acknowledgment or reward, Serve with humility and devotion, The more you open and give, the more you will receive, Be pure in your thoughts, words, and actions, Be aware of your pride, Be respectful and Be patient. Don’t take anything too seriously; seriousness is just the ego feeling sorry for itself.

The sadhana is based on the fact that a descent of Forces from the higher planes and an ascent of the lower consciousness to the higher planes are the means of transformation of the lower nature - although naturally it takes time and the complete transformation can only come by the supramental descent. Honoring the Mother of the Universe: The Universal Mother is specially honored as Durga, who takes us across all difficulties, during the famous autumn festival of Navaratras, which celebrates her splendor and delight. It ends with her decisive defeat over all the intractable powers of darkness on Vijay Dashami, the tenth day of victory. This joyous autumn festival remains the largest and most important event in the global worship of the Divine Mother. She dwells within us as the Yoga Shakti, the inner power of boundless awareness that guides us to the realization of our true Self beyond birth and death.

In this age of aggression, intolerance and terrorism, let us look to the Mother of the Universe, however we may wish to approach her, as the basis of lasting world peace and happiness. Seeing the Divine Mother everywhere leaves no room for hatred or duplicity anywhere. The unity of the universe rests upon the Universal Mother, who takes the shape of all creatures and resides within them as their inmost feeling and knowing. The Goddess is no myth or superstition. She is the Self of all beings, the love and bliss deep within that is immortal and immutable. The Mother Goddess is Bhumi Devi, Mother Earth. Yet she is also infinite space, boundless time and the highest bliss. Above all she is Shakti, power and motivation, especially Chit Shakti, the power of consciousness that is the Self of all beings.

The Goddess is the Universal Mother, Jagadamba, Jaganmata, Mata Bimala, AdiShakti. She has the power to create, sustain and dissolve the entire universe, to put the soul under the bondage of maya or release it into the Supreme Brahman beyond all limitations. Every male deity or deva has his female counterpart or Devi, Saraswati and Brahma, Lakshmi and Vishnu, Shiva-Shakti, Sita-Ram, Radha-Krishna, without whose grace he cannot function. Masculine and feminine energies of the universe (Purusha and Prakriti) and illustrates how Shakti, the female principle of God, is inseparable from (or the same as, according to some interpretations) Shiva, the male principle of God. The union of these principles is exalted as the root and womb of all creation. Another view is that Ardhanarishvara is a symbol of Shiva's all-pervasive nature.

Ensuring that there is place for the feminine needs to be nurtured right from school. Children should go into music, art, philosophy or literature as much as they go into science and technology as a part of Shiva-Shakti Sadhana. If this does not happen, there is no room for the feminine in the world. Female you may be, but masculine you will become. So, it is very essential that we celebrate the feminine. This is not about woman, this is about the feminine. If you want to use an analogy, if you call the root the masculine, the flower and the fruit is feminine. The very purpose of the root is to bring the flower and the fruit. If that does not happen, the root will go waste. Survival by itself does not take care of everything. After that, the finer things in life have to happen to you. If the feminine does not become alive in you, whether you are a man or a woman, the finer things in life will never happen to you. All your life, you will only think survival – endlessly survival. You will only make survival increasingly difficult. This is the very nature of the masculine. The masculine is always about conquering something. The feminine is not about conquest. The feminine is about flowering, relaxing, and living, not about getting. This shift has to happen...