Brahman, Shiva and Shakti – The One Reality and Its Two Aspects

 While living in the world of maya, people worship many gods and goddesses, each with their own names and forms. Yet behind this variety is Brahman, the one transcendent ultimate reality.

Brahman is described as Sat-Chit-Ananda — Absolute Existence, Knowledge and Bliss. It is formless and without sex, a peaceful infinity beyond thought and understanding. It is the ultimate reality, beyond the forms through which the Divine is worshipped.

When Brahman becomes restless and creation begins, it manifests through cosmic ignorance. In this manifestation, Brahman appears as Shiva and Shakti, the masculine and feminine aspects of the Divine.

Shiva and Shakti represent two sides that cannot exist separately. Shiva is associated with stability and Shakti with dynamism; one is abstraction and the other concrete manifestation. Creation requires both the masculine and feminine principles.

They are also described as Purusha and Prakriti. The comparison given is that of Yin and Yang: two complementary aspects whose union makes creation possible.

Prakriti is Maya, the power that veils Brahman. Through Maya, the world appears as a reality of separate things and opposing forces. When Maya disappears, these opposites merge again into One, into Brahman.

Thus, behind the many forms of the gods and goddesses is the one reality. Brahman is beyond form, while Shiva and Shakti express the two aspects through which that reality becomes manifest.

Source & Note

This article is based on Elizabeth U. Harding’s Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar (Nicolas-Hays, 1993). The material has been edited and adapted for this publication.