Of the little that I
can presume to know about Shiva, one representation has always intrigued me. It is the
androgynous form, more popularly known as the Ardhanarishvara.
On the auspicious
occasion of Shivaratri, I would love to start my blogging journey by explaining
my understanding of the significance of this unique deity – not the religious legends
but how it reflects the futuristic, scientific nature of the Indian school of
thought.
Among its numerous interpretations,
the word ‘shiva’ can also be split
into three parts:
Sha - shareeram (body)
Ee - eeshwari (life-giving/creative
force)
Va - vayu (motion)
Shiva is, therefore, body that has life and motion. Reinforcing
this, we can simply remove the ee when shiva becomes shava or body without life and motion. Shiva is thus life, and
in an extended understanding, all-embracing universal consciousness and
potential.
Now let’s ponder over
what sparks this potential, the source that causes it to spring into life. What
turns the magnificent abstinent yogi into the householder – the supreme force
of creation, procreation, and re-creation?
The answer is Shakti. We may call her Parvati, Devi, or Uma.
When Shiva and Shakti unite, we see Srishti,
or creation.
The Ardha-Nari
represents this idea perfectly.
From the Westerners,
we have learnt that there is a woman behind
every successful man. Ancient Indian wisdom, however, has given the woman a
position of equality. Shakti doesn’t hide in Shiva’s shadow propelling him to
glory. She stands shoulder to shoulder with him as his complement, saha dharmini. Joined indivisibly, Shiva is Shakti and Shakti is Shiva.
The idea of the two entwined
entities giving life is also evident in the double-helical structure of the
DNA! It’s notable that a child inherits 50% of DNA from each parent. And have
some of us not seen childless couples praying to stone tablets embossed with double-helical
snakes enshrined under trees in many regions of India?
Another interesting
fact about the deity is that most representations show Shiva on the right and Shakti
on the left. Some sects believe this is because the right ‘dominates’ the left
and the male principle is depicted as more powerful. It may not be so. It may
be a simple representation of human biology.
Scientifically, we
know the right brain controls the left side of the body and vice-versa. Those
who practice yoga know that breathing through the left (Chandra Nadi) slows metabolism, soothing and cooling the body – calm
implying the female. Conversely, breathing through the right (Surya Nadi) increases pranic/physical
energy and produces heat - activity implying the male. Scientific studies have
also proven that a female brain is equally stimulated on both sides while processing
information but the right side is more active in men in similar contexts. On
the left also resides the heart! In sum, the so-called female qualities are
contained on the left and the male qualities on the right, and they are ultimately
equal and interdependent.
Thus, whether you
follow the Shaiva tradition when Parvati merges with Shiva, making the
basically male god, half female; or follow the Shakta tradition when the female
god divides into two halves, the end result is the same. The all-pervasive God –
Ardha-Nari - representing the seamless union of the dual forces of the universe
- the ascetic, passive, quintessentially masculine Shiva (Purusha) and the homely, active, supremely feminine Parvati (Prakriti). One is the foundation, the
other the spring. Without their union, there is no creation, no growth.
Going beyond the
gender connotations, it is only when an individual – woman or man- discovers
and nurtures within herself/himself both the heart and the brain, compassion
and action, the subtle and the elemental, the soul and the body can she/he hope
to evolve into a complete human being. In our social structure too, it is the
harmonizing of these apparently contrasting principles and values that can
bring balance.
It is unfortunate that
the patriarchal forces of today’s ‘progressive’ civilizations have relegated
the Ardha-Nari to merely an iconography in Shiva temples. There are only a few temples
where this deity is worshipped. The real strengths of the female principle are
now seen as undesirable ‘weaknesses.’ No wonder, therefore, that most of our
social evils and personal discontentment stem from this lack of balance between
the fundamental energies of nature that were meant to reside in unison both
within and outside us.
On this day, today,
let’s go back to what our ancestors taught us – find the totality in the
duality. Let’s all nurture the Shiva
and the Shakti within us and extend
it to the world around us.
