Parvatī, Śakti, Kālī (Parvathi,Shakthi,kali)

Parvatī, Śakti, Kālī  (Parvathi,Shakthi,kali)

The Powers of Procreation, Development, & Destruction.

Like Śiva, his Śakti is also extremely complex. the Śakti of Śiva is depicted under three main aspects:— a creative, active aspect called simply "Energy" (Śakti), an abiding, peaceful, spatial aspect named Pārvatī, the "Daughter-of- the-Mountain" (i.e., Ether personified), and a destructive time aspect known as the "Power-of-Time" (Kālī ).

Pārvatī is a gentle benevolent goddess, daughter of the axial mountain — the Himalaya, from which the earth energy radiates into space. The mountain (parvata) or the Snow-capped-One (Himavat) is a symbol of ether — Ākāśa.

The peaks of the mountains are regarded as the places from which the earth energy flows into the ether. No dwellings are built on top of mountains and hills and only places of worship may be built there.

The mother of Pārvatī is Menakā, who represents intellect (buddhi). Born of Ether and Intellect, Pārvatī is the omnipresent conscious substance of the universe.

Pārvatī is also the matron of all the elemental spirits — the bhūtas and gaṇas (categories) that wander about the earth.

The Divine nature in Tantra is often conceived of as a playful young boy or girl, aged sixteen, full of vitality, energy and procreative desire, a playful being for whom the whole world is a toy, a the whole of life a game.

The Divine Playfulness is personified either as Krishna or as a manifestation of Pārvatī known as Lalitā. She holds the Pāśa, Ankuśa and a sugar-cane bow with which she shoots the five arrows of the sense-objects.

bhadra kaliBhadra Kālī Devi

Sometimes the Goddess is shown alone in which case she is depicted as Maheśvarī — the feminine counterpart of Lord Maheśvara.

The agency of Śiva’s procreation is the Goddess known as Power-of-Lust (Rati) — the wife of Kāma-deva. Without sexual desire no conception takes place. She appears to be the very opposite of the power of destruction — Kālī, the Power-of-Time.

When Śakti, which is also the power-to-think (Vimarśa), unites with the lord-of-sleep, a state of agitation, or unrest (unmana) arises, from which projection of the universe springs forth.

When Śakti separates herself and remains aloof from him, a state of perfect quiescence or harmonization occurs (samana), in which the world dissolves.

The Goddess Rati is the libido — the ubiquitous force of lust, of enjoyment, but strangely enough also the power of liberation — for liberation from the bonds of material nature is not a passive or a neutral state but indeed an very pro-active struggle.