LIFE IS A DANCE OF SHIVA SHAKTI
A beautiful picture of Shiva and Parvati in dance, curiously with the background of Shiva again , as Natraja, The King of dance. And this catches our interest, What is the painting trying to convey?
To me it is a very beautiful concept of pictorially conveying the greatness of Shakti. I bring your attention to the word Maya. Now, to most of us Maya means illusion. But this is not the understanding of the great Rishis of Kashmir Shaiv Darsana : Kashmir Shaivism.
Shaivites do not think of this world as Unreal, but as something that, having being created by Shiva, deserves a positive acknowledgement and respect. To them Maya is just the Shakti of Shiva Himself, and as real as Him!
But, this Shakti can transmute, it can go through any state, depending on the perception of her knower. They teach that she is Maya , only when she is not “known” The moment she is known, she is known rightly as Shakti, Shiva’s power of doing all things!
"Gyan adhistan Matrika" , they declare - seated in the middle of all that we know, is matrika the unknown.
And then, “ Udhyamo Bhairava” when Shiva re-cognises His own Divine Nature, He spontaneously ‘knows’ her as His own Great Shakti, that she always was! And he is her Beholder,Her Lord, the great Shiva: So what Maya is, depends on what Shiva Knows her as.
To me it is a very beautiful concept of pictorially conveying the greatness of Shakti. I bring your attention to the word Maya. Now, to most of us Maya means illusion. But this is not the understanding of the great Rishis of Kashmir Shaiv Darsana : Kashmir Shaivism.
Shaivites do not think of this world as Unreal, but as something that, having being created by Shiva, deserves a positive acknowledgement and respect. To them Maya is just the Shakti of Shiva Himself, and as real as Him!
But, this Shakti can transmute, it can go through any state, depending on the perception of her knower. They teach that she is Maya , only when she is not “known” The moment she is known, she is known rightly as Shakti, Shiva’s power of doing all things!
"Gyan adhistan Matrika" , they declare - seated in the middle of all that we know, is matrika the unknown.
And then, “ Udhyamo Bhairava” when Shiva re-cognises His own Divine Nature, He spontaneously ‘knows’ her as His own Great Shakti, that she always was! And he is her Beholder,Her Lord, the great Shiva: So what Maya is, depends on what Shiva Knows her as.
Now, next they say an amazing truth: Shiva’s Maya is the only thing that can make him forget His own Maya! This may sound confusing but actually it is the simplest Truth: Only Shiva can make Himself forget that He is Shiva by His own power!
Why would Shiva make Himself Forgetful? Simply because, this, according to them, sets the stage for the projection of the world right in the beginning of the world play. Shiva creates by his Shakti, and then forgets that it is He who is the creator, and enters his world as that forgetful being. This is called Mala- the dross of unknowing. Shiva, becomes Jiva, a being who does not remember who he is, and, actually begins to look, for Shiva!
All through this, the Real background of things never changes: it is always Shiva who is the Lord of the dance of Life and the world, it is Shiva who is Natraja!
Slowly slowly in His dance with Shakti, he begins to completely reconnect with His own Divinity. Shakti’s watchful expression in this painting shows that she is carefully watching how much Shiva knows. She, is the Examiner here, of the great Teacher, who has become the student of life’s dance! Aum Namah Shivaya! Such is the Lila of ShivShakti.
Why would Shiva make Himself Forgetful? Simply because, this, according to them, sets the stage for the projection of the world right in the beginning of the world play. Shiva creates by his Shakti, and then forgets that it is He who is the creator, and enters his world as that forgetful being. This is called Mala- the dross of unknowing. Shiva, becomes Jiva, a being who does not remember who he is, and, actually begins to look, for Shiva!
All through this, the Real background of things never changes: it is always Shiva who is the Lord of the dance of Life and the world, it is Shiva who is Natraja!
Slowly slowly in His dance with Shakti, he begins to completely reconnect with His own Divinity. Shakti’s watchful expression in this painting shows that she is carefully watching how much Shiva knows. She, is the Examiner here, of the great Teacher, who has become the student of life’s dance! Aum Namah Shivaya! Such is the Lila of ShivShakti.
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