Shiva And Shakti: The Divine Energy That Created Universe

Two ancient streams of stars were identified by astronomers and named after Hindu deities – Shiva and Shakti. According to beliefs in Hinduism, the union between Shiva and Shakti gave rise to the cosmos.

As reported by Reuters, “They appear to be among the Milky Way’s earliest building blocks, offering new insight into how our galaxy came together long ago. Shakti and Shiva are comprised of stars with similar chemical compositions that formed 12-13 billion years ago,” the researchers said. Each of the structures has a mass about 10 million times greater than our sun. Here’s a look at Shiva and Shakti’s divine energy.

Shiva And Shakti: The Divine Energy

So, what is the union of Shiva and Shakti? It’s believed that the entire universe is created and sustained by two forces – Shiva and Shakti. According to Hinduism, Shiva establishes the elements of the universe and it’s Shakti’s life-giving potency that makes these elements come alive.

According to the late spiritual leader Ram Dass, “We are manifest through the vehicle of the mother. The entire Universe is manifest or given birth through the vehicle of the Mother. The Mother is the instrument for converting spirit into matter. To understand that all form is spirit made matter is to see that at the source within the world of matter lies the Mother. Behind the Mother, or beyond the Mother, lies the Father. The Father is formless, unmanifest in which the spirit exists with no matter. To understand the relationship between the Mother and Father is to deal with the most profound mystical enigma, for the Father is the Father of the Mother and the Mother is the Mother of the Father.” He explains that neither can exist without each other and each is contained within the other. “For the Mother in all of her manifestations is only the formless, taking form. It is not a continuum between spirit and matter, between formless and form, it is an identity.”

As energy, the Universe is referred to as Shakti; and the Father, that which is an identity in the formless, is referred to as Shiva. “The path of enlightenment is the path of bringing together the two parts of this identity until form is no different than formless. A being who has merged into that identity, clinging nowhere to form, neither here nor there to neither this nor that, is said to be realized, which is the ultimate union of the Mother and Father. The process of bringing about that union involves working with Shakti, the Mother, directing and using the energy in form, in order to transcend that form and merge with the formless,” said Ram Dass.

Nature Of Shiva And Shakti Energy

Shiva is referred to as the supreme deity in Shaivism. He is considered the destroyer or transformer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity, alongside Brahma (the creator) and Vishnu (the preserver). Shiva is often depicted as a meditating ascetic, immersed in profound meditation or dance (Nataraja), symbolizing the cosmic cycles of creation, preservation, and destruction. Shiva represents the aspect of the divine that is transcendent, formless, and beyond attributes.

Shakti, on the other hand, is the feminine aspect of the divine, often depicted as the consort of Shiva. However, in Shaktism, Shakti is considered the supreme deity herself, with various forms and manifestations. Shakti represents the dynamic, creative, and nurturing aspect of the divine energy. She is the power that animates the universe and is responsible for creation, preservation, and destruction. Shakti is often depicted as Devi (the goddess) in her various forms such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and Saraswati, each representing different aspects of feminine energy and qualities.