Shreya Baronia | Week 12: Mahashivratri

Photo Credit: “Mahashivratri Wish 17.” MahaShivRatri. Isha, https://isha.sadhguru.org/mahashivratri/downloads. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025. 


Today is the auspicious day of Mahashivratri, which directly translates to “the grand night of Shiva.” This day, Shiva, who is the destroyer and first yogi, married Shakti, who is the embodiment of energy. Their marriage is sometimes considered the first love marriage of the universe as Shakti went through immense penance in the form of Parvati, meditating for 107 years before finally pleasing Shiva, who is a recluse, and convincing him to marry her. Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) is based largely on the quest to question everything as well as learn the science behind why everything happens. As such, Shiva and Shakti represent important aspects of the world. “Lord Shiva represents the constitutive elements of the universe, while Shakti is the dynamic potency, which makes these elements come to life and act.” In other words, Shiva is a representation of everything that exists and Shakti is the energy present in every system in the universe. In order for an organism to be alive, both these elements are needed, which is why Shiva and Shakti are inseparable. In fact, one of their forms is Ardhanareshwar, which is half-Shiva and half-Shakti. In a popular show “Mahakali — Anth Hi Aarambh Hai,” which depicts the life story of Shiva and Shakti, there is a popular quote which adequately explains the dynamics of the two; “Shakti ke bina Shiv shav hai, aur Shiv ke bina Shakti kaal hai” (“Without Shakti, Shiva is a corpse and without Shiva Shakti does not exist”). Literally taken, this quote expresses the love they both have for each other. However, if analyzed more figuratively, the quote details that power fuels everything inside of us and we cannot exist without it. However, without us, energy and power cannot exist either. Since nothing can exist without both Shiva and Shakti, they are considered the parents of the universe, though Shakti is usually more often worshipped as a mother than Shiva is as a father. Their union represents the creation of the universe. Shiv and Shakti complete each other, each being a source of power for one another, showing us the power of devotion. Thus, we should celebrate this union of power and consciousness by meditating and fasting, allowing ourselves to connect our consciousness to our power as well.


Comments

  1. Wesley GuoMarch 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM

    Hello again Shreya! I have to start with that I am not the most familiar with Hindu mythology but I still enjoy learning what I can when I have the chance to. I really enjoyed your retelling of this first love marriage in Hindu mythology and on the power of love and devotion. I think the entire concept of love as a “power” is extremely abstract as it is something extremely difficult to quantify; but it is simultaneously one of the most effective powers as it is a motivator stronger than most any other. I hope I am understanding this correctly that Shiva is a representation of all matter in the universe, and Shakti is the representation of all the life or the power that makes things alive in the universe. In that case, it is certainly true that each without the other is an empty shell, either a universe without matter or a universe without life. I think this myth is a good example of how the powers of two people in unison can compliment and amplify one another. I look forward to what you have to say on the next topic, language and memory, and I hope to read more of your writing!

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