Posted on: 03 Oct 2014
Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only
[Vijayadashami Day] Shri Ajay asked: “Lord Shiva is said to be the husband of Goddess Durga, Who is the primordial power (Adi Shakti) and from Whom Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Parvati emerged out. Again, Lord Shiva is said to be the husband of Goddess Parvati only. How to reconcile this concept?”
Swami replied: This is a good question, which is relevant to Vijayadashami the festival of today related to Goddess Durga. We can understand anything perfectly provided you know the essential meanings for which these personified names stand. Adi Shakti means the first item of the creation of the unimaginable God, which is the space. Space and the most subtle cosmic energy are one and the same because the Veda says that both are the first item created (Tat Tejo asrujata, Atmana akaashah). This cosmic energy or space is inert in nature. The possessor of this inert power is Lord Shiva, Who is said to represent Tamas, which is the inert quality without discrimination. In the final destruction (Maha Pralaya), Lord Shiva destroys everything and everybody without any discrimination. The inert primordial power or Adi Shakti is thus explained.
The inert primordial energy is modified into awareness and matter. Awareness is a specific work form of inert energy. This awareness is the basis of the power of knowledge (Jnana Shakti) or Goddess Saraswati. The same inert primordial energy is also modified into matter or wealth represented by Goddess Lakshmi. Thus, this illustrates the modification of Goddess Durga into Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Lakshmi. The most subtle primordial inert energy is also expressed as the inert energy in the forms like light, heat, magnetism, etc., which is represented by Goddess Parvati. The only difference between the primary energy or space (Durga) and the other forms of energy (Parvati) is that the former is unexpressed and the later is expressed. The ‘unexpressed’ does not mean unimaginable. It is imaginable but not expressed. Therefore, you should not mistake Durga as the unimaginable God. Due to this similarity of the original nature of unexpressed primary energy or space and the expressed forms of energy, Goddess Durga can be treated as Goddess Parvati and therefore, Lord Shiva is the Husband or Possessor of the same inert energy.
The sect of devotees of power (Shaakteya) end in the first item of creation, which is the Adi Shakti. In fact, this primordial inert energy is the creator, sustainer and dissolver of this entire creation so that anybody can easily misunderstand this Adi Shakti as the unimaginable God. This philosophy is exactly the concept of scientists also. But, this philosophy cannot be maintained because such power is inert and cannot design the universe. You cannot say that this primary energy has also awareness because Goddess Saraswati is not evolved in the beginning state of the creation where only Adi Shakti remained alone. In the absence of matter, no nervous system could exist at that time. If you say that such system existed and awareness was present due to materialized nervous system, both Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Lakshmi should have existed as primary powers. In such case, you cannot say that Adi Shakti, who alone existed in the beginning evolved into Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Parvati afterwards. Such attempt is not acceptable because the Adi Shakti representing space does not contain awareness and matter everywhere even now.
The space or primary energy is imaginable everywhere in the core except at its boundary. The space is infinite, which means that the boundary is unimaginable. This unimaginable boundary is the unimaginable God. The primary energy cannot be both imaginable in core and unimaginable at the boundary simultaneously since both these mutually contradict each other. Hence, you have to accept the existence of unimaginable God as the second item, which is completely different from the imaginable primary energy. The Veda says that the unimaginable God is the basis of the primary energy (Brahma Puchcham Pratishtaa) and also is the Creator of the primary energy (Tat Tejo…). The Veda also says that primary energy is evolved into awareness or Jnana Shakti, matter or Bala Shakti and dynamic power or Kriya Shakti (Paraasya Shaktih…).