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Thread: Role of female goddesses, energies?

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    Question Role of female goddesses, energies?

    Can somebody explain to me the concept of why the female consorts to gods are their "energies" and what are the implications of this? I guess I'm too much affected by Christianity and the scientific definition of energy but I don't grasp what attitude one should have towards e. g. maya or prakriti. Shun? Ignore? Embrace? Worship? IMHO purusha/prakriti stands for "mind over matter" but I don't understand the practical approach to those "energies". I'm female, btw, and I'm more of a thinker than emotional.

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    Re: Role of female goddesses, energies?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cosinuskurve View Post
    Can somebody explain to me the concept of why the female consorts to gods are their "energies" and what are the implications of this? I guess I'm too much affected by Christianity and the scientific definition of energy but I don't grasp what attitude one should have towards e. g. maya or prakriti. Shun? Ignore? Embrace? Worship? IMHO purusha/prakriti stands for "mind over matter" but I don't understand the practical approach to those "energies". I'm female, btw, and I'm more of a thinker than emotional.
    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=9051

    Please read this OP and I hope it will give an over all idea about female aspect of god or energy.Goddess is called MAYA in advita vedanta,and worshipped as supreme god-mother in devotional path,and God(brahman) in tantrika path.
    Man-naathah Shri Jagan-nathah Mat-guru-shri jagad-guruhu.
    Mad-atma sarva-bhutatma tasmai Shri Gurave Namah.


    My Lord is the Lord of Universe; My teacher is the teacher of the
    entire universe; and my Self is the Self of all. My salutations at the lotus-feet
    of such a Guru, who has revealed such knowledge to me.

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    Re: Role of female goddesses, energies?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cosinuskurve View Post
    IMHO purusha/prakriti stands for "mind over matter"
    Per Samkhya, "creation" occurs when Purusha "pierces" or "enters" Prakriti in equilibrium after pralaya [dissolution].

    This may be why Purusha is referred to as "he" and Prakriti as "she".

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    Re: Role of female goddesses, energies?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cosinuskurve View Post
    Can somebody explain to me the concept of why the female consorts to gods are their "energies" and what are the implications of this? I guess I'm too much affected by Christianity and the scientific definition of energy but I don't grasp what attitude one should have towards e. g. maya or prakriti. Shun? Ignore? Embrace? Worship? IMHO purusha/prakriti stands for "mind over matter" but I don't understand the practical approach to those "energies". I'm female, btw, and I'm more of a thinker than emotional.
    नमस्ते,

    I'm not much on the technical explanations, and anyway those have already been provided. But IMO, do whatever you want with them; your worship is your own. My wife and I worship Śiva/Śakti, and Śakti has been a powerful force in our lives, especially for my wife. She comes from a Christian background, too, so she sees Her kind of as the Christian Holy Spirit, but she says herself "stronger."

    ॐ नमः शिवाय

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    Re: Role of female goddesses, energies?

    Shakti is the activity, Shiva the pure awareness. In the example of the sun the heat and the light would be two shaktis of the sun, the heat and the light and other activities and influences of the sun are not different from the sun itself, nor are they identical. The same realationship exists between the shakti and the shiva. Lets look at the example of a teacup. One shakti of this cup is its ability to contain tea, another shakti would be its activity to quench thirst. Both are not the cup but we can understand what a cup is only due to its diverse uses and activities. The ability to cut would be a shakti of the knife etc. Because the shaktis are activities there are countless shaktis in this world.

    When we look at Shiva his main shaktis, powers or activities, are anugraha (grace, the revealing of ultimate reality), tirodhana (veiling of ultimate reality) sristhi, (creation), sthiti, (endurance) and samhara (destruction), from these principles originate Sadashiva, Ishvara, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra and their respective shaktis.

    These five shaktis in turn unify in one highest power or shakti called cidrupini (shakti of supreme conciousness) or vimarsha shakti (reflective awareness) this shakti is also known with other names.

    Of these 5 central powers or shaktis of shiva only one shakti is related to Maya or Avidya, it is the tirodhana or ghora (terrible) shakti, the shakti that veils the supreme Reality.

    This shakti of Avidya has its counterpart in the shakti of grace, anugraha shakti, who counteracts the terrifying activity of veiling reality and is therefore also called aghora (the non terrifying). She is Parashakti the embodyment of Vidya (knowledge)

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