The Way of the Left Hand. Shaktism

As stated in the Vedas, the two aspects of the energies, male and female, Shiva and Shakti, are inseparable, representing Ardhanarishvara, the one and indivisible whole. Ardhanarishvara is the divine form that unites Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. This form is shown as a fusion of male and female form. The right side of the God figure is depicted as Shiva and the left side shows Parvati. Also, this form of Shiva is called as Ardhanarisha, Ardhanarinateshvara, Ardhayuvatishvara, Ardhagureshvara, Gaureshvara, Naranari, Parangada and Ammiappan.

There is a popular Tamil legend about the appearance of Ardhanarishvara. Brahman Bhringi was one of Shiva's most ardent devotees, but he was accustomed to worshipping only Shiva, wilfully neglecting the veneration of Shakti. Through his spiritual practice, Bhringi sought to transcend aspects of existence, and it was for this reason that he thought it proper to worship only Shiva, separating in his mind Shiva from the manifested feminine energy (Shakti), from which in reality Shiva was inseparable. By completely excluding Shakti (female energy) from the prayers offered to Shiva, Bhringi left unhonoured his vital, sustaining energy which emanated from Shakti and sustained him in worship. Having once had the opportunity to see his beloved Lord on Kailasa, Bhringshi wanted to do pradakshina - to walk around the Lord, thereby entering the somnas of his associates. This was not an easy task for him because the Lord was in the form of Ardhanari. Then, still fanatically worshipping Shiva alone, Bhringi took the form of a wasp (or rat in other versions) and tried to squeeze in between Shiva and Shakti to avoid doing pradakshina around Parvati. For his stubbornness he received a curse from Parvati, who said that henceforth all the body parts that he had inherited from his mother should leave him. Thus, all the soft parts of the body and all the fluids left his body and Bhringi turned into just bones, he was unable to make even the slightest movement now. Full of remorse Bhringi, realising his mistake, begged for forgiveness. Seeing his suffering, Parvati, who is also the Great Mother of the World, pardoned the Brahman and Shiva restored him to his former form, as a punishment for his stubbornness, however, depriving him of strength in his legs, but at the request of Parvati-Shakti, granted his devotee a third leg so that he could at least stand. Thus came to the world the knowledge of Shaktism, the way of honouring the female form of the One Creator God.

Because Ardhanarishvara is a harmonious combination of male and female aspects, it also embodies Prakriti and Purusha, the feminine and masculine energies of the cosmos, and shows how Shakti, the Sacred Feminine, is inseparable from Shiva, the male divine. In the physical world, they represent the right and left hemispheres of the brain, body and hands. The Masculine energy is more static, it is the body, the mind, the power manifested in the Right Side, whereas the Feminine Essence is energy itself, movement, feelings. Without the manifestation of Shakti energy, our avatar is ‘shava’ - ‘corpse’. That is why the study and acceptance of the Left Hand Path, or in other words Shaktism is so important in understanding the world and the Universe.

Shaktism (from Sanskrit shakti - power, energy), a trend in Hinduism, which is based on the cult of the great goddess - Devi, or Shakti. On the basis of Shaktism various religious schools have appeared. Popular in Shaktism are the cults of female deities - yogini and ‘mother’ (matrika), often combined in groups. Of great importance is the worship of the ten goddesses of the Dashamahavidya group (literally, the ten great forms of knowledge). In Shaktism it is believed that the Absolute, which is beyond time, space and causality, contains both male (Shiva) and female (Shakti) primordial principles, with the female primordial principle being much more important to Shaktis. The followers of Shaktism emphasise the active nature of Shakti over the passivity of the masculine: without Shakti, Shiva is ‘unable even to move’. In a number of texts (e.g. in the Soundarya Lahari) the Absolute itself appears as a female deity. The world is permeated with streams of energy, which are the private processes of the supreme Shakti.

In order to attain liberation and thereby attain the Absolute, adherents of Shaktism use various spiritual practices, which are divided into two types according to their place in religious and social orthodoxy: dakshinachara (literally - the right way of life, or the so-called path of the right hand), which is generally consistent with the orthodox tradition of Hinduism, and vamachara (literally - the left way of life, or ‘the path of the left hand’), which includes various ritual and psychotechnical procedures. Dakshinachara is traditionally referred to the Srividya school, which is still widespread today (South India), and vamachara to Kalikula (North India). It is believed that an adept is able to attain liberation while still alive, which requires the special favour of Shakti.

In Shaktism, the world is thought of as an incarnation of the Godhead. Shaktism's formula of ‘mukti - bhukti’ is also noteworthy, i.e. a harmonious combination of the values of spiritual liberation (mukti) and the whole spectrum of earthly life experience filled with the sense of the real presence of the Goddess (bhukti), as well as the attainment of supernatural powers (siddhi). Because Shaktism honours the feminine, all women are considered to be embodiments of Shakti herself; adherents of Shaktism often choose women as their spiritual guides (gurus). Shaktism does not approve of violence against women and their humiliated position in society. An important cult object of Shaktism is the yoni and the lingam as a unified whole - understood in the sense of the unmanifested ‘womb’ in which the universe originates.

Other important exponents of the tradition of Shaktism include Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He taught that the goal of all religions is the same. A disciple of Ramakrishna and heir to his tradition was Swami Vivekananda. Vivekananda believed that Shaktism had an important role to play in the national renaissance of India. He taught his followers that India was the living image of the Mother Goddess, an idea that was picked up by those who fought for Indian independence in the 20th century. Today, Shaktism is a liberal, universal religion. It accepts most rituals and doctrines as long as they involve the worship of the Goddess who is transcendental and present in all living beings. It is widespread in Kashmir, Bengal and Assam in India. Symbols of Shaktism are also present in all other parts of India in the form of images of the Goddess and idols in household shrines. Many claim that even Hindus, who mostly follow other traditions such as Shaivism or Vaishnavism, practice Shaktism in the privacy of their homes. Officially, the number of Shaktas (followers of Shaktism) is 25 million, with an increasing number outside India.

Shakti temples and places of pilgrimage continue to attract crowds of millions. Many Shaktism sites have been recognised for their artistic quality and importance to Indian culture. Shakta festivals are also important events in Indian culture. One such festival is Durga Puja. It is held every October and is celebrated all over India. The festival commemorates the victory of Durga (an aspect of Goddess) over the demon Mahishasura. Another bank holidays is Diwali, the festival of lights. The Goddess is honoured in her manifestation Lakshmi, with prayers for material prosperity and abundant harvests.

Shaktism has a strong influence on Indian popular culture as well. The Indian film industry has produced many films dedicated to the Shaktas. The most famous and popular is the TV series Mahakali. The End and the Beginning. Its success and a sea of fan viewers around the world attests to the growing attention of Hindus to women saints and gurus, as well as other feminine aspects of their religion.