Shakti…. the power within….

The main power in the Hindu pantheon of gods is actually a Goddess!! … The Shakti…. Literally translated as The Energy….. or rather THE Power…..

Some believe it is even higher than the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara.

Shakti in Hindu belief is the all encompassing divine mother who is the supreme
feminine being and it is from her that other forms of goddesses take birth.
Shakti literally means energy and power and it is she who is the original force
behind the creation and sustenance of the Universe. She is the Shakti behind the
trinity of Gods and their avatars as their consorts. There are varied forms she
acquires in keeping with the situation. At one point she becomes Durga or Kali
acquiring a deadly and ferocious form to end the reign of demons from earth.

Every god in Hindu belief has his Shakti and without her he has no power.

Shakti is the primeval source of energy and is the ultimate personification of the feminine divine aspect.

The above series of charcoal drawing cum paintings i have made depict the transformation of the powerful but relatively benign Durga to the deadly and ferocious Kali (Dark) or vice versa…..

But the irony of the situation in India is we still have issues with female infanticide, dowry deaths, domestic violence against women, female literacy is quite low in quite a few parts of india…. What an irony…. when half our gods are actually goddesses!!!! Not an original thought but still, worth pondering….

Anyways, in a very accepting tolerant hindu way …. thats life…

But yes i personally feel unfortunately our religion has got stuck in the dogma or rituals and has somewhere lost what it is actually about… or rather has not been able to communicate effectively…. by reaching the soul of the religion…. soul of its followers….

Which is why though i am a Hindu by birth i am not religious…. i believe in the spirituality of my religion…. so i am spiritual and not religious…. And i believe most other religions also have thier rituals and dogmas and if one just sifts through it and tries and understand the spirituality over there…. one realizes its all the same!!!…. Be it Christianity or what Islam says God is one and only…. Or Buddhism ….. or the concept of “Advaitam” in Hinduism that talks of monotheism…. that God is one and you are god and god is in you….

I pray to the Mother, Shakti, today to help me get me in touch with my individual inner Shakti (and others) and help us beat our demons in the form of negative thoughts, expectations, desires….. to protect us and help us protect ourselves also…. (Why should the poor lady do all the work…. even we should … right?)

This painting is just a small prayer way in advance of the Durga Puja festival which is going to come soon this month…. and before we all get too immersed in the rituals and forget the real meaning behind them….

Despite all this “gyan” (“wisdom” in hindi …. for those who dont know Hindi here one needs to take this word with a pinch of salt i.e. when the writer/ imparter/ onlookers understand and accept that this knowledge can get into the realm of over advising 🙂 therefore the writer himself/ herself takes it into the sarcastic realm) ….. i am soo looking forward to donning my favorite saris and adorning my forehead with the big red “bindi” and traditional jewelry for whatever functions i can attend this Durga Puja with friends be it the dandiya or the durga puja ceremonies of bengalis….. 🙂

What say fellow desis?? Bahut gyan ho gaya na?? 🙂

Enjoy the painting…. And lets meditate on our and her forehead… the inner eye….