Chapter 1 – Who is Sakti and how She appears?

This is the first of the six chapters of SSP and details how Sakti unfolds, step by step, from within the transcendent Siva and manifests the cosmos.

Having been introduced to the concepts of Sat-Cit-Ananda, Para-Sambit, Siva-Sakti, Kula-Akula, it may be easier for you to pick up on the explanation given by Guru Gorakhnath about the appearance of Sakti. If not read, please click on the links above to read through them.

Guru Gorakhnath describes the unfolding of Sakti in 5 progressive stages of self manifestation. To give us deep clarity he has divided each of these stages into 5 attributes or Gunas. Without further ado, let us get into understanding these 5 stages and their 5 attributes.

Stage 1 – The Absolute One or the Transcendent Sat-Cit-Ananda Brahma or Siva, is the One who is undifferentiated, unmanifest and his power exists within and cannot be differentiated from him. Here Sakti is Pure will and undistinguishable from the Absolute One and called Nija Sakti. This Sakti has 5 attributes or gunas:

Nityata – This means it is eternal and always, forever present in the nature of The Absolute One
Niranjanata – She is stainless or absolutely Pure and self luminous
Nishpandata – There is no vibration. This is complete stillness, perfect calmness, with no urge for change
Nirabhasata – She does not reflect anything as she is yet undistinguishable from The Absolute One. So there is no possibility of a reflection of the character of the Absolute One on her
Niruttthanatha – She is yet unawakened. She is not awake to her own character and remains within the transcendent character of Siva

At this stage Siva is Sakti and Sakti is Siva – This is Pure Para Sambit.

Stage 2 – In this stage, a very subtle impulse arises within her to unfold her dynamic nature. She seems to be awaking from a deep sleep in the heart of Siva. Since she is still indistinguishable from him, Siva appears to become dimly aware of Himself as the possessor of this Divine Power or Nija-Sakti. He seems to feel a delight at its presence within him. At this stage it is called Para Sakti as she is now recognized and exists for and in Siva.

This is the first unfoldment of eternal Nija Sakti into Para Sakti. She is the Mother of all Powers, creations, consciousnesses, the whole phenomenal universe. But at this stage still there is no action or movement in her. The 5 attributes of this Sakti are

Astita – She posses the quality of existence. Prior to this she had no separate existence and was wholly part of Siva and indistinguishable from him
Aprameyata – She is immeasurable and limitless. So she cannot be measured in any way, either through space, time, qualitative or quantitative ways
Abhinnata – She is undifferentiated. There is nothing within or outside of her and she cannot even be differentiated from Siva
Anantata – This means that she is Infinite and inexhaustible. So she carries the potential of ever new and infinite creations and is never exhausted or finished even after such innumerable manifestations
Avyaktata – While she possesses all the above qualities, she is still yet unmanifested.

Para-Sakti contains within her the Perfect and Supreme ideals for existence like perfect and infinite beauty, goodness, splendor, power, life, love, happiness. But these are yet unmanifested. She is yet to step out of the transcendental plane into the phenomenal plane where she can manifest her creations.

In this stage, Siva seems to have moved one step in the direction of revealing and enjoying himself as a self conscious creative being. It is yet not creating but tending towards that direction.

Stage 3 – This is the first time some sort of vibration or spandana arises in the Para-Sakti. The divine will generates an internal push for external self manifestation. But there is no outward transformation yet. Sakti is now called Apara-Sakti and Her 5 attributes are :

Sphurta – Now she does not merely exist but has a vibration or what is called agitated (not to be taken as a negative expression but only as a defining word) existence. This is a movement for revealing of the self
Sphutata – She is now in a more manifested presence in the consciousness of Siva
Spharata – Now Sakti has a tendency for further self expansion. She seems to have an internal pull to self manifest
Sphotata – all her potential to create and manifest at this time remains unmanifested but starts to seek realization in the phenomenal plane
Sphurtita – this indicates an inner delight and enthusiasm in her for unfolding her creative potential in the phenomenal world

You will notice that it is hard to distinguish each attribute but Guru Gorakshnath has tried to differentiate the subtle differences for better definition and deep understanding of her nature at this stage.

So Apara-Sakti is the step which takes her closer outwardly manifesting the in the spatio-temporal plane all the transcendental glories which are in their ideal form.

Siva, the Seer, Owner and Soul of the Creative Will, at this stage, appears as an active self-revealer through his dynamic nature. At the same time we must remember that he Himself transcends all forms of action and dwells above the realms of time, space, relativity.

Also, the phenomenal world does not yet exist, only Siva alone exists without any in-out, any ego consciousness. The authors says, it is as if he has just woken from a state of Nirbikalp Samadhi and is becoming conscious of his infinite power or Nija-Sakti and seems to enjoy a pulsation or thrill within himself for creative expression. But his consciousness is still inwardly turned.

Stage 4 – This is the first time that the pure I-ness or Ego develops within Siva. It then takes the form of his recognizing his I-ness as ‘I am conscious of myself’. But there is still no subject – object relationship. There is just one pure I-ness. He is still the One without a second. He is still one integrated whole with no parts, no expressions, no self differentiation, no distinction between in and out.

The Divine Sakti at this stage is called Sukshma Sakti. She reveals Siva as the sole self conscious self-determining dynamic reality. Before this he was so absorbed in himself that there was no consciousness of his own existence, omnipotence or the Sakti inherent within. The revelation of Siva is now only of his inherent power of Self reflection and Self experience. But there is no process or effort or relativity in this experience.

This I consciousness of Siva has been referred in the Upanishads by the famous sentence – ‘Aham Brahma Asmi’ or ‘I Am Brahma’.

Here her 5 attributes are :

Niramsata – This Divine I-consciousness does have any duality or plurality or relativity. It is just one
Nirantarata – It has no discontinuity or any temporal or spatial gap in the consciousness
Niscalata – There is no expansion or contraction of the consciousness, increase or decrease in the intensity of consciousness
Niscayata – There is total understanding and complete of self-knowledge or as it is called in the book fullness of knowledge. So it means there is no element of doubt, error, uncertainty.
Nirbikalpata – Pure Omniscience exists. It is the state of knowing everything. Only the Supreme Spirit and his Sakti exist, so The Self knowledge is All knowledge.

Stage 5 – It is in the 5^th stage that Sakti unfolds herself, within the now self conscious Siva, as a distinct psychic power. This power is characterized by the processes of knowing, feeling and willing. This Sakti is called Kundalini Sakti and Her 5 attributes are :

Purnata – means Perfect character. It also signifies infinite possibilities of self manifestation, self diversification, self transformation. She is the material cause of the amazing, complex cosmos of infinite phenomenon. She contains within herself the complete spatio-temporal order . Her form is said to be coiled. She is the seed or bija through which the cosmos projects outwards, through the uncoiling of Kundalini.
Pratibimbata – She is like a mirror on which the on which the self luminous Siva (as super consciousness) is reflected within the infinite forms in the cosmos.
Prabalata – means Omnipotence, infinite capability, unlimited power to create from within herself various orders of existences, sustain them and regulate them harmoniously and then to absorb them back within herself.
Proccalata – She is completely free or self determined in all her movements and is the controller of all movements of all beings born of her and nurtured by her, which means anything and everything contained in the cosmos.
Pratyagmukhata – During this whole process of unfolding of Sakti, Gorakshnath notes, that her face is always turned towards Siva. Siva is her Lord, Inspirer, She exists in, by and for Him eternally exists to contribute to delight him.

We can say that as the playful Sakti manifests her creations and her children, they all carry within themselves the same yearning that she has for conscious union with Siva. So it is important for us to realize that all of us as her children somewhere deep down have this search for something beyond ourselves. That search and thirst in us to know beyond ourselves is our yearning to go back to Siva from whom everything emerges.

The Kundalini Sakti and the Soul which is Siva resides in each living being. Try to get in touch with your inner self. The next few chapters will throw more light on Siva and how so many living manifestations of Sakti have evolved.

Next….Chapter 2 – Manifestation of Siva as Cosmic Purusha