Mythology stems from the societal characteristics, the shared aspirations, the folklores, of a time lost in antiquity.
While the stories are from an era long gone, the emotions, the fears, the desires, remain the same;
who is an ideal man, who is the epitome of womanhood, what does the society demand?
The wheels turn, and along with them, the sagas take on new shades, exotic hues!
Each story, a real-life scenario, with its heroes and it’s demons;
each character, the face of a vice or the embodiment of a virtue!
How then, can the myth of Shiva & Shakti be different?
The story of a virtuous god, with the power to destroy, and his divine muse;
of masculinity and the contrasting femininity;
of strength and softness;
of steadfastness and pliability;
of ruthless fervour and empathetic care;
a myth of a fusion, an amalgamation of what when seen as separate, is incomplete, but together, makes a whole!
There are hordes that go searching, on pilgrimages, on quests, wondering whether this whole, this completeness, this divinity, eludes.
The journey seems long, sometimes futile, yet the hungry mind doesn’t give up.
There would be ways to appease the gods, ways to find them and ways to hold on to them…
Where can I find Shiva?
What form has Shakti adorned?
A short pause, to catch a breath, or maybe to reevaluate, change the strategy, try a new mantra…
a new dilemma- to give up or to go just a bit further, agitated and tired.
When all seems pointless, somewhere, deep from within, an arrow breaks through, a bolt of lightning, bursting from the core…
both reside within, in the depths of each and every soul, one can’t exist without the other.
Where once they were seen as two separates, coming together to complete each other, now they are seen as two sides of the same coin, yin and yang, not shackled by the stereotypes. Not humanised to appease the masses. Now, a personification of human traits…
masculinity and femininity;
strength and softness;
steadfastness and pliability;
ruthless fervour and empathetic care;
pragmatism and romanticism!
They dance their dance, deep within each;
There is a Shiva in me!
And Shakti too!
I am complete!
Artika Arora Bakshi is the author of two well-acclaimed children’s books, My Little Sikh Handbook, My Little Sikh Handbook 2: Ardas. She co-manages the thegoodbookcorner.
