Invitation to World Religions

The Teachings of Hinduism  125

Shiva is usually depicted sitting in deep meditation on Mount Kailasha in the Himalayas, with a tiger skin wrapped about his waist and wearing serpents for jewelry. His third eye is turned inward in meditative contemplation, and he wears the crescent moon and the holy river Ganges in his matted hair. A common symbol of Shiva is the linga, an abstract phallic symbol that represents his cre- ative potential. His consort Parvati is also believed by Shaivas to represent the creative energy of the universe. Shaktism  The cults of the Great Goddess venerate her as the supreme

cause and end of the universe. Although she has many names and many forms, the Great Goddess is most often referred to as Devi, Mahadevi, or Shakti. Devotees of the goddess are referred to as Shaktas. The primacy of Devi is definitively asserted in the fifth century ce. Sanskrit text called the Devi Mahatmya (“The Greatness of Devi”), which, as noted previously, is part of the Markandeya Purana , posits that the supreme cause of the universe is femi- nine. The text argues for Devi’s greatness through three main myths, the most impor- tant of which tells how she killed the buffalo-headed demon, Mahisha, who threatened the world and whom even the gods Vishnu and Shiva were not able to vanquish. To Shaktas the goddess is all-powerful and pervades the entire universe. She is the one who creates, preserves, and destroys the universe in harmony with the rhythms of cosmic time. The Devi Mahatmya teaches that the goddess is eternal and that she manifests herself over and over again in order to protect the universe as a mother would her child. Shaivas and Shaktas have much in common, as Shiva and Devi (also called Par- vati) are believed by both sects to be married to each other. So the difference between Shaivism and Shaktism is a matter of emphasis regarding the importance of each of these two primal forces. For Shaivas, Shiva is pure consciousness that pervades all existence, and Devi is his creative (but subordinate) power. In contrast, Shaktas be- lieve that Shiva is entirely passive and that Shakti is the creative energy that consti- tutes and governs the whole of existence. Thus, the Shaktas say that “Shiva without Shakti is shava ” (Sanskrit, “a corpse”), an idea that is iconographically represented in the form of the goddess Kali dancing upon the inert body of Shiva. Gurus, Saints, and Sages  Entire sects of Hinduism are constantly forming around the veneration of gurus, saints, and ascetics. In the words of one scholar, Pallava period, seventh century, Mahishasura Mardini Cave, Mamallapuram Tamil Nadu, India. PROPERTY OF OXFORD Accompanied by a legion of other god- desses and fierce creatures and riding a lion, Devi, in the form of the goddess Durga, protects the world by battling the buffalo demon Mahishasura. (The buffalo is as- sociated with Yama, the god of death.)

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