Navratri begins with worship and respects for the initiator of unfolding the universe. The story of Parvati and Lord Shiva is one of ecstatic transcendence. Jimutavahana, Shiva Rides the Clouds from Shambhavi Chopra's Yogini. I take this story from her book.
"Parvati, in the embrace of Lord Shiva, being carried above the clouds, was so ecstatic that she gave him the name "Kamadeva," the Lord of Desire, the catalyst for all creative processes, whom Shiva had slain, was reborn the moment Parvati embraced him...Shiva yielded to Parvati's soft, sweet words, her smile stirring love in Shiva's austere heart.
The two complimented each other perfectly. She was gentle and divinely graceful; He was wild and forceful. Her subtle lasya tempered his energetic tandava and created perfect harmony. Together, the Divine cosmic couple captivated the vibrations of the Universe.
Parvati gently enticed Shiva into the ways of the world, and through a myriad of questions aroused his concern for the cosmos, Nature, society, life, love and marriage, which he was previously oblivious to.
His great wisdom, acquired through eons of brooding and meditation, was shared for the good of the cosmos. Parvati was the perfect student, Shiva the perfect teacher. Through their cosmic union, the world was enriched by sacred conversations and the secrets of the Vedas, the splendors of the Shastras and the deep mysteries of the Tantras were revealed. Lost in the heights of Mount Meru, at the very center of the Universe, Shiva, the supreme yogi and Shakti, his sensual female consort, together view the world. The cosmic couple is satiated with the transcendental peace that follows the ecstasy of their union.
Shiva explained to his consort the meaning of transcendence. The whole of existance is consummated with transcendence, which is the goal of all yogas. Transcendence reaches beyond all phenominal limitations and is the supreme goal of evolution; the ultimate destiny of our creaturely existance. The creative force of Bahma brings all beings into existance, while the preserving force of Vishnu protects their lives. The transcendental force of Shiva leads one beyond worldlieness, moving from the mundane to the metaphysical. On the highest level, transcendence is the complete experience of reality beyond both worldlieness and death.
Each of these deities is inseparable from its respective counterpart, the feminine energy or shakti. In Tantra, every higher principal exists through the union of male and female forces. Shakti is the essence of sheer bliss. Through bhakti or devotion, she uplifts the force of faith. The shakti of Brahma, Saraswati, is the patroness of 64 traditional arts. These arts and sciences add to the charm and eloquence of the person.
Without such modes of expression, our lives would be devoid of zeal, ardor or passion. These arts form a means of communication and self-expression for our deepest urges. Shiva's consort Kali is the initiator to transcendence. A woman becomes one with Kali by coming to terms with her own awesome power of initiation. Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu's consort, is the pure embodiement of preservation, prosperity and beauty. The triad of these three forces of creativity, transcendence and preservation correspond to birth, death and life in our very existance.
Love unites us to the source, the supreme creative force in the universe, where Shiva and Shakti merge."
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