ARDHANARISVARA

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Siva is unknowable to even the king of gods, Indra. He is the God of gods. In all the worlds, He is the First and the Foremost (Attributeless Brahman) among Brahma, Hari and Rudra with the portfolios of creation, maintenance and destruction. He is the Grandfather (Father) of all. He is my father who has Uma (Sakti) reigning one half of Him. He is the king of all, who reigns over me. I am not the subject of anyone; I am not afraid of anything. We rejoice our association with servitors of Siva.

Vāyavīya- Samhitā says: “By the will of Śiva, Parā-Śakti is united with Śiva-tattva and at the beginning of Creation appears from It just as oil from sesamum seed when pressed.” --Woodroffe

The Story Behind Ardhanarisvara

Siva and Parvati were in Kailas. Vishnu, Brahma, Indra and other celestials came to pay their respects to the divine couple individually. The doorkeeper was Nandhi, commonly called The Bull, which is regarded as the theriomorphic form of Siva Himself. The visitors paid individual visits to Siva and Parvati and obtained their good wishes and boons. Bhringin Muni (Silent Sage) paid no attention to Parvati (Sakti) and worshipped only Siva and went on his way. Parvati, sensing his contempt and arrogance, drew his flesh by her breath. The Muni, not bothered by this, became skin and bones, walked on his skeletal legs, and worshipped Siva. Siva knowing that this was the sacred play of Parvati for the Muni's slight of Parvati, gave him a third skin-covered skeletal leg to walk on without falling. Once the Muni left the premises, Parvati left Kailas to the mountainside to perform austerities standing on a sturdy column. She took her sons Vinayak and Muruga and seven Mothers. Impressed and pleased by the austerities of Parvati, Siva came to the site of penance with his attendants. He addressed Devi and asked her what she wanted. Parvati spoke as follows. Since we have two individual bodies, we have this problem with the devotee, wanting to seek your boons and thoroughly ignoring me. Therefore, I seek to become the left half of your body.

In compliance to Devi's request, Siva took her on his left side. Ardhanarisvara is left half Parvati and right half Siva. The sacred place for worship of Ardhanarisvara is Tirukkodu. This also had a shrine for their younger son Muruga, also known as Skanda. The God is Ardhanarisvara and the Goddess is Pakampiriyal (பாகம்பிரியாள்).

Father is the Creator and Mother is the Liberator from the world of miseries. Androgynous Siva-Sakti (Chennai Museum) has the right half for male and left half for female; the former is the creative Purusa Sakti, while the latter is the liberating sakti; Purusa is Daksina (right) and Sakti is Vama (left). As long as the androgynous form endures, Sakti and Siva are in balance, Samsara (life on earth) plays its havoc on Jiva (we the people) and liberation is in abeyance. When the Sadhaka by his intense Sadhana (spiritual effort) awakens the liberating left side and renders it more powerful than the creative Purusa right side, Devi in her new-found power gleefully encroaches on the right side, fills it with her liberating power, and confers liberation to Jiva. This transformation earns her the name Daksina Kali, the liberator and savior of the three worlds. The androgynous form is fully transformed into Sakti form, until a round of creation comes into force and the androgynous form makes a comeback. This Daksina form is a reversal of Isvari to its neutral form, Brahman, who is free of gunas, creative, preservative and destructive qualities. Daksina-Brahma form transforms into Isvara with Maya and gunas and a galaxy of gods, goddesses, men and beings, and matter issue forth from her. All gods and goddesses are equal in the eye of Devi; any sectarian attempts to claim superiority of one god or goddess over another is against Saktitattva. A good Sadhaka is one who recognizes that Adhisakti (Adyasakti, primordial ancient Sakti) encompasses Vishnu, Siva, Surya, and Ganesa Saktis. Bhagavan speaks of himself as written in Tantra Sastra, " Brahman, Sakti, and Mahesvara: these three are one and the same; the only difference among them is that Brahman is neuter, Sakti is feminine, and Mahesvara is masculine. In the highest consideration, all are same, but the descriptive words are different." Actor portraying a character has no direct connection with that character; in like manner Bhagavan has no connection with the form he portrays. But that portrayal of a form has meaning to the Jiva (we the people, the audience, the spectator). Siva and Sakti assume the gender-specific forms to please the Sadhaka; once the Sadhaka attains siddhi meditating on these forms, Nirguna neuter Brahman reveals itself to the Sadhaka. Sadhaka may want to image her in his mind in the form of Durga, Kali, Krishna, Lakshmi, Radha, Rama, Siva, Sita, Tara, Vishnu, father, mother, or Guru; A Vaishnava needs to exercise no compulsion to consider Devi as Vishnu and Sakta needs no compulsion to consider Devi as Sakti. When we delve deep into meditation and enter the realm of Citsakti, all differences in form and gender evaporate and Kalisakti, Sivasakti, Krishnasakti, and all other saktis lose their individual identity and merge into one sakti because of sloshing waves in the ocean of citsakti. Mahasakti forms the hypostasis of all five forms, Siva, Vishnu, Durga, Ganesa and Surya and offers liberation. He who realizes that unity in five forms knows Sakti tattva.

Cardinal: gynandromorph: Scarlet right side is male and the taupe left side is female, from fusion of developing embryo that were fertilized separately. Credit: New York Times Date: Feb 12, 2019

Top left, a male blue morpho butterfly; top middle, a female. The remainder are gynandromorphic, with both male and female characteristics.CreditCreditNipam H. Patel NYT dated February 26, 2019

In the androgynous Siva n the above painting (of Ardhanarisvara, the left half is female in red color and the right half is male with white color. It is rare in the animal kingdom to have a gynandromorph in a cardinal. See the plumage. Its left half is taupe of female and the right half is the signature scarlet of male.

This form representing the male and female halves transcends the distinction between and limitation of male and female and takes the transcendent Lord to a level above and beyond the gender which is Brahman, realization of which means liberation. This is a fusion of Siva and Sakti (Bindu and Nada). Sakti part is golden, while Siva part is snow-white. Androgynous Siva wears gender-specific apposite earrings, Nakhra Kundala on the right ear and Patra Kundala on the left ear. According to Saiva saint poets, he is Ammai-Appar, Mother and Father.

Androgyny: The west says that Brahma converted himself into two persons: the first male, Manu Svayambhuva and the first female, Satarupa. It regards the Biblical Adam as androgynous and one of his ribs gave rise to Eve. Page 48-49 Harper's Dictionary of Hinduism. Now you know why Adam is getting ribbed for his role in the creation of Eve.

In Science Channel, there was a presentation of Chimera (XX plus XY) in the same newborn baby. This is a truly androgynous baby or Hermaphrodite. The TV special reports: Babies are being born split (not literally) right down the middle, half black and half white, a testicle on one side and a vagina on the other. Explore the extraordinary medical phenomenon that causes two different babies to fuse together in the womb. The explanation is as follows. Originally two sperms fertilized two eggs of the mother all at the same time, the father's X bearing sperm fertilizes the X-bearing egg and the father's Y-bearing sperm fertilizes the X-bearing egg. Now we have two separate fertilized eggs (XX and XY), (not) destined to become a girl and a boy. Nature decides otherwise; the two embryos come together and became one embryo (A Chimera) resulting in a baby who has the testis on one side and ovary on the other side and an ambiguous genitalia. The same baby has on the abdomen a line in the midline the left side is lighter and the right side darker giving us the clue that this baby is two babies in one.

Genetically speaking, there was no boy or no girl to begin with. Sex Chromosomes X and Y are mutants of somatic chromosomes. One somatic chromosome decided it was not going to stay a mere somatic chromosome. A little change here and there made it different from the fellow chromosome. It called itself X Chromosome, which duplicated itself. Now we have XX, a female sex chromosomal pair. Now we have the First girl. Something goes wrong as said above, we have babies who are androgynous like Ardhanarisvara. One X underwent mutation here and there and became Y. Y has been a loser right from the beginning. It was losing genes as a gambler was losing his bets. Y became a gene-poor chromosome. It is like a cash-poor wallet. Nobody has any respect (think of Rodney Dangerfield). Here is a state when somatic chromosome became X, then Y after duplication, still later androgynous XX-XY and still later separation into XX and XY. Chromosomal pairs do the dance and exchange genes. Y was not talking much with the X and thus exchanging very little. X is robust and Y is a runt. If you look at it, you will feel sorry for it. X is neat gene; Y is a messy gene. Just look at the boy's room and compare it to his sister's room.

Sakti is also known as Girija. "A" is Siva; "Ham" is Sakti and in combination, it is AHAM, "I." Siva part is male form (Pum rupa), Sakti is Sivon Mukhi (turning towards Siva). The relationship between the two is called Mithah Samavaya, mutual agreement or obligation, by which Sakti (Nada) turns and looks up to Siva (Bindu) for beginning creation. There is another interpretation: Siva aspect is mere Consciousness, Jyoti, in whose proximity, she (Sakti and Nada), desirous of change, becomes heavy (ghanibhuya) and assumes the form of Bindu. She, in the Bindu form, divides to become Bindu on the right side and Visarga on the left side: the male and the female aspects. Visarga = creation. Ham is Bindu and Sah is Visarga; Hamsa is the Mantra; its original form before inversion is So-Ham. Sa-ham = "She I am." Go to >> Mantra -Om Namasivaya>> for more details. Hamsa (personified or deified) is the union of Purusa and prakrti, Consciousness and matter, Siva and Sakti. We are back to Siva-Sakti in Hamsa, who as a Devata resides in Sahasrara Chakra and receives stuti (praise) from Saivas, Saktas, and Vaishnavas, who (the last one) call it Parama Purusa, while the Hari-Haras (worshippers of united Vishnu and Siva) call it Hari-Hara.

Nada is substrate and Bindu is substance. Nada is gold and Bindu is gold jewelry. Nada and Bindu are One. Remember, Siva is static; Sakti is dynamic and creative. Siva is Being (Sat) and Sakti is Becoming. Siva and Sakti exist in Ninmala Turiya state (Stainless Purity). Sakti has no feet, but moves faster than air; she has no ears, but hears; she has no eyes, but sees; she has no tongue, but tastes-- Mahakali stotra. Kali, the sakti of Siva is both gentle and ferocious, Siva and Sakti

Nada and Bindu (Sakti and Siva), female and male principles, are present in every created being in this universe. What is dominant in a human (being) determines the geno- and phenotypical sex of the individual. Before the fetus differentiates into male and female, it has all the necessary primitive organs and devices to go either way or other ways. When Bindu is dominant (XY genotype), the fetus becomes male under the raging fervor of Bindu which attenuates the female structures (Mullerian duct system). When Nada is dominant (XX genotype) the male structures (Wolffian Duct System) attenuate and a female fetus emerges. Each person still has the residual principle of the opposite sex in him or her. When both principles are present, the product is androgynous.

Siva aspect is said to possess down-turned digit of the moon dripping nectar. Siva and Sakti are the cotyledons of a pea in a sheath (pea with a skin), the sheath being Maya, removal of which shows the unitary existence of a pea as two cotyledons; in like manner when Maya is removed, unmanifest Siva and Sakti transform from latency to Siva and Sakti. (In another instance, Siva and Sakti were compared to the two halves of the grain of gram covered by sheath.)
Siva and Sakti are compared to gold and gold ornaments; they are same; Sakti has a multitude of manifestations, while Siva is hypostasis. Siva is the foundation (Consciousness) in a canvas; Sakti is the images on the canvas.

When it comes to worship of Ardhanarisvara, some worship the Siva aspect and some worship the Sakti aspect. Siva is Saktiman (Holder of Power), though he is inert. Siva is Sava (dead body) without Sakti. All that power in creation, maintenance, and dissolution rests with Sakti (Nada), though the Great Mother does not exist without Siva or Saktiman. All that infused sakti that exists in man is manifest in prakrti, manas and jivatma (matter, mind, and life), a limitation of SatChitAnada or Being, Consciousness and Bliss. The full expression of SatChitAnanda comes to jiva when it transcends the name and form, mind and matter. Siva is Stasis and Sakti is Dynamism. Where there is stasis, movement tips the scale, where there is dynamism, stasis is rest. He is whole (Purna) and She is not whole (Apurna); He is Nishkala and Sakti is Sakala; He is One; She is many; He is Infinite and She renders the Infinite into finite; He is formless and She renders the Formless into myriad forms; He is the Supreme Power; He is SatChitAnanda; She is SatChitAnadayamayi; She transforms, mutates, veils and reveals it. This transformation is evident when Siva Sakti originating from Parasamvit undergoes a vertical step-down transformation from Siva Tattva to Sakti Tattva to Sadasiva Tattva to Isvara Tattva to Suddha Vidya Tattva, each one retaining its status and potency, but the latter compared to the former is of lesser Consciousness. In this step-down process, the Siva Consciousness undergoes transformation and dilution (less pure).

When Kundalini Sakti rises from Muladhara plane to Sahasrara plane, all tattvas and devatas dissolve in her: this is involution; Ardhanarisvara residing in Visuddha Chakra dissolves in Kundalini Devi, who unites with Paramasiva after passing through the Knot of Rudra at Ajna Chakra.

When Siva is worshipped in the form Ardhanariswara (half male, half female) with four arms giving boons, the devotee experiences all the joys of Sivaloka and receives the power of Animaa (ability to assume a minute form), the appropriate knowledge lasting as long as the moon and stars, and liberation. (Linga Purana 76.34-37.)

Sarada says that there are seven saktis: Paramesvara as Satchidananda, Siva, Sakti, KArana Bindu, KArya Bindu, KArya NAda, and Bija. Another source in relation to Kundalini Yoga says that there are corresponding seven Saktis: Unmani, Samani, Anji, Mahanada, Nada, Ardhachandra, and Bindu. A combination of all these Saktis with Om gives a list of 12 Saktis: UnmanA, SamanA, VyApika, Anjani, Mahanada, Nada, Nirodhini, Ardhachandra, Bindu, Ma-KAra, U-KAra, A-KAra. Kundalini Power for more details.

Transformation of Supreme Consciousness: Dumb-down of Super Consciousness of Siva to mere human consciousness

0: Parasamvit = High Voltage Pure Consciousness. Aham and Idam are unitary ( "I" and "This")

1. Siva Tattva = SatChitAnanda Aham. It is the Chit (Consciousness) aspect of SatChitAnanda; Consciousness is inward-looking - the Status of "I" (Subject). It is said that Aham ("I") stood for the love of Self for the Self. Idam (This) is the potential Parasakti. Aham is the inert or static aspect of Consciousness, meaning it forms the substratum or the support (hypostasis) of the manifest universe. It is like the riverbed in a river, the canvas in a painting, the skeleton in a body. They are not visible but without them (support) the entities do not exist. His Will is His brush, His body is the canvas, and the world is the picture painted on his body. Here Consciousness is the Subject and the object(s) is lurking -- manifestation is in potential state and the kinetic state of Siva is under check. Panchadasi defines Idam as follows: All that are perceived by the sensory organs, motor organs, the mind, Buddhi, and scriptures come under IDAM (Panchadasi 2.18)

2. Sakti Tattva: Sakti or Energy produces a strain or stress (deformation) on the Universal Consciousness of Siva Tattva. The Consciousness loses its unitary existence; it becomes bifid: aham and Idam, I and this, subject and object, positive and negative, anabolism and catabolism. This kinesis is like that of an athlete bursting into a catapultic sprint, and a painter pouring forth his energy (heart, mind, and soul) on the canvas with nimble deft paint strokes. That is Sakti Tattva, energy called Ananada of SatChitAnanda. It is no more unitary existence of Supreme Oneness; with the emergence of Sakti, it has become a world of two, Aham and Idam. Siva's Ananda (Bliss) welled up from the three corners of his heart, Iccha, Jnana and Kriya and rose to his face to witness his own splendor called Sakti. Siva's Iccha, Jnana and Kriya (Will, Knowledge, and Action) know no limitation: Supreme Will and Confidence, Supreme Knowledge, and Supreme Execution in a logical sequential fashion. This logical element is one of the mainstays of Saiva Siddhanta showing the cascading descent of Siva Tattva to Sakti Tattva to Sadasiva Tattva, to Isvara Tattva and to Suddha Vidya Tattva.

3. Sadasiva Tattva = Grace, "This" (Idam) Consciousness is outward-looking.
4. Isvara or IsaTattva = Mahesvara, concealment. "I" (Aham) is inward looking.
5. Suddha Vidya Tattvam = Aham and Idam = "I and This" of equal emphasis. Creation, Preservation and dissolution. Suddha Vidya = Pure Knowledge.

Man is Siva and Sakti in human form, a degenerate (more politely -- very dilute) version of SatChitAnanda; Ananda is yet to be acquired. More correctly, Human consciousness is a contracted form (Sam-Koca) of Siva's Consciousness. It has possibilities with the potential for expansion, though it is at the bottom of Infinite Consciousness or Pure Consciousness. As you noticed, even gods (in Suddha Tattvas) have a contracted version of Siva's Consciousness. The contraction in us is due to Sakti imposing the limitation in the way of mind and matter and veiling. Yoga and worship help raise it to its perfect expression, which soars above the limitations of mind, matter and earthly life and becomes SatChitAnanda (Being, Consciousness, Bliss).

Sakti's essential nature is portrayed in the following actions: It is because of their Saktis --Brahmani, Vaisnavi and Rudrani--, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra create, maintain and dissolve this universe. Siva is the seed and She is the Womb. He is Light and She is Fire.

In Tantra literature, there are five Sivas: Sadasiva, Isa, Rudra, Vishnu, and Brahma; all of them are described as "Five Great corpses" because they are all inert without Sakti. It is like the king without kingdom; it is like Oracle of Omaha without his billions. Siva is Sava (corpse, Sava Rupa); hence, Sakti Devi is portrayed as standing on Sava-Siva. The Five Great Corpses (pancha-maha-preta) become inanimate objects upon which Devi sits, reclines, presides, and merges as Consciousness. Siva is the couch; Sadasiva is the mattress; Isa is the pillow; Isa, Rudra, Hari (Vishnu), and Brahma are the four legs of the couch. Tripurasundari reclines or sits majestically on the couch. (See the painting from ExoticIndia.com) Sundari is united with Higher Siva, Paramasiva in Pranava, AUM. The Nada (Chandrabindu/ Nadabindu) over the Omkara is the couch, on which Paramasiva in his Bindu form is reclining. Chandrabindu is Nada and Bindu, Sakti and Siva in one unit. The erotic and sometimes morbid symbolism is illustrative of Sakti's power.

The crescent moon with the dot is Chandrabindu (Nadabindu) or the couch of Tripurasundari in union with Paramasiva. The icon presents five components: A, U, M, Nada (the Crescent), and Bindu (the dot). Just imagine the crescent moon being the couch! Nada is Sound, Bindu is the derivative of Nada and the source of the universe. Nada is called Visvamata or Mother of the Universe; Bindu is Duhkha Hara or Pain Killer or remover of pain. This idea from antiquity (actually a revealed knowledge) makes one consider that the Big Bang came from Nada-Bindu, a dot.

As you may notice, the Pure Consciousness in its step-down process becomes the Spirit in the first five Spiritual Tattvas (1-5), then becomes knowledge in the seven knowledge Tattvas (6-12), and matter in the 24 Anma Tattvas ((13-36). Tattva #12 is the human soul, which has limited knowledge and wears and sports the Anma Tattvas for its everyday life on this earth. Go to Tattvas-36 for the list. This descent is called evolution and the retrograde ascent by the Yogi is called involution or absorption of all Tattvas by Kundalini Devi while the Yogi ascends from Muladhara Chakra to Sahasrara Chakra and goes from matter, to knowledge to Higher Consciousness.

Mayai is one of Siva's energies that veils spiritual truths from souls. The soul has an inherent impurity, Anava, which has to be shed before Grace is conferred on an aspirant. Anava is ego, I-ness and Mine-ness; there is only one EGO in this Universe and that is Siva. There cannot be two egos clashing with each other. It is like saying that there can be only one president in the nation and not two presidents. As long as the soul has this Anava-ego, spiritual truths will not be revealed. Shedding it is the step towards gaining spiritual knowledge and Grace. Breaking the coconut in a temple is symbolic of breaking your ego in front of God. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says in Sayings of Ramakrishna, sayings 99-100, page 45, egotism is like a cloud that keeps God hidden from our sight. As long as ego veils the heart God cannot shine upon it. Rama is like God, Sita is Maya behind him, Lakshmana is Jiva behind Sita; in that predicament how could Lakshmana see Rama? Lakshmana moved to the side to look at Rama.

Para Brahman is without attributes; Brahman with Mayai is Isvara (manifest Brahman or Siva); Brahman with avidya (ignorance) is the individual soul (Jiva). Definition of Brahman is more complex than what is apparent. To be Brahman is not to have any attributes (Nishkala). Where do these Maya and Ignorance come from? Are they grafted on Brahman? What is their origin or source? For Brahman to have Maya and ignorance negates or degrades his status. There are several explanations. It is said that Maya is the body of Brahman and Avidya is the body of Jiva. Tat Tvam Asi = That thou art. Tat is Isvara or Brahman with Maya as his body or Upadhi (limitation or adjunct); Tvam is Jiva ( individual soul) with Avidya (ignorance) as its body. Jiva becomes Brahman when Maya is eliminated from Brahman and Avidya (Ignorance) from Jiva; Maya and Avidya are actually Avastu (not a substance, non-existent). Brahman is Consciousness (Cit) in his unmanifest form; in his manifest form he sports his Maya aspect; Avidya makes him Sakala (many forms and names in this universe). Maya, as inscrutable sakti, is said to be pure Sattva (goodness), and Avidya contributes the sheaths (Kosas). Sankara says that all this is Brahman, the hypostasis; and the rest is Maya (illusion). What we perceive with our senses is Maya and appearance; it is a state of mind. There is truth in that, according to Sankara followers. Without mind there is no world. Sankara establishes the unity of Isvara and Jiva by eliminating Maya from the former and Avidya from the latter. But a Sakta (believer in Sakti) is an inclusive person and does not eliminate anything; all is Brahman, Atma is Siva, Atma's body and mind are Siva Sakti. Siva as Parabraman is Siva Sakti (Cit Sakti) without action; Siva as Isvara is Siva Sakti exercising Maya Sakti which is movement and change. Sakta talks about Paravastu (Supreme substance) and says that their is no sakti without Siva and no Siva without Sakti. Siva, the Mayin, is not affected by Maya. It is like the heat in the sun; heat never bothers the sun. To a Sakta, Cit and Maya Saktis are Siva Consciousness, variable in their scope. Sankara's Isvara is shrouded in unconscious Maya , while Sakta's Isvara is all Himself projecting Sakti. Sankara's Brahman is the common denominator when you subtract Maya from Isvara and Avidya from Jiva. There are many views on this subject. Brahman is Vivarta cause (abiding, moving) and Maya is the Saha Kari, cooperative cause. (Vivartavāda is assertion of the Vedanta doctrine which maintains the development of the Universe from Brahma(n) as the sole real entity, the phenomenal world being held to be a mere illusion or maya.) Maya originates from Brahman and that being so, Maya Sakti cannot be unreal. Brahman is Vivarta cause; Brahman is the hypostasis of illusion through Maya; Maya is Parinama (transformational) cause. This Maya is like the Laser Show. There is another twist. Brahman, Maya, and Avidya form a braid which creates the world and beings. Ramanujacharya does not believe Brahman as the repository of Maya and Avidya. Ramanuja puts the following question: How could it possible that Avidya (Ignorant) Brahman produces a Maya (unreal) world? To Ramanuja, Brahman is the Soul; the universe and beings are his body. Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita makes everything simple and straightforward. 10.36: I am the fraud of the gambler; of the splendid, I am the splendor; I am victory; I am the resolve (of the resolute); I am the absolute virtue of the virtuous. This says everything; He is the essence in the good, the bad, the ugly and the indifferent. He is knowledge, He is ignorance, He is illusion, He is the world, He is the Universe, He is the Cosmos, He is Time, He is Beyond Time, He is Beyond the beyond.

7.8: I am the taste in the water, O Son of Kunti I am the light in the moon and the sun, the prānava (AUM) in the Vedas, sound in the ether and the virility (manhood) in men. Bhagavadgita

7.9: I am the pure fragrance of the earth; I am the brightness in the fire; I am the life in all the living entities; I am the tapa (austerity) in ascetics.

7.10: O son of Partha, know me to be the eternal (Sanātanam) seed of all living beings; I am the intelligence of the intelligent; I am the brilliance of the brilliant.

7.11: I am strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am carnal desire in all within the principles of dharma (duty, virtue and righteousness), O Arjuna.

9.16: I am the ritual; I am the sacrifice; I am the oblation; I am the medicinal herb; I am the mantra; I am certainly the melted butter; I am the fire; and I am the offering.

9.17: I am the father of this world, the mother, the supporter, and the grandfather. I am the object of knowledge, and the purifier. I am Omkara (the syllable AUM or OM), Rg, Sama, and Yajur Veda.

9.18: I am the goal, the sustainer, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the refuge, the selfless friend, the creation, the dissolution, the resting place, the repository, and the imperishable seed.

9.19: I give heat; I withhold and send forth rain. I am immortality and certainly death. I am Sat (Being) and Asat (non-being), O Arjuna.

10.20: I am the Atma O Gudakesa (Arjuna) seated in the hearts of all living beings. I am the beginning, also the middle, and certainly the end of all beings.

10.21: Of the Adityas, I am Vishnu. Of the lights, I am the radiant sun. Of the Maruts, I am the Marici. Of the stars, I am the moon.

10.22: Of the Vedas, I am the Samaveda. Of all the gods, I am the Vasavah. Of all the Indriyas (senses), I am the mind. I am consciousness in living beings. Vasava is Indira.

10.23: Of the (eleven) Rudras, I am Sankara (Lord Siva). (I am) Vitteso (Kubera) of the yaksas and Raksasas. Of the (eight) Vasus, I am Fire. I am Meru of all mountaintops or peaks.

Brahman Mayai is the material cause of the universe and therefore is substratum of matter. In its primal state, it is subtle, impalpable, imperceptible, indestructible, formless (arupa), eternal and all-pervasive. It is like Ether, the stem substance. Whether Ether and Mayai are the same or not, I am not sure, but an intriguing thought. In its manifest form, Mayai is of prodigious fecundity and has names and forms-- the universe around us. Matter comes and goes, transforms and mutates; but Mayai remains the same.

Siva and Sakti are one; Sakti is the dynamic force that moves animate and inanimate objects. It is the movement in cosmos and movement in the atom; it is movement in the animated ones, the living souls.