Duality of Shakti – The Twin Aspects of Prakriti

Prakriti means Nature. Nature is the creation of gods and a manifestation of the Brahman. One of the most important and visible aspect of the nature is its duality. Everything manifests itself in pairs – day and night, cold and hot, men and women, pain and pleasure, creation and destruction, birth and death, highs and lows, light and dark. This duality of the Nature makes it more complex and layered. Also, this gives us a chance to choose our destiny and pave our own path in this world. These dualities keep our existence exciting and unknown. It makes it uncertain and unpredictable. It can change without notice and take diverse forms. Hence, duality is everywhere and makes things more complex and provides us with more of the material universe. The opposite to the theory of Duality is the concept of Advaita Vedanta which was propounded Gauḍapādacharya, Adi Shankara etc which postulates that the true Self – individual soul, Atman (Ātman), shorn of avidya – is the same as the highest reality, Brahman.

Duality has no limits or boundaries. It manifests itself into every aspect of the Brahman. It is present in the tiniest particle of the creation as well as in highest manifestations of the Brahman i.e. the gods. This duality exists due to the duality of the Brahman itself. Brahman has both known as well as unknown aspects. It has existence as well as non-existence. As creation and the Nature are the manifestations of the Brahman, duality exists here too.

Here are the fundamental dualities that are associated with Nature-

• Sambhuthi and Asambhuti

Sambhuti means anything that is manifested and Asambhuti means something that has not been manifested. The things that have appeared or taken place are manifested. The things that are yet to appear are unmanifested. Nature, before its creation was not manifested. But after a part of it was created it became manifested. Further inside nature, there are things that are manifested and unmanifested, things that happen with time. The past is considered to be manifested and the future is considered to be unmanifested as it is yet to take place. Similarly, in humans their present body state is manifested where as their future body state is unmanifested. This type of duality brings about change and diversity in nature.

• Gross and Subtle

Anything that is visible to the human eyes is considered to be gross. The things that are not visible but exist and can be felt are considered to be subtle. In a way they are similar to manifested and unmanifested. Examples- physical body is gross, the soul is subtle. The physical body perishes but the subtle soul does not. In the five elements – earth, water and fire are considered gross and air and space are subtle. Similarly, breathe, intelligence, emotions are all subtle. The physical world is gross whereas the heavenly world is subtle. Our thoughts and our subconscious mind is subtle. The nature around us is gross.

• Active and Inactive

Nature has both active as well as inactive components in its creation. The inanimate objects are inactive. The lower life forms are partially active and the higher life forms are completely active. These levels of activeness depends on the creatures drive for pleasures and desires in life. Human beings have moment and they are lively and active. This is because of their greater desires and drive to accomplish something. The lower life forms with partial movement do not have that many desires and hence they are satisfied in their limited movement. According to the Vedas, among the gunas- tamas is responsible for inertia or rest and, sattva and rajas are responsible for movement.

• Pleasant and Unpleasant

Nature has both pleasant as well as unpleasant aspects. Both of these aspects play an important role as a part of the nature. The pleasant aspects of nature are its ability to create, nurture and liberate. The unpleasant aspects or nature are its ability to bind, conceal and destroy. Nature can be gentle, peaceful, protective and beautiful. But on the other hand nature can be destructive, powerful, fierce and chaotic. These aspects of the nature are worshipped by the people according to their desires and they help in the recreation and transformation of the nature.

• Bondage and Liberation

Bondage and liberation exist in nature. Nature binds its various aspects together to create new things. The five elements are bonded together in different combinations and proportions to create diverse life forms. The nature is also responsible for binding the soul to the body. This soul then undergoes the cycle of birth and death. Liberation happens when the body dies and the soul becomes free of its binding. The liberation of the soul takes place through transformation that supress the bindings and aspects of the nature hence freeing the soul from its influence. The divine beings are all bound to nature even though they are immortal because they are a part of the nature’s manifestation.

• Knowledge and Ignorance

Nature contains both knowledge as well as ignorance. Both of these aspects of nature have positive as well negative qualities. Knowledge arises from perception and understanding of anything that we seek. It arises from our intuitions and processioning of everything that we see. The knowledge attained through liberation of the soul is considered to be the highest form of knowledge. As humans we are kept under a delusion from the ultimate truth and supreme knowledge of this universe. We can attain the truth only through the liberation of our inner self. Ignorance can occur due to delusions and impurity of the mind and body. Hence it is essential to be pure inside-out in order to see things clearly.

• Delusion and Reality

The nature is also called Maya or delusion. This is because it casts a net of delusion upon the beings to keep them in ignorance of the ultimate truth and reality. Due to this delusion, we do not recognize or know of our spiritual self. This delusion upon the beings keeps the Ishvara concealed and hidden from the mortal world. Due to this the beings do not know of the true nature or existence pf the divine beings. The reality is that only the supreme self-i.e. the Brahman is real. Everything else, even the divine beings are all his manifestations and projections. Also, beings are subject to different levels of delusions based on their importance. The darkest worlds have more delusion and are very far from reality whereas the sunlit worlds are closer to reality.

• Creation and Destruction

Creation and destruction are the two very important aspects of nature. They are important as they bring about change and transformation. The duration between the creation and destruction of a certain thing is the manifestation period pf that thing. In the mortal world the manifestation periods are short but in the divine world, the gods have a very long manifestation period. The nature, Brahman and our souls are all indestructible and not bound to time or death. The mortal bodies are bound to time and die eventually. The space between the creation and destruction consists of protection and preservation which determines the manifestation period.

• Dependent and Independent

Creation consists of both dependent and independent aspects. The Brahman is dependent and all of its manifestation are dependent. The Brahman is the ultimate and supreme being from which everything is created. The nature as well as the divine deities are all dependent. The humans are dependent on the gods for protection and help whereas the gods are dependent on the humans for nourishment as they cannot grow their own food. Everything is created in such a way they exist with some level of dependency. The level of dependency differs on the basis of importance. One can overcome dependency through liberation which requires a great deal of work and sacrifice.

• Good and Evil

Both good and evil exist in Nature. Both of these exist in order to reward the beings or teach them a lesson respectively. Evil exists to cause suffering and eventually lead the person on the right path that leads to liberation. The human body is susceptible to evil feelings and actions. The only thing that cleanses the body of the evil inside and purifies it is breathing. Anything done with a selfish and bad intention is considered evil and demonic whereas selfless actions are considered to be good and rewarding. Demonic actions lead to spiritual downfall whereas good actions beings us closer to inner liberation. Only the mortal beings are susceptible to evil. The eternal Brahman and the soul are not affected by evil.

All of the dualities exist together. They cannot be removed or suppressed according to desire. Hence, one must learn to deal with them and rise above them. The following are a few ways to deal with duality –

• See things clearly and have proper understanding of both sides of each duality.
• Make intelligent choices that do not affect you in a negative way.
• Do not be prone to desires. Desire leads to the wrong path. Have a sense of detachment towards objects.
• Work towards spiritual liberation as that makes you free of the bondage and gives you more awareness.