What Does Shakti Mean?
Literally, the word Shakti is translated from Sanskrit as Power or Energy. Yet Shakti encompasses a far broader range of meanings. Shakti is the Supreme Feminine Divinity, the Mother of the Universe. Shakti is the active, dynamic energy and the second half of Lord Shiva. Everything that exists exists because of Shakti. All the gods worship the Primordial Adi-Shakti.
She has many names and forms. Here are just some of them:
- Adi Parashakti — the Primordial Supreme Power
- Jagadamba — the Mother of the Universe
- Mahadevi — the Great Goddess
- Maheshwari — the Great Sovereign (the feminine aspect of Maheshvara, Shiva)
- Saraswati — the Goddess of wisdom, knowledge, arts, and sound
- Lakshmi — the Goddess of prosperity, beauty, and harmony
- Parvati — the Goddess of love, devotion, and spiritual practice, the consort of Shiva
- Durga — the Invincible
- Kali — the energy of time that destroys all that is transient (illusions)
- Kundalini — the energy coiled within the human body
- Anandamayi — She who is composed of bliss
- Akshara — the Immutable, the Eternal
- Devi Shakti is also known as the Ten Mahavidyas (special forms of Shakti, forms of Supreme Knowledge): Kali, Tara, Tripurasundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala.
She creates the entire moving and unmoving world. She is Supreme Knowledge, the cause of ultimate liberation, the cause of samsara, and the Sovereign over all sovereigns. She is Eternal, incarnated as the Universe itself, and everything is permeated by Her.
She is the Mistress of the Cosmos, the Sustainer of the worlds, the Cause of the existence and dissolution of the Universe.
She is the Soul of all forms of sound (Swara), the Nectar and the Soul of the mantra OM.
Through Her this World was created. By Her the World is sustained, and She also protects it and absorbs it at the end of time.
At creation, She is the form of creation; during existence, the form of preservation; and at dissolution, the form of destruction. She is Great Knowledge and Great Ignorance, the Great Mind and contemplation, the Great Illusion.
Wherever anything exists, the energy of all of it is Shakti.
Shakti is LOVE.
Shakti is Sound and Music.
Shakti is creativity, and every image that inspires a poet or a composer is also Her. Without the energy of Shakti, no song can be created or performed.
At the foundation of human nature, She manifests as the sacred power of Kundalini. When Kundalini awakens, Great LOVE is experienced, and it may find expression in anything.
Why Shakti Orchestra?
Shakti Orchestra is one of the forms in which Energy of Shakti Devi manifests. This manifestation has found expression in music. These are songs that are a union of Sound and Word. These Words and Sounds manifest as Meaning and Light. And everything that has manifested has its right to exist.
It happened. It was not logically conceived. All the songs of Shakti Orchestra happened. She was the cause of all the songs. Without Her, nothing would have meaning. Even the name Shakti Orchestra itself also happened.
The Role of Yogi Isha
It could have been anyone, yet it happened that She manifested Herself through Yogi Isha. This is unique—no less unique than everything that manifests in this World. Every person is unique. All events, phenomena, relationships, thoughts, words, sounds, gestures, and images are manifestations of Her Energy, and this is something special.
Shakti Orchestra speaks of the special. And those who have met Shakti Orchestra in their lives are special.
Thus, Shakti Orchestra is not only about music as a phenomenon; it is about Music that leads beyond—to an encounter with One’s True Self.
The greatest things are usually hidden from the distracted eye.
Being able to recognize important things is an art.
This is the most important art in our lives.
This is the art of living.
Music is something to which we cannot remain indifferent.
This is our art of living.
