In the Skanda Purana, we find that the masculine and feminine are eternal principles involved in the projection of the universe. They are never separate and are fundamentally one—like gold and the ornaments made from it. Siva is inert. Shakti is maya, an illusion—which offers pleasure, colors, music and beauty. All arts and sciences come from Her, in the form of Saraswati. Saraswati is not a male God, she is a Goddess. Saraswati is also the Goddess of learning, to whom the children pray so they can learn better. Siva is the formless, actionless witness, the stage on which Shakti plays.
