Mahavidya.ca

 In Hindu literature, the god Siva and the goddess Sakti, male and female complementary components of Absolute Reality, are often represented in a loving embrace. They ask each other questions about the nature of existence, one acting as the inquiring student and the other serving as the wise and compassionate teacher. They are, in essence, wondering about themselves. The underlying tenor in this symbolic setting, and within the sort of answers that they provide, is that there is an intimate relationship between asking and answering, between inquiring and discovering, between learning and teaching, and between wonder and revelation. This is a thread that runs through much of Hinduism’s religious scripture and philosophies: that divine wisdom is inherent within each of us, and that the sincere and determined quest to discover it is a hallmark of its latent presence. In some formulations, Absolute Reality conceals itself from itself, differentiates itself into male and female, student and teacher, and so on, only to delight in the play of re-integration and Self-discovery. God and Goddess hide themselves from themselves, and then ask each other the fundamental questions that form the basis of all religion and philosophy. What is the nature of this mystery and our place within it? Wisdom is not found only in the answers but in the questions; not only in revelation but in inquiry. This interplay characterizes Mahavidya, Great Wisdom.