Prologue: Manikarnika, the woman who adorns Ruby (Manikya) earrings! It is believed that Adishakti (Sati) used to wear ruby earring as they were Lord Shiva’s favorite for their brilliance, opulence, luster, rich hue and hidden fire.
Every woman is a reincarnation of Shakti in herself. She encapsulates vivid persona which endows her with a power to accomplish multiple roles simultaneously. She is a nurturing mother like Adishakti, a fountainhead of knowledge like Mahasaraswati and a ferocious obliterator like Mahakali, if agitated.
A woman is Shakti in all her splendor as she effectuates submission in love and outburst in anger in unison to maintain the balance in her sphere. My poem “MANIKARNIKA” evokes the very same intrinsic balance a woman possesses. This is the first poem of the ‘SHAKTI’ series I’ve transpired.
….“Yes! I am Shakti in every possible way, like every other woman who loves, cares, nurtures. BUT, annihilates when forsaken her rights.”
O’ Life! Life!
Wherefore art thou so unfair ?
Whispered fuchsia dreams in my ears !
Though, I wept thee with fecund tears.
Thou art the drops shining through eyes
The aureole brimming whenever I cry
The zephyr infused in my silence
Brought thy melodies molten, less dense !
My cryogenic heart, which once thee tied
With unbaked cotton threads, Ombré dyed
The chill vanished and the heart mellowed
With warmth of thy threads, sacred yellow !
Thou touched me deep beneath my skin
Tactile, ‘twas draped in black satin
My sphere was swayed, but I said ‘NO’
My EGO blazed in thy inferno !
I shed my stubs all- over the world
My skin perished, but soul turned gold
Hence, I retained my bejeweled ears
Lodged in thy feet with pearls of tears!
My rubies which were never so red
Mauves, fuchsias, they whispered shades
They speaketh thy elusive prowess
Thou art ‘The Art’, what I revered
Thou danced thy arrogance with ‘Tandav’
My rubies speaketh ‘Lasya’, sheer love
The night stars shone as little diamonds
Then born our ‘Taal’, rhythmic ions!
I cried out loud and the night witnessed
You drenched my soul with thy prowess
T’was a bleak effigy, turned exotica
The divine feminine, ‘MANIKARNIKA’ !
Epilogue: Goddess Sati was called Manikarnika for her ruby adorned ears. The place where those gems fell, along with her perished ears, is also named the same after her. It is believed that Sati’s father, Daksh hated Lord Shiva, so he didn’t invite him to his Yagna. Infuriated Sati immolated herself in the divine fire of the yagna to show her outrage against her husband’s humiliation.
Enraged in grief, Shiva performed Tandav, the celestial dance of destruction, and traversed the whole universe with Sati’s remains. Vishnu intervened. To stop this annihilation, he cut through Sati’s corpse with his Sudarshan Chakra. The various parts of her body fell all over the universe and formed 51 Shakti Peeths.
Sati’s ruby earrings fell on the banks of the Holy Ganga in Kashi (Banaras) So, the place was called MANIKARNIKA ghat, where formed the 44th Shakti Peeth in Vishalakshi and Manikarni temples.
Adishakti (Sati) is symbolic of the ultimate feminine power and is considered the absolute creator, observer and destroyer in Hindu Mythology. Even SHIV, the ultimate god of destruction is incomplete without ‘The Divine Female’…‘बिन शक्ति, शिव भी शव हैं‘! It means—‘Even Shiv is a lifeless without Shakti‘. Feminine energy soothes and softens masculine arrogance and leads it towards perfection. Then, there emerges ‘Ardhnarishwar’– The Ultimate Power.
‘Sati’ is balance. She balanced Shiva’s ‘Roudra Roop’ and destructive bout with her creativity and softness. Shiv’s ‘Tandav Nritya’ was balanced with Shakti’s ‘Lasya’, the tender dance of creation, nourishment and love. There formed ‘Tala’ (rhythm), from the ‘TA’ of Tandav and ‘LA’ of Lasya. Rhythm is the ultimate balance and the origin of ‘Music’ and life. Similarly, Sati transformed herself into ‘Mahakali’ and turned absolute BLACK, forsaking her ethereal beauty to empower Mahadev.
Postscriptum : Manikya (Rubies) are considered the second most precious gem stones after Kaustubh (Diamonds).
Discover more from The Style Symphony
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
My computer was under repair since long and I was denied the chance of reading your beautiful poetry because of it
This is really well written and speaks of the Goddess in all dimensions
too good
Dear Sangeeta ji, you’ve impeccably woven emotions into words! 🙂 I am highly pleased to feel them!