On Shakti and Shiva
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(vidya pāda, Agama Research)
From the supreme state of total Oneness (susampurnam) with Shiva, an effulgent column of light, undivided wholeness in nature, appeared associated with 8 Shaktis, shaktya-aśtaka. Next, it got variegated again into 8 luminous souls as willed and stimulated by Shiva’s Iccha Shakti. These 8 luminous souls are: Ananteshwara, Sukshma, Sivottama, Ekanetra, Ekarudra, Trimurti, who was as resplendent as fire, Srikantha and Shikhandi. All of them were with immeasurable brilliance of 10 million suns. There were 8 Shivas, the Great Vidyeshvaras, who manifested from that luminous column.
~ Raurava Agama, Vidyā Pādaḥ, Shiva-tattvaṇi, vr. 9-11
ittha śaktiḥ kurvatī dehakṛtyam dehabhāvāducyate dehaśabdeḥ |
tasyā bhedā ye’pi vāmādaya-ssyute’pi proktāḥ kṛtyabhedena sadbhiḥ ||
In reality, there is no body for Lord Shiva, since all the actions to be carried out by the body are all fulfilled by His Shakti itself. The form as constituted by Shakti is said to be body (deha), only in the secondary sense. Even though this Shakti is only One(ness), abheda, the enlightened sages declare that Shakti is associated with different states (bheda) such as Vāma and others in view of the varied actions concerned with the pure path (suddha maya).
~ Mrigendra Agama, Essential Nature of Pati, Lord Shiva, vr. 15