स्वस्वामिशक्त्योः स्वरूपोपलब्धिहेतुः संयोगः ॥ २.२३ ॥
svasvāmiśaktyoḥ svarūpopalabdhihetuḥ saṃyogaḥ
Sva Shakti = The Spectacle, The Ego
Swami Shakti = The Spactator, The Self
When the spectator is yoked to the spectacle and perceives the spectacle to be its true nature…
The meaning of the Sanskrit root of the word swami is “[he who is] one with his self” (swastands for “self”),[3] and can roughly be translated as “he/she who knows and is master of himself/herself”.
When you are the master of your own energies, this brings about the recognition of your true nature and then you experience Oneness.
The 12 Shaktis (Energies)
- Lakṣmī — fortune,
- Puṣṭī — prosperity,
- Dayā — compassion,
- Nidrā —sleep,
- Kṣamā — forgiveness,
- Kāntī — beauty,
- Sarasvatī — Communication & learning,
- Dhṛti— endurance,
- Maitrī — loving kindness, friendliness,
- Ratī — Sexual pleasure,
- Tuṣṭī —satisfaction,
- Mati — intelligence.
Sva: of being owned
Svami: of being owner, master
Saktyoh: of the powers
Svarupa: of the nature, own nature, own form
Upalabdhi: recognition, perception
Hetuh: that brings about, the cause, reason
Samyogah: union, conjunction
Smt. Hansaji J. Yogendra:
“There are two things – Sva Shakti is Prakriti and Swami Shakti is Purusha. Basically Purusha has lost his identity. He is entangled with Prakriti and so now he doesn’t know what he is. Now, to understand ‘Who Am I?’ I should go through some process. So Prakriti is showing the world and Purusha is watching (Drashta) and while watching, some wisdom comes. His attention suddenly goes to himself and then he realizes that he is different from Prakriti. And slowly that realization dawns, that knowledge comes. Right now all these things are there because of ignorance, then once knowledge comes, the Purusha is freed from Prakriti.
This is the whole scenario. There is a horse and carriage. The carriage is beautifully decorated. It has four wheels, five horses which are showing us the world (symbolically the five senses) and the person who is holding the reigns is the mind. The carriage is ready but will not work unless somebody, i.e. Purusha comes and sits in the carriage. Then the carriage starts moving here and there and then Purusha is watching the world, experiencing the world and understanding what it is.
As long as the Purusha gets entangled in the world, it is suffering, but as soon as knowledge dawns, that he is different from the carriage. If he is there, the carriage moves. Once this understanding comes, he doesn’t need the carriage or the world. He is free.
So we have to understand this sutra in that fashion and see to it that the understanding of these two strengths should be there. Both Prakriti and Purusha are equally strong. Purusha is Prakriti’s lord. If Purusha is there, Prakriti can show its colours, otherwise there is nothing. The Purusha is not always going to remain with Prakriti. The moment knowledge comes, Purusha will leave Prakriti.
There are 2 or 3 sutras which are explaining the same thing. What this sutra is saying is that these two strong elements have come together because of ignorance and once knowledge dawns, they are separate. “
Google translate- The union of the powers of their own master is the cause of perception of form
Source: Red Zambala: On the Salvific Activities of God
There are various lists given in the Purāṇas of the consorts of Lord Vishnu such as the 8 or the 12 Śaktis.
The 12 are:
- Lakṣmī — fortune,
- Puṣṭī — prosperity,
- Dayā — compassion,
- Nidrā —sleep,
- Kṣamā — forgiveness,
- Kāntī — beauty,
- Sarasvatī — Communication & learning,
- Dhṛti— endurance,
- Maitrī — loving kindness, friendliness,
- Ratī — Sexual pleasure,
- Tuṣṭī —satisfaction,
- Mati — intelligence.
In Hinduism
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
[«previous (S) next»] — Svashakti in Shaktism glossary
Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram
Svaśakti (स्वशक्ति) refers to “one’s own energy”, according to the Kularatnoddyota, one of the earliest Kubjikā Tantras.—Accordingly, “[…] The Great Seat originated, O mistress of the heroes [i.e., vīranāyikā], where the Flower originated from that union of us two. It is the middle (seat) and is located in the centre, O dear one, and accompanied by its own energy [i.e., svaśakti-sahita], is called the ‘Flower’ by name. O supreme mistress, it is said to be the pervasive lord of the sacred seat who, in the aforementioned Primordial Seat, bears (his) own name. O Rudrā, O supreme Goddess, one should know that he is endowed with his own power”.

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