Experiencing Parashakti

The experince of Parashakti through savikalpa samadhi requires meditative mastery. However Parashakti being the Life of our life,  can also be experiened through non-meditative activities. These experiences are similar to the experience of savikalpa samadhi, though less intense. When we identify these samadhis in our life, we can appreciate just how close and immediate God’s presence is to us. These are blissful and inspiring experiences of Parashakti. Learning to identify these experiences can help us achieve savikalpa samadhi through meditation. Following are four such activities that can lead to savikalpa samadhi.

1. Acts of Devotion, Bhakti: When we perform puja, sing devotional hymns such as bhajans or thevarams, chant mantras, perform japa, our mind becomes naturally concentrated on God. As we lose ourselves in devotion, worldly tensions and worries dissolve from the mind. When this happens we can attain savikalpa samadhi. When we do, we will experience a blissful peace come upon us. It will be inspiring and exhilerating, infusing us with positive feeelings. This is experiencing Parashakti through devotion.

2. Acts of Selfless Service, Daana: When we perform a good deed for someone out of kindness without expectation of reward in return, we are sharing in God’s benevolent nature. Our mind and God’s mind merge at that moment of kindness and we feel a serene sense of joyful fulfilment and upliftment. This is experiencing Parashakti by serving others. This feeling is not to be mistaken for the good feelings we feel as a result of the gratitude from the recepient of our deed; instead the experience of Parashakti is a feeling of satisfaction that comes as we touch into God within us. This is the result of the fulfillment of the compassion that drives us to do acts of kindness. When we perform such selfless acts to family, friends, strangers and even animals we open ourselves to Parashakti.

3. Experiencing Nature: When we enjoy the beauty of nature, be it a scenic view from a mountain top or a beautiful beach, we experience a sense of awe and peace. This happens because our awareness expands and merges with All-Pervasive Parashakti as we ponder in amazement the granduer of God's Creation. Thus we can experience Parashakti through the scenic beauty of our planet.

4. Through the Arts: When we listen to or perform soft and inspiring devotional song or music, or when we dance with devotion to God, we can easily lose ourselves in union with God as we merge into Parashakti in joyful inspiration. Musicians, artist, singers, writers and dancers often share testimony that their greatest performances or artistic creations comes as a result of a meditative state that they attain during the course of their practice or performance. Some call it 'the flow of inspiration.' It is basically the result of savikalpa samadhi that they attain naturally by maintaining deep concentration while they perform. The outcome of this is creative inspiration. This state of samadhi is also attained when one is deeply pondering a problem or researching for a solution to questions. This is how scientists, innovators, philosophers and gurus can come up with revolutionary solutions or brilliant ideas; for Parashakti is God's Omniscience.