By Rishita Sogani
As we honor Shakti this Navratri, let’s remember that true strength is not man versus woman but the balance they create together. Shiv without Shakti is lifeless, and Shakti without Shiv is directionless — divinity lies in their union, just as in our daily lives where partners complete each other through love, support, and shared responsibilities.
As we celebrate Navratri, the festival of Shakti, its important to remember that true power does not lies in man vs woman but it is about them coming together and completing each other.
Then why does it always have to be this way “behind every successful man, there’s a woman when instead it can be: behind every successful person, is one’s partner whose constant love and support brought them here.
This is what ShivShakti symbolizes. Our scriptures remind us “Shiv bina Shakti ke shav hai, aur Shakti bina Shiv ke nishfal hai” – without Shakti, Shiv is lifeless, and without Shiv, Shakti is directionless.
Time is evolving and we might not notice but we are balancing each other in our day to day life-chores. How a man and a woman together as partners take care of their children and family, from packing their tiffins to preparing the dinner together, if she is googling the recipe, he is ordering ingredients on Blinkit. If he is bathing the kids, she is grooming them for the day, if she is on a meeting, he’ll serve the guests, if he forgot, she’d order a gift for their parents because true strength lies in working hand in hand.
Of course, it cannot always be a 50-50 effort but even if it’s a 10-90 it’s there, right ?
So, this Navratri, as we worship the many forms of the Goddess, let’s also celebrate the balance that sustains our lives.
The divinity lies in togetherness, not separation.
As Adi Shankaracharya said in Soundarya Lahari:
“Shivah shaktih yukto yadi bhavati shaktah prabhavitum” – Shiv becomes capable only when united with Shakti.
Even in our daily lives: when one falls short, the other completes. True strength is not measured in “his” role or “her” role, but in the rhythm they create together.
So let’s go beyond worshipping Shakti in isolation and rather honor the spirit of ShivShakti that lives in every partnership, every bond of support, every hand that reaches out to complete another. Because only when they come together, the energy is divine.