Sadhguru on Is The Feminine Form Less Than The Masculine?

 Questioner: How was the Linga Bhairavi consecration different from the Dhyanalinga consecration in your personal experience? Is birthing a goddess less demanding, less challenging?

Sadhguru: As I have said before, there is going to be only one Dhyanalinga Temple, but I am willing to do any number of Devi temples.

But first, I notice a certain inflection in the question: “Is the Devi any less than the Dhyanalinga? Is the feminine form less than the masculine?” No, but the feminine form is definitely less than a combination of the two and that which is beyond. The Dhyanalinga is not a representation of masculine form; there is both the masculine and feminine sitting there – just in case you missed it till now, being a woman. (Laughs) And above all, it does not represent either the feminine or the masculine; it is there to represent that which is beyond. So establishing something which is of a non-physical nature into a physical form is a much more complex, much more demanding process than establishing that which is a force in the process of creation. The feminine is a force in the process of creation; you can draw it from every piece of creation. This is the reason why almost every Devi Temple (except the Bhairavi Temple adjacent to the Yoga Center, because we have done it in a different way) has an animal sacrifice as a part of it. That is because they are trying to use this life energy from this animal and transform it into a goddess.

Bhairavi is feminine. And like everything feminine, she has no morals. The feminine has no morality. A woman may have it, but the feminine never does. This idea of morals, ethics, codes, all this is purely masculine stuff. When women become like men, they will talk of morality and ethics; otherwise how they feel is all that matters to them. If they feel right, they will do anything. It has always been so; it is not a new discovery. The feminine is like that – if her emotions are fulfilled, she will do anything. All this nonsense of morality and ethics belongs to the world of the masculine. That is why right from ancient times they tried to distribute work accordingly.

“…if I have the necessary support, I can pull out a Devi from every tree, every flower, every human being…”

In society we need some morality, so we let man handle that nonsense, that PR work. Inside the family, there is no need for morality; we can mingle and merge absolutely. So, no morality in the house, total morality on the street. The masculine walks the street; the feminine in the house. We made this arrangement because we wanted to enjoy freedom from the ethical and moral at least when we go home. Now we have made it the other way around – inside the house too much morality and in the social life no morality. That is because we have stupid logical ideas as to how to conduct life without seeing life the way it is.

Shiva said that if the female population increases and females start participating in those things which are limited and logical, then both the man and the woman die. Neither the masculine will exist in its full force and nor will the feminine. When both of them lose their essential quality, the human race cannot continue, and it will dissipate itself. This is beginning to happen in many ways. But still there is a long way to go. Shiva’s sense of time and your lifespan are different. When he says it is approaching, he is talking about a few thousand years. But a few thousand years for a great species, which is capable even of liberation, is nothing. As I keep saying, this (referring to the self) is not a small thing. This can behave like a worm if it does not know what it is. But if it begins to know what this is, it is not a small thing. This can even put gods to the yoke.

So the Devi needs constant attention. Every day in the morning you have to make an offering to her; otherwise she will sulk; after that she will become furious. We don’t want you to see her furious. A woman may be physically weaker, but when she gets angry she can cause hell to you. Isn’t it so? She is not capable of punching you or wrestling you down, but she has a way. (Laughter) So Devi has to be attended to every day. But, as I said, Dhyanalinga is not like that. If nobody enters the temple for next thousand years, he will still be the same. He is like Shiva, simply sitting with his eyes closed; if nobody attends to him, no problem. So establishing something like that was definitely far more challenging, far more taxing, far more painful, far more manipulative.

Creating Devi has been a pleasure. We paid small prices. There has been a little bit of impact on my system, but it has been a joy. One thing is because of the nature of who she is. Another thing is – I am choosing appropriate words here because I may have to face the wrath of the one who asked this question, who is a minor Devi by herself, I’m sure. In many ways, it is like if I cut my little finger, I can make a Devi out of it. But even if I take my head off, I cannot make a Dhyanalinga. It was manifested somehow not from this body, but through this. But Devi is not like that; she is delivered by me. So with every piece of my body I can make a Devi. If I remove my little finger, you won’t miss it. My ability as a guru will not go away. My ability to throw the Frisbee will not go away. I can even play golf without a little finger. I can eat well. I can do everything. With just a little finger, I can create one more Devi and one more Devi.

So am I belittling her? No. All I am trying to tell you is that she is Prakriti; she is part of nature and this (points to himself) is nature. I can either pull her out of myself or if I am willing to conduct a sacrifice, I can pull her out of an animal because that is also nature. I thought it was not necessary in the ashram to go in for such sacrifices. Actually, if we create a conducive atmosphere, we can even pull it out of a live animal.

So Devi is a wonderful phenomenon but if I have the necessary support, I can pull out a Devi from every tree, every flower, every human being, and establish her in so many different ways. But we cannot do that with Dhyanalinga. It is beyond my physical prowess to attempt another Dhyanalinga. This body cannot withstand that anymore; it is too old. The Dhyanalinga is not just an important event in my life. The making of the Dhyanalinga is a significant event in the very life of humanity. I would go further and say in the history of existence, because even if humanity dies, even if the planet cracks up, it will still be on.

This is an excerpt from Of Mystics and Mistakes book.