Adi Shakti

Quilt by Sarb Sarang Kaur

By Sat Purkh Kaur
Adi Shakti means, literally, the primal, first power. Feminine in its aspect, it divines the
futureboth known and unknown, and is the embodiment of creativity, balance, and
completion. As a symbol, its impact transcends the rational mind. Those who know nothing
of what it means are drawn to it as yantra, a powerful visual meditation which inspires and
uplifts. Those who are aware of its deeper implications are empowered by its darshan and
blessed by its vision. Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Sikh Guru) gave us this yantra; it is a key to
understanding his courage and unlocking our own.
There are so many beautiful practices associated with the Adi Shakti mantra, which, in my own
interpretation and understanding, reflect the yantras internal rhythms and deeper meanings:
Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Namo Namo
(I bow to the Primal Power)
Sarb Shakti, Sarb Shakti, Sarb Shakti, Namo Namo
(I bow to the all encompassing Power and Energy)
Pritham Bhagvati, Pritham Bhagvati, Pritham Bhagvati, Namo Namo
(I bow to that which God creates)

Kundalini Mata Shakti, Mata Shakti, Namo Namo

(I bow to the creative power of the Kundalini, the Divine Mother Power)
In these lines we see the yantra reflected in the naad: the three aspects of Godcreator,
organizer, deliverer; and the polarity of the human mindnamo, namobowing in reverence.
Each line contains the trinity within it through the repetition; and each successive line gives flesh
to that trinity, to the aspects of Gods Creative Infinity: from the beginning, throughout all things,
and embodied in the Divine. The final line is the khanda, the straight, two-edged sword:
Kundalini Mata Shakti, the movement of the creative force through the center of our being, the
shushmana, as embodied by the mothers energy. This creative energy lives in each of us,
male or female, and cuts through the limitations of the ego and transcends what we call
good and bad. It is the beacon, the shining light that guides our path. And whether we were
mothered poorly or beautifully, the Mata Shakti moves through us as our truest essence, our
Infinite Creative Nature.
Last fall I had a profound experience teaching the Meditation on the Divine Mother, which
uses silence, sound and visualization to beam into the future and vibrate the frequency of
the Divine Mother, the Adi Shakti. A four part kriya, we did each part for 11 minutes and had a
profound meditative experience. The sense of beaming and creating our own future, rewriting
our own destiny, and taking charge of our own lives flowed throughout the room. Moving the
energy up our spines and then gazing deeply into the future, into our own arc lines, there was a
sense of autonomy merged with Infinity. We were a part of everything and everyone, but we
were also the authors of our own lives. We were full of power. We were powerful.
In a world where women are still struggling for their own power, this meditation plants the
seed in the consciousness of every man and woman that the Adi Shakti is. She exists. She
moves. She sees. And She is in all of us.

Sat Purkh Kaur Khalsa has been singing for as long as she can remember. Her music focuses
on using sound to move the body, the mind and the breath toward powerful transformative
experiences that uplift the individual and serve the soul.