Wow! Okay, I didn't know this distinction existed!
Devi thus being those ''Great Souls'' that live in the Causal Realm
Deva being the 'gods' that live in the Astral Realm?
So when Shiva marries Sati, this happens because Shiva has taken a solid form?
But then this would be my question concerning Hindu mythology, Does Lord Shiva take an incarnate form in the material world, and does he interact with actual humans?
Because the Deva seem to exist in the Spirit/Astral realm, as my understanding of it goes, the Deva then incarnate and live human lives in order to interact with Incarnate Spirits, and I suppose, offer them guidance and counsel and all that kind of divine malarkey the gods love to have with the mortals?
I think my question answers itself... Lord Shiva being the Lord of the Three Worlds, he exists simultaneously in all three planes?
He has a human form, a deva form, and a devi form? (Though speaking of form with regards to a Causal Body/Devi is rife with contradiction in of itself, as their forms have nothing to do with any kind of forms that a human mind can conceive/comprehend)
Thank you for clarifying as that actually makes a whole lot of sense! 😘
I was using "solid" a bit metaphorically, not necessarily meaning materialized into a human body but just to give a sense of the essence of it in a way that would contrast it with Devi, and solid is the first word that came to mind.
I'm far from an expert on this very ancient religion, but the basic idea is that for each Deva such as Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, there is an equivalent Devi - Parvati, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Devi is the feminine form of the word and Deva is the masculine form.
Ardhanarishvara is the union of Shiva and Parvati into one.
There are definitely a lot of stories about incarnations as avatars to interact in a material form, and considering Shiva just might exist outside of time, simultaneously would probably be a good word to describe him.
Wow, Brahman Vishnu and Shiva all have a Deva?
They are actually one and the same? Two sides of the same coin?
Holy Cow Hinduism is some mystical shit