The ancient Tantric and Kashmiri Śaiva traditions present a vision of the universe that is profoundly cyclic, pulsating between creation and dissolution like the eternal rhythm of a wave. At the heart of this cosmology lies the concept of the Śānta Bindu, often described as the cosmic egg—a neutral state in which consciousness (Śiva) and energy (Śakti) remain in perfect, undifferentiated equilibrium. This state is neither active creation nor absolute dissolution but the stillness between two breaths of the cosmos.
The Neutral Cosmic Egg
In Śākta and Śaiva texts such as the Yoginī Hridaya and Tantrāloka, the Bindu is portrayed as the union of Śiva and Śakti, the indivisible seed of the entire universe. In this śānta (peaceful) condition, all manifestations exist only as latent potential. It is the primordial “zero-point,” the stillness before the vibration of existence begins.
Seen internally (antar-dṛṣṭi), this Bindu represents Brahmā, the seed of creative knowledge that will unfold into the blueprint of the universe. Seen externally (bāhya-dṛṣṭi), the same Bindu represents Viṣṇu, the great preserver who holds the cosmic egg intact, sustaining the balance of unmanifest potential. When the cycle closes, the Bindu finally dissolves back into pure transcendence—Śiva.
The Stirring of Icchā Śakti
The Śiva Sūtras (I.11) declare: icchā śaktir umā kumārī—“Icchā Śakti is Umā, the maiden.” This verse signifies that the first stirring within the neutral cosmic egg is will or desire—the impulse to manifest. Without this initial movement, consciousness remains self-contained, silent, and unmanifest.
Abhinavagupta, in the Tantrāloka (III.1), confirms: icchā-śaktiḥ prathamā śaṅkarasya prakāśate—“The first to shine forth from Śaṅkara is Icchā Śakti.” This indicates that will is not caused by anything external; it arises from the svātantrya (absolute freedom) of Śiva himself. The supreme consciousness, being eternally free, pulsates out of its own nature (spanda), and the first vibration of this pulsation is Icchā Śakti.
In the Spanda Kārikā (I.2), we read:
icchā-jñāna-kriyā-śaktisvabhāvo’sau svayaṃ vibhuḥ
—“The Lord Himself, all-pervading, is of the nature of Icchā, Jñāna, and Kriyā Śaktis.”
Yet among these, Icchā arises first, as the primordial throb in the still ocean of consciousness. It is the “I wish to become” of the Absolute, the desire of consciousness to behold itself in multiplicity.
The Cosmic Wave and Neutral Point
Tantra frequently compares the universe to an endless wave:
Unmeṣa (expansion) → creation
Nimeṣa (contraction) → dissolution
Śānta (neutral bindu) → still equilibrium
Abhinavagupta describes it poetically (Tantrāloka III.42):
unmeṣa-nimeṣābhyām jagadudeti-līyate
—“With the opening and closing of His eyes, the universe appears and dissolves.”
At the turning point of the wave, when expansion gives way to contraction or contraction to expansion, there is a fleeting neutral pause—this is the state of the cosmic egg. It is here that Icchā Śakti, like a subtle ripple, first stirs the still waters, inaugurating the next cycle of creation.
Philosophical Implications
This doctrine implies that the universe is not created once and destroyed once, but is eternally cyclic. Between cycles lies the Śānta Bindu, a silent cosmic womb. When Śiva’s freedom (svātantrya) wills to manifest, Icchā Śakti disturbs the neutrality, setting into motion Jñāna Śakti (knowledge of “what to create”) and Kriyā Śakti (the actual manifestation).
Thus, creation is not born out of necessity, but out of play (līlā), the joyous freedom of consciousness. The universe, then, is nothing other than Śiva beholding Himself through the dance of His own energies.
Take away
The Tantric vision of the Śānta Bindu reveals a universe that is eternally alive, cyclic, and self-renewing. Inwardly, the cosmic egg is Brahmā, the seed of creation. Outwardly, it is Viṣṇu, the sustainer of cosmic balance. Ultimately, it dissolves into Śiva, pure awareness. At the very center of this cycle is the mystery of Icchā Śakti—the first will, the maiden of Śiva, who disturbs the neutrality of the cosmic egg and begins the eternal rhythm of worlds.