It’s the cosmic play of Shakti in which Shiva participates for Shakti, his own versatile and dynamic side. Otherwise, Shiva is always in the state of absolute stillness.. For Shakti, he moves and acts in multiple forms.
The entire creation is actually the divine play of Shakti. Shiva’s original nature is Vairagya, he is uninterested about play, he remains in his actual state of reality that's why in most of the images he is depicted in samadhi.. The state of absolute oneness (Advaita).
Purusha represents awareness about the eternal reality and Prakriti represents the movement as the dynamic playful force that sets up the stage for the play.
In absolute eternal reality, there is only formless Param Tatva i.e., oneness between Shiva, his Shakti and everything which is in existence, the non-dual state.
Then the playful Shakti engages Shiva in the creation along with several aspects and factors that contribute in the play.
So Shakti has taken birth as Sati and Parvati, the same Goddess in her absolute form is Lalita Tripurasundari. Lalita itself means playful or the one who plays, Tripurasundari means the most beautiful in all three realms. This actually tells a lot about her multiple forms and incarnation. Every event in scriptures is directly or indirectly related to her.
The eternal consort of Lalita Tripurasundari is Kameshwar Mahadev, the most transcendental form of Shiva. They are inseparable as the eternal truth (Sanatan Satya).
But even in this form when they split for creation, Shiva is the one who is holding Shakti and it's Shakti who is running all the play while sitting on his lap. This depiction is not a causal romance, it represents the balance.
Shiva is the absolute static consciousness on which Shakti, the playful dynamic energy runs her cosmic play. The creation can be seen as the seed of Shiva but it is developed by Shakti since the world is her cosmic womb.
For Shakti, Shiva does the creation with her and all the cosmic play (lila). While engaging in this lila, Shiva maintains his original nature, he doesn't take birth, rather he manifests directly. Even while entering the material realm, Shiva does not take birth but directly manifests as Rudra through Brahma’s forehead when Brahma prays to Shiva while being frustrated with his struggle in creating the various beings.
But Shakti on the hand, always takes avatars and for that she comes in the stage of birth and death. For her play, even if she has to lose her life, she does that play, everything happens out of her will, it is not something that is not in her control, it is by her own will only. Be it her struggles or her achievements.
Maa Gauri incarnated as Sati and then self-immolated when Daksha insulted Shiva. It was completely her own lila, her script.
Then Shiva destroying Daksha by manifesting his matted hair as Veerabhadra.
Then Veerbhadra chopping off Daksha’s head and destroying the yagya.
Then Mahadevi again taking birth as Parvati, the daughter of Himavan.
She appearing in forms like Durga, Kali etc. to destroy the asuras.
Or in the plays where demons like Jalandhara and Andhakasura try to abduct her, Shiva or Narayan coming to rescue her.. It is all her play. From the stories where she is mentioned as the highest power to the ones where she is described in a painful and sad condition where is hurt or is losing life, it is all her design.
For Shakti, it’s never winning or losing, it’s just playing. Be it saving the world by slaying the demonic entities or losing life as Sati and taking 108 births and struggling in them for the reunion with Shiva. Each of them is her script.
She can be the Aaradhya Devi of all including Shiva and Narayan.
She can also be the devotee of Mahadev.
She can also be the devotee of Narayan.
She can herself be Shiva, Krishna or any form of the Ultimate. There is absolutely no rigidity about her. And it is not just about Maa Bhavani's own Parvati form, it is with other forms as well.
Maa Sita herself could have destroyed Ravana easily, yet she was abducted as a part of lila not because of any weakness but her maya which was beyond the imagination of Ravan.
Yet she wanted Shri Ram to do that as a part of play, Shri Ram then destroys Ravan. Shri Ram again could have easily defeated Ravan at once, yet he struggled, built Ram Setu, fought with Rakshas, took the attacks of Meghnad’s Naag Pash and then finally slaying the demonic entities including Ravan.
Similarly the separation of Radha Krishna was never an actual separation but lila.
Shri Ram and Shri Krishna taking birth and then leaving the world, that is also not actual birth and death. Lalita (Kali) herself is Krishna, again no difference since in reality, there is no male and no female but absolute Nirguna Parabrahman who appears as male, female etc.
And so the every act is Shakti’s own design and not mortality. It is therefore important to understand that the fluid nature of the Supreme power, be it Shakti (or Vishnu and avatars) or Shiva himself when he participates in lila. It is just play, the divine leela.
The purpose of each earthly incarnation is to play and establish Dharma by destroying Adharma. So it is like a film because in reality there is absolute oneness, Shiva is Shakti and Shakti is Shiva.
Jai Shiv Shakti 🙏