Chita Shakti is an important concept in the Saiva Siddhanta philosophy. It is the manifestation of Shiva’s grace.
Saiva Siddhanta accepts three fundamental things – pati (god), pashu (individual selves) and pasha (bondage). The individual self, according to this system, can be explained only in relation to the world which is otherwise called pasha.
It is three fold, viz., anava which conceals the Lord from being realized by jivas; karma, good and bad acts of an individual; maya, the instruments like body and the world that help in the performance of good and bad acts. The first is called sahaja or natural and the latter two, agantuka. They help jivas get realized from the first. Release is actually to get released from anava mala. The present birth received by the grace of the Lord must be made use of, to achieve this goal. The actions performed here must be conducive to this. However, the anava mala makes one forget oneself as dependent upon God and makes the jiva think he is independent and capable of performing any action.
God’s grace, which manifests itself as the anava decreases, is called Chita Shakti. It is the relation of God with the individual self. This conversion is called sattnipatam (fall of grace). When the ego (induced by anava subsides, the individual starts feeling that he is but an instrument in the hands of God and it is God who activates him. The grace helps the delusion of maya to disintegrate. Since the individual starts entertaining the idea that he is being activated by the Lord, his actions are said to be out of Shuddha Maya.
Since the grace of the Lord helps removal of Asuddha maya and the manifestation of suddha maya, it is at that time referred to by the word Chita Shakti,the benign power of the Lord. Then Chita Shakti helps the souls to know the Lord. When the power of anava is destroyed, the person is open to have a vision of God.