Shakti

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Shakti
Shakti
Durga, a goddess regarded to be a popular form of Shakti
Affiliation Adi Parashakti, Devi, Durga, Mahalakshmi, Parvati, Saraswati

In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability"[1]) is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect and is a goddess that comes in many forms. Shakti represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the universe.[2]

Shakti often refers to the wife of Shiva. A few common names for Shakti are Mulaprakruti, meaning the root substance, and Maha maya.[3]

Origins

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Shakti, the goddess, was found in a Paleolithic context in the Son River valley. It is a triangular stone known as the Baghor stone and is estimated to be created around to 9,000–8,000 BCE.[4] The representation of Shakti in a stone is considered an early example of a yantra.[5] Kenoyer, part of the team that excavated the stone, considered that it was highly probable that the stone was associated with Shakti.[6] The veneration of Shiva and Shakti was also prevalent in Indus valley civilization.[7]

Shaktism

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Sri Guru Amritananda Nath Saraswati, performing the Navavarana Puja, an important ritual in Srividya Tantric Shaktism, at the Sahasrakshi Meru Temple at Devipuram, Andhra Pradesh, India

Shaktism regards Devi (lit., "the Goddess") as the Supreme Brahman itself with all other forms of divinity considered to be merely Her diverse manifestations. In the details of its philosophy and practice, Shaktism resembles Shaivism. However, Shaktas (Sanskrit: शक्त, Śakta, ), practitioners of Shaktism, focus most or all worship on Shakti, as the dynamic feminine aspect of the Supreme Divine. Shiva, the masculine aspect of divinity, is considered solely transcendent, and Shiva's worship is usually secondary.[8]

From Devi-Mahatmya:

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By you this universe is borne,
By you this world is created,
Oh Devi, by you it is protected.[9]

From Shaktisangama Tantra:

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Woman is the creator of the universe,
the universe is her form;
woman is the foundation of the world,
she is the true form of the body.

In woman is the form of all things,
of all that lives and moves in the world.
There is no jewel rarer than woman,
no condition superior to that of a woman.[10]

Adi Parashakti

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Mahadevi (Sanskrit: महादेवी, IAST: Mahādevī), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, and Abhaya Shakti, is the supreme goddess in the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. According to this tradition, all Hindu goddesses are considered to be manifestations of this single great Goddess, who is comparable to the deities Vishnu and Shiva as Para Brahman. Vaishnavas consider her to be Lakshmi, Shaivas consider her to be Parvati, Durga, Lalita and Kali, while Shaktas consider her to be Durga, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, and Kali. Author Helen T. Boursier says: "In Hindu philosophy, both Lakshmi and Parvati are identified with the great goddess—Mahadevi—and the Shakti or divine power".[11]

Mariamman

The Shakti goddess has been syncretised with the Amman[lower-alpha 1] of South Indian tradition, especially in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. There are many temples devoted to various incarnations of the Shakti goddess in most of the villages in South India. The people of the countryside believe that Amman is the bringer of rain, the protector of the village, the punisher of evil people, the cure of diseases, and the one who gives welfare to the village. They celebrate Shakti festivities with great pomp annually. Some examples of the deities assimilated into Shakti are Mahalakshmi, Kamakshi, Parvati, Lalita, Bhuvaneshwari, Durga, Meenakshi, Mariamman, Yellamma, Poleramma, Saraswati and Perantalamma.

Smarta Advaita

In the Smarta Advaita sect of Hinduism, Shakti is considered to be one of five equal personal forms of God in the panchadeva system advocated by Adi Shankara.[12] The Smarta tradition (Sanskrit: स्मार्त), also called Smartism, is a movement in Hinduism that developed and expanded with the Puranas genre of literature. It reflects a synthesis of four philosophical strands, namely Mimamsa, Advaita, Yoga, and theism. The Smarta tradition rejects theistic sectarianism, and is notable for the domestic worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as equal – Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and Surya. The Smarta tradition contrasted with the older Shrauta tradition, which was based on elaborate rituals and rites. There has been a considerable overlap in the ideas and practices of the Smarta tradition with other significant historic movements within Hinduism, namely Shaivism, Brahmanism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism.[13] [14][15]

See also

Notes

  1. Amma is an honorific for a respected feminine person and even used for boys. The mother in English denotes a person with a child. Sakti is not represented as married or with a child.

References

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  8. Subramuniyaswami, p. 1211[full citation needed]
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  11. Boursier 2021, p. 30.
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  14. Sanderson, Alexis. "The Saiva Age: The Rise And Dominance Of Saivism During The Early Medieval Period". In Genesis And Development of Tantrism, Edited By Shingo Einoo. Tokyo: Institute Of Oriental Culture, University Of Tokyo, 2009. Institute Of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 276–277.
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Further reading

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External links

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