Significance of Shakti
Synonyms: Power, Strength, Energy, Force, Capability, Potency, Dynamism, Vigor
In Dutch: Shakti; In German: Shakti; In Finnish: Shakti; In Spanish: Shakti; In Swedish: Shakti; In Malay: Shakti; In French: Shakti
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Buddhist concept of 'Shakti'
In Buddhism, Shakti signifies feminine energy, often depicted alongside deities like Dharmapala and Bodhisattvas. It embodies dynamic force in creation, protection, and knowledge, enhancing the power of divine counterparts and representing action within spiritual contexts.
From: The gods of northern Buddhism
(1) The divine female energy or consort often represented alongside the Yi-dam, enhancing the divinity's power.[1] (2) Sakti refers to the feminine energy or divine power associated with male deities, representing the dynamic force in their creation and protection.[2] (3) Female energy or consort associated with the Adi-Buddha, often represented alongside or in union (yab-yum) with him.[3] (4) The female energy or divine feminine aspect associated with each Dhyani-Buddha, representing action and creative power.[4] (5) Refers to the feminine energy or divine power associated with a deity, often personified as a goddess who complements the deity.[5]
From: Tattvasangraha [with commentary]
(1) Refers to a person's power, particularly the ability to achieve knowledge or understanding.[6]
Hindu concept of 'Shakti'
Shakti in Hinduism embodies the divine feminine energy, crucial for creation, maintenance, and destruction within the cosmos. It represents the power of deities, particularly associated with Shiva, symbolizing the nurturing and transformative forces of the universe.
From: Devi Bhagavata Purana
(1) The divine feminine energy representing the active force of the universe, often personified as the Goddess, responsible for creation and change.[7] (2) The power of the Devi that is united with Maya, causing her to be the Saguna or the Great Cause of the world.[8] (3) Spiritual powers or energies that manifest during creation, preservation, and destruction, associated with the divine.[9] (4) The divine energy and power of the Goddess, often considered the feminine aspect of divinity.[10] (5) The divine power by which the universe is created, manifested, and destroyed.[11]
From: Garuda Purana
(1) The divine energies or manifestations related to Vishnu that require reverence.[12]
From: Gautami Mahatmya
(1) The divine feminine power or energy, represented by the goddess accompanying Isha.[13]
From: Shakti and Shakta
(1) The divine feminine energy and power that underlies creation and transformation.[14] (2) The dynamic force or energy that manifests in the world and exists in various forms including Vidya Shakti (consciousness) and Avidya Shakti (illusion).[15] (3) The dynamic and active principle of the divine, often personified as the Mother Goddess, representing power, creativity, and the force behind the universe's processes.[16] (4) The divine feminine energy and power, often represented in the form of a woman in Tantric practices, highlighting the unity of masculine and feminine in spirituality.[17] (5) Divine feminine energy or power that encompasses all aspects of reality and is essential for creation, maintenance, and destruction in the universe.[18]
From: Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)
(1) 啶娻ぐ啷嵿啶� 啶ぞ 啶多啷嵿い啶�, 啶掂た啶多啶� 啶班啶� 啶膏 啶嗋ぇ啷嵿く啶距い啷嵿ぎ啶苦 啶曕啶粪啶む啶� 啶啶�, 啶溹 啶曕た啶膏 啶曕ぞ啶班啶� 啶曕 啶曕啶粪ぎ啶むぞ 啶曕 啶︵ぐ啷嵿ざ啶距い啷� 啶灌啷�[19] (2) Refers to the power or energy utilized for creation, signifying the potency of Bhagavan in generating the world.[20] (3) Refers to the potency or energy of the Lord, which is expressed in both superior and inferior forms.[21]
From: Chaitanya Bhagavata
(1) Refers to the internal potency or energy of the Supreme Lord, emphasizing empowerment and divine action.[22]
From: Sri Krishna-Chaitanya
(1) The feminine principle of divine power or energy, embodied by Sri Lakshmi as the Essence of God's potency.[23]
From: Bhajana-Rahasya
(1) Divine potency, which in this context refers to the dual concepts of knowledge and ignorance.[24]
From: Shat-cakra-nirupana (the six bodily centres)
(1) The divine female energy that interacts with Nada and Bindu, playing a crucial role in creation and transformation.[25] (2) The divine energy or power associated with creation, often linked to feminine principles in spiritual texts.[26] (3) Refers to the feminine energy or power that the deity holds in the other hand, indicative of balance.[27] (4) The divine feminine energy that permeates all existence, crucial for the creation and maintenance of the universe.[28]
From: Thirty minor Upanishads
(1) The cosmic energy or force that manifests as the divine feminine principle and is associated with creation.[29] (2) The power or energy that is central to the practices described, situated between the sun and moon.[30]
From: Vakyapadiya of Bhartrihari
(1) The term used to describe the powers or abilities of the ultimate reality; both the capacity to manifest and the manifestations themselves.[31] (2) The concept of power ascribed to a thing when it is understood in the context of aiding another entity.[32]
From: Parama Samhita (English translation)
(1) The divine energies or powers that assist in the worship process, often represented as deities.[33]
The concept of Shakti in local and regional sources
Shakti embodies the feminine divine energy in Hinduism, representing empowerment, creativity, and spiritual dynamism, crucial to Shaktism and other traditions. It symbolizes the cosmic force driving creation and is often personified as a goddess.
From: Triveni Journal
(1) The thirty-two forms of this, which correspond with the thirty-two forms of Aghora Murty, have the peacock for their vehicle, showing its importance in religious contexts.[34] (2) A term used to describe women's power, depicted as both destructive and creative in Shobha De's writing.[35] (3) A term used by Sri Aurobindo to define the nation in his political philosophy, highlighting the power and energy within the collective consciousness.[36] (4) The divine energy of Brahman, crucial in understanding the Saktadvaita perspective on reality.[37] (5) The concept of spiritual power and evolutionary force within humanity, which India embodies and is urged to manifest for collective benefit.[38]
From: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
(1) A term referring to power, representing the potent energy that is capable of manifesting itself and influencing the world, especially when invoked.[39]