72-572: Kalikula may refer to: Kalikula , a Kali worshiping sect of Hinduism Kaliküla , a village in Jõgeva County, Estonia Kaliküla, Lääne-Viru County , a village in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Kalikula . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
144-568: A pantheon of ten goddesses. The rarer forms of Devi found among tantric Shakta are the Mahavidyas , particularly Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari , Tara , Bhairavi , Chhinnamasta , Dhumavati , Bagalamukhi , Matangi , and Kamala . Other major goddess groups include the Sapta-Matrika ("Seven Mothers"), "who are the energies of different major Gods, and described as assisting the great Shakta Devi in her fight with demons", and
216-474: A carpenter builds a chariot. All six schools of Hinduism accept the authority of śruti , but many scholars in these schools have denied that the śruti s are divine. A popular quote on supreme authority is Śruti can be found in Manusmriti (Adhyaya 1, Mantra 132) that Dharmaṃ jijñāsamānānāṃ pramāṇaṃ paramaṃ śrutiḥ ( Devanagari : धर्मं जिज्ञासमानानां प्रमाणं परमं श्रुतिः, lit. means "To those who seek
288-487: A cross check on the other. Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat summarizes this as follows: These extraordinary retention techniques guaranteed an accurate Śruti, fixed across the generations, not just in terms of unaltered word order but also in terms of sound. That these methods have been effective, is testified to by the preservation of the most ancient Indian religious text, the Ṛgveda ( c. 1500 BCE). This part of
360-508: A necklace of skulls – but inwardly beautiful. She can guarantee a good rebirth or great religious insight, and her worship is often communal – especially at festivals, such as Kali Puja and Durga Puja . Worship may involve contemplation of the devotee's union with or love of the goddess, visualization of her form, chanting [of her] mantras , prayer before her image or yantra , and giving [of] offerings." At Tarapith, Devi's manifestation as Tara ("She Who Saves") or Ugratara ("Fierce Tara")
432-850: A pervasive vision of the Devi as supreme, absolute divinity. As expressed by the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna , one of the most influential figures in modern Bengali Shaktism: Kali is none other than Brahman. That which is called Brahman is really Kali. She is the Primal Energy. When that Energy remains inactive, I call It Brahman, and when It creates, preserves, or destroys, I call It Shakti or Kali. What you call Brahman I call Kali. Brahman and Kali are not different. They are like fire and its power to burn: if one thinks of fire one must think of its power to burn. If one recognizes Kali one must also recognize Brahman; again, if one recognizes Brahman one must recognize Kali. Brahman and Its Power are identical. It
504-482: A tetragon or hypotenuse of a triangle", and is a synonym of karna . The word śruti is also found in ancient Indian music literature, where it means "a particular division of the octave, a quarter tone or interval" out of twenty-two enumerated major tones, minor tones, and semitones. In music, it refers the smallest measure of sound a human being can detect, and the set of twenty-two śruti and forty four half Shruti , stretching from about 250 Hz to 500 Hz,
576-474: Is Brahman whom I address as Shakti or Kali. Sruti Divisions Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas Shakta puranas Śruti or shruti ( Sanskrit : श्रुति , IAST : Śruti , IPA: [ɕruti] ) in Sanskrit means "that which is heard" and refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts comprising
648-594: Is I, it is my greatness dwelling in everything. The Vedic literature reveres various goddesses, but far less frequently than Gods Indra , Agni and Soma . Yet, they are declared equivalent aspects of the neutral Brahman, of Prajapati and Purusha . The goddesses often mentioned in the Vedic layers of text include the Ushas (dawn), Vāc (speech, wisdom), Sarasvati (as river), Prithivi (earth), Nirriti (annihilator), Shraddha (faith, confidence). Goddesses such as Uma appear in
720-417: Is a major Hindu denomination in which the godhead or metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all being regarded as different aspects, manifestations, or personifications of the divine feminine energy called Shakti . It includes various modes of worship, ranging from those focused on the most worshipped Durga , to gracious Parvati , and
792-885: Is also spelled as Shruti. Smriti , literally meaning "that which is remembered," refers to a body of Hindu texts usually attributed to an author. Traditionally written down but constantly revised, Smriti in contrast to Śrutis (the Vedic literature) considered authorless, which were transmitted verbally across the generations and fixed. Smriti is a derivative secondary work and is considered less authoritative than Śruti in Hinduism. While Śruti texts are fixed and their originals preserved better, each Smriti text exists in many versions, with many different readings. In ancient and medieval Hindu tradition, Smritis were considered fluid and freely rewritten by anyone. Both śrutis and smṛtis represent categories of texts of different traditions of Hindu philosophy . According to Gokul Narang,
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#1732771791676864-601: Is ascendant, as the goddess who gives liberation ( kaivalyadayini ). [...] The forms of sadhana performed here are more yogic and tantric than devotional, and they often involve sitting alone at the [cremation] ground, surrounded by ash and bone. There are shamanic elements associated with the Tarapith tradition, including "conquest of the Goddess, exorcism, trance, and control of spirits." The philosophical and devotional underpinning of all such ritual, however, remains
936-533: Is believed to be worshipped along with her 25 forms. The kali ghat temple is located in Calcutta and Tarapith in Birbhum district . In Calcutta, emphasis is on devotion ( bhakti ) to the goddess as Kali . Where the goddess (Kali) is seen as the destroyer of evil; She is "the loving mother who protects her children and whose fierceness guards them. She is outwardly frightening – with dark skin, pointed teeth, and
1008-609: Is called Shakta. According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Shaktism is the third largest Hindu sect constituting about 3.2% of Hindus. The Sruti and Smriti texts of Hinduism form an important scriptural framework in Shaktism. Scriptures such as the Devi Mahatmya , Devi-Bhagavata Purana , Kalika Purana , and Shakta Upanishads like the Devi Upanishad are revered. The Devi Mahatmya in particular,
1080-541: Is called the Shruti octave . In scholarly works on Hinduism, śruti refers to ancient Vedic texts from India. Monier-Williams traces the contextual history of this meaning of śruti as, "which has been heard or communicated from the beginning, sacred knowledge that was only heard and verbally transmitted from generation to generation, the Veda, from earliest Rishis (sages) in Vedic tradition. In scholarly literature, Śruti
1152-471: Is considered in Shaktism to be as important as the Bhagavad Gita . The Devi-Mahatmya is not the earliest literary fragment attesting to the existence of devotion to a goddess figure, states Thomas B. Coburn – a professor of Religious Studies, but "it is surely the earliest in which the object of worship is conceptualized as goddess, with a capital G". [T]he central conception of Hindu philosophy
1224-454: Is considered in Shaktism to be as important as the Bhagavad Gita . The Devi is revered in many Hindu temples and is worshipped during various Hindu festivals . The goddess-focused tradition and festivals such as the Durga puja are very popular in the eastern India. The earliest archaeological evidence of what appears to be an Upper Paleolithic shrine for Shakti worship were discovered in
1296-438: Is held as the liberating knowledge. However, adds Tracy Pintchman – a professor of Religious Studies and Hinduism, Devi Gita incorporates Tantric ideas giving the Devi a form and motherly character rather than the gender-neutral concept of Adi Shankara's Advaita Vedanta. Shaktism is a goddess-centric tradition of Hinduism, involving many goddesses, all being regarded as various aspects, manifestations, or personifications of
1368-478: Is most dominant in northeastern India, and is most widely prevalent in West Bengal , Assam , Bihar and Odisha , as well as Nepal and Kerala . The goddesses Kubjika, Kulesvari, Chamunda , Chandi , Shamshan Kali (goddess of the cremation ground), Dakshina Kali, and Siddheshwari are worshipped in the region of Bengal to protect against disease and smallpox as well as ill omens. Kalikula lineages focus upon
1440-567: Is of the Absolute; that is the background of the universe. This Absolute Being, of whom we can predicate nothing, has Its powers spoken of as She — that is, the real personal God in India is She. — Swami Vivekananda Shaktas conceive the goddess as the supreme, ultimate, eternal reality of all existence, or same as the Brahman concept of Hinduism. She is considered to be simultaneously
1512-509: Is subdivided into Vāmatantras, Yāmalatantras, and Śaktitantras. The Kulamārga preserves some of the distinctive features of the Kāpālika tradition, from which it is derived. It is subdivided into four subcategories of texts based on the goddesses Kuleśvarī, Kubjikā, Kālī and Tripurasundarī respectively. The Trika texts are closely related to the Kuleśvarī texts and can be considered as part of
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#17327717916761584-466: Is syncretism of Samkhya and Advaita Vedanta schools of Hindu philosophy , called Shaktadavaitavada (literally, the path of nondualistic Shakti). The Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda , remarked thus; about being an actual Shakti worshipper: "Do you know who is the real "Shakti-worshipper"? It is he who knows that God is the omnipresent force in the universe and sees in women the manifestation of that Force." Shakta-universalist Sri Ramakrishna , one of
1656-504: The Kaula (a vamamarga practice) and the Samaya (a dakshinamarga practice). The Kaula or Kaulachara , first appeared as a coherent ritual system in the 8th century in central India, and its most revered theorist is the 18th-century philosopher Bhaskararaya , widely considered "the best exponent of Shakta philosophy." The Samaya or Samayacharya finds its roots in the work of
1728-796: The Shakta Upanishads , as well as Shakta-oriented Upa Puranic literature such as the Devi Purana and Kalika Purana , the Lalita Sahasranama (from the Brahmanda Purana ). The Tripura Upanishad is historically the most complete introduction to Shakta Tantrism, distilling into its 16 verses almost every important topic in Shakta Tantra tradition. Along with the Tripura Upanishad ,
1800-500: The Sri Chakra , is probably the most famous visual image in all of Hindu Tantric tradition. Its literature and practice is perhaps more systematic than that of any other Shakta sect. Srividya largely views the goddess as "benign [ saumya ] and beautiful [ saundarya ]" (in contrast to Kalikula's focus on "terrifying [ ugra ] and horrifying [ ghora ]" Goddess forms such as Kali or Durga). In Srikula practice, moreover, every aspect of
1872-727: The Tripuratapini Upanishad has attracted scholarly bhasya (commentary) in the second half of 2nd-millennium, such as the work of Bhaskararaya , and Ramanand. These texts link the Shakti Tantra tradition as a Vedic attribute, however this link has been contested by scholars. Scriptures such as the Devi Mahatmya, Devi-Bhagavata Purana , Kalika Purana, and Shakta Upanishads like the Devi Upanishad are particularly revered. The seventh book of
1944-558: The Sri Meru . It is not uncommon to find a Sri Chakra or Sri Meru installed in South Indian temples, because – as modern practitioners assert – "there is no disputing that this is the highest form of Devi and that some of the practice can be done openly. But what you see in the temples is not the srichakra worship you see when it is done privately." The Srividya paramparas can be further broadly subdivided into two streams,
2016-528: The Srimad Devi-Bhagavatam presents the theology of Shaktism. This book is called Devi Gita , or the "Song of the Goddess". The goddess explains she is the Brahman that created the world, asserting the Advaita premise that spiritual liberation occurs when one fully comprehends the identity of one's soul and the Brahman. This knowledge, asserts the goddess, comes from detaching self from
2088-632: The Upanishads as another aspect of divine and the knower of ultimate knowledge (Brahman), such as in section 3 and 4 of the ancient Kena Upanishad . Hymns to goddesses are in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata , particularly in the Harivamsa section, which was a late addition (100 to 300 CE) to the work. The archaeological and textual evidence implies, states Thomas Coburn, that the goddess had become as prominent as God in Hindu tradition by about
2160-515: The 16th-century commentator Lakshmidhara, and is "fiercely puritanical [in its] attempts to reform Tantric practice in ways that bring it in line with high-caste brahmanical norms." Many Samaya practitioners explicitly deny being either Shakta or Tantric, though scholars argues that their cult remains technically both. The Samaya-Kaula division marks "an old dispute within Hindu Tantrism". The Kalikula (Family of Kali ) form of Shaktism
2232-685: The 64 Yoginis . The eight forms of the goddess Lakshmi, Ashtalakshmi ; and the nine forms of goddess Durga, the Navadurgas , which are mainly worshipped during the Navaratri festival. Also worshipped regularly are the numerous Gramadevatas across the Indian villages. Sub-traditions of Shaktism include "Tantra", which refers to techniques, practices and ritual grammar involving mantra , yantra , nyasa , mudra and certain elements of traditional kundalini yoga , typically practiced under
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2304-528: The Devi as the source of wisdom ( vidya ) and liberation ( moksha ). The tantric part generally stands "in opposition to the brahmanic tradition," which they view as "overly conservative and denying the experiential part of religion." The main deities of the Kalikula tradition are Kali , Chandi , Bheema and Durga . Other goddesses that enjoy veneration are Tara and all the other Mahavidyas , Kaumari as well as regional goddesses such as Manasa ,
2376-828: The Kulamārga. Shaktism encompasses a nearly endless variety of beliefs and practices – from animism to philosophical speculation of the highest order – that seek to access the Shakti (Divine Energy or Power) that is believed to be the Devi's nature and form. Its two largest and most visible schools are the Srikula (family of Tripura Sundari ), strongest in South India , and the Kalikula (family of Kali ), which prevails in northern and eastern India. The Srikula (family of Sri ) tradition ( sampradaya ) focuses worship on Devi in
2448-659: The Sruti are asserted to be of divine origin in the mythologies of the Puranas . For the people living during the composition of the Vedas the names of the authors were well known. Ancient and medieval Hindu philosophers also did not think that śruti were divine, authored by God. That Vedas were heard was a notion that was developed by the school or darsana of Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā . The Mīmāṃsā tradition, famous in Hindu tradition for its Sruti exegetical contributions, radically critiqued
2520-726: The Vedas [Śruti]. Consequently every rule of dharma must find its foundation in the Veda. Strictly speaking, the Samhitas do not even include a single precept which could be used directly as a rule of conduct. One can find there only references to usage which falls within the scope of dharma . By contrast, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads contain numerous precepts which propound rules governing behavior. Bilimoria states
2592-557: The authority in Hinduism. Smṛtis, including the Manusmṛti , the Nāradasmṛti and the Parāśarasmṛti , are considered less authoritative than śrutis. वेदोऽखिलो धर्ममूलं स्मृतिशीले च तद्विदाम् आचारश्चैव साधूनामात्मनस्तुष्टिरेव च Translation 1: The whole Veda is the (first) source of the sacred law, next the tradition and the virtuous conduct of those who know the (Veda further), also
2664-845: The central canon of Hinduism . Manusmriti states: Śrutistu vedo vijñeyaḥ ( Devanagari : श्रुतिस्तु वेदो विज्ञेयः) meaning, "Know that Vedas are Śruti". Thus, it includes the four Vedas including its four types of embedded texts—the Samhitas , the Upanishads , the Brahmanas and the Aranyakas . Śruti s has been variously described as a revelation through anubhava (direct experience), or of primordial origins realized by ancient Rishis . In Hindu tradition, they have been referred to as apauruṣeya (not created by humans). The Śruti texts themselves assert that they were skillfully created by Rishis (sages), after inspired creativity, just as
2736-522: The central ideas of the Upanishadic śruti s are at the spiritual core of Hindus. The Sanskrit word " श्रुति " ( IAST : Śruti , IPA: [ɕruti] ) has multiple meanings depending on context. It means "hearing, listening", a call to "listen to a speech", any form of communication that is aggregate of sounds (news, report, rumour, noise, hearsay). The word is also found in ancient geometry texts of India, where it means "the diagonal of
2808-430: The central ideas of them are the spiritual foundation of Hinduism. Patrick Olivelle writes, Even though theoretically the whole of Vedic corpus is accepted as revealed truth [śruti], in reality it is the Upanishads that have continued to influence the life and thought of the various religious traditions that we have come to call Hindu. Upanishads are the scriptures par excellence of Hinduism. Shrutis have been considered
2880-470: The classical texts of other cultures; it is, in fact, something like a tape-recording .... Not just the actual words, but even the long-lost musical (tonal) accent (as in old Greek or in Japanese) has been preserved up to the present. Ancient Indians developed techniques for listening, memorization and recitation of śrutis. Many forms of recitation or pathas were designed to aid accuracy in recitation and
2952-469: The customs of holy men, and (finally) self-satisfaction ( Atmanastushti ). Translation 2: The root of the religion is the entire Veda, and (then) the tradition and customs of those who know (the Veda), and the conduct of virtuous people, and what is satisfactory to oneself. वेदः स्मृतिः सदाचारः स्वस्य च प्रियमात्मनः एतच्चतुर्विधं प्राहुः साक्षाद् धर्मस्य लक्षणम् Translation 1: The Veda, the sacred tradition,
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3024-410: The customs of virtuous men, and one's own pleasure, they declare to be the fourfold means of defining the sacred law. Translation 2: The Veda, tradition, the conduct of good people, and what is pleasing to oneself – they say that is four fold mark of religion. Only three of the four types of texts in the Vedas have behavioral precepts: For the Hindu all belief takes its source and its justification in
3096-548: The deity is more important than simple obedience, thus showing an influence of the Vaishnavaite idea of passionate relationship between Radha and Krishna as an ideal bhava . Similarly, Shaktism influenced Vaishnavism and Shaivism . The goddess is considered the consort and energy ( shakti ) of the gods Vishnu and Shiva ; they have their individual shaktis, Vaishnavi for Vishnu and Maheshvari for Shiva, and consorts Lakshmi and Sati /Parvati. An adherent of Shaktism
3168-604: The earliest evidence of reverence for the female aspect of God in Hinduism is this passage in chapter 10.125 of the Rig Veda , also called the Devi Suktam hymn: I am the Queen, the gatherer-up of treasures, most thoughtful, first of those who merit worship. Thus Gods have established me in many places with many homes to enter and abide in. Through me alone all eat the food that feeds them, – each man who sees, breathes, hears
3240-637: The fierce Kali . After the decline of Buddhism in India , various Hindu and Buddhist goddesses were combined to form the Mahavidya , a pantheon of ten goddesses. The most common forms of the Mahadevi worshipped in Shaktism include: Durga, Kali, Saraswati , Lakshmi , Parvati and Tripurasundari . Also worshipped are the various Gramadevatas across the Indian villages. Shaktism also encompasses various tantric sub-traditions, including Vidyapitha and Kulamārga . Shaktism emphasizes that intense love of
3312-508: The form of the goddess Lalita-Tripura Sundari . Rooted in first-millennium. Srikula became a force in South India no later than the seventh century, and is today the prevalent form of Shaktism practiced in South Indian regions such as Kerala , Tamil Nadu and Tamil areas of Sri Lanka . The Srikula's best-known school is Srividya , "one of Shakta Tantrism's most influential and theologically sophisticated movements." Its central symbol,
3384-457: The goddess are widely known in the Hindu world. The common goddesses of Shaktism, popular in the Hindu thought at least by about mid 1st-millennium CE, include Parvati, Durga, Kali, Yogamaya , Lakshmi, Saraswati, Gayatri , Radha , and Sita . In the Eastern part of India, after the decline of Buddhism in India , various Hindu and Buddhist goddesses were combined to form the Mahavidya ,
3456-415: The goddess – whether malignant or gentle – is identified with Lalita. Srikula adepts most often worship Lalita using the abstract Sri Chakra yantra , which is regarded as her subtle form. The Sri Chakra can be visually rendered either as a two-dimensional diagram (whether drawn temporarily as part of the worship ritual, or permanently engraved in metal) or in the three-dimensional, pyramidal form known as
3528-439: The guidance of a qualified guru after due initiation ( diksha ) and oral instruction to supplement various written sources. There has been a historic debate between Shakta theologians on whether its tantric practices are Vedic or non-Vedic. The roots of Shakta Tantrism are unclear, probably ancient and independent of the Vedic tradition of Hinduism. The interaction between Vedic and Tantric traditions trace back to at least
3600-438: The knowledge of the sacred law, the supreme authority is the revelation Śruti ." Shruti ( Śruti ) differs from other sources of Hindu philosophy , particularly smṛti "which is remembered" or textual material. These works span much of the history of Hinduism, beginning with the earliest known texts and ending in the early historical period with the later Upanishads. Of the śruti s, the Upanishads alone are widely known, and
3672-499: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kalikula&oldid=1225765828 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Shaktism Traditional Shaktism ( / ˈ s æ k t ɪ z ə m / ; Sanskrit : शाक्तसम्प्रदायः , romanized : Śāktasampradāyaḥ )
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#17327717916763744-474: The low person of dreadful deeds, and the great person of excellent deeds. I am Female, I am Male in the form of Shiva. Shaktism's focus on the Divine Female does not imply a rejection of the male. It rejects masculine-feminine, male-female, soul-body, transcendent-immanent dualism, considering nature as divine. Devi is considered to be the cosmos itself – she is the embodiment of energy, matter and soul,
3816-507: The most influential figures of the Hindu reform movements , believed that all Hindu goddesses are manifestations of the same mother goddess . The 18th-century Shakta bhakti poems and songs were composed by two Bengal court poets, Bharatchandra Ray and Ramprasad Sen , and the Tamil collection Abhirami Anthadhi was composed by Abhirami Bhattar. The important scriptures of Shaktism include
3888-558: The motivating force behind all action and existence in the material universe. Yet in Shaktism, states C. MacKenzie Brown, the cultural concepts of masculine and the feminine as they exist among practitioners of Shaktism are aspects of the divine, transcendent reality. In Hindu iconography, the cosmic dynamic of male-female or masculine-feminine interdependence and equivalence, is expressed in the half-Shakti, half-Shiva deity known as Ardhanari . The philosophical premise in many Shakta texts, states professor of Religious Studies June McDaniel,
3960-447: The next, for nearly two millenniums. Almost all printed editions available in the modern era are copied manuscripts that are hardly older than 500 years. Michael Witzel explains this oral tradition as follows: The Vedic texts were orally composed and transmitted, without the use of script, in an unbroken line of transmission from teacher to student that was formalized early on. This ensured an impeccable textual transmission superior to
4032-651: The notion and any relevance for concepts such as "author", the "sacred text" or divine origins of Śruti ; the Mimamsa school claimed that the relevant question is the meaning of the Sruti, values appropriate for human beings in it, and the commitment to it. Nāstika philosophical schools such as the Cārvākas of the first millennium BCE did not accept the authority of the śrutis and considered them to be human works suffering from incoherent rhapsodies, inconsistencies and tautologies. Smṛtis are to be human thoughts in response to
4104-512: The oneness of the soul and Brahman. — Devi Gita , Transl: Lynn Foulston, Stuart Abbott Devibhagavata Purana , Book 7 The Devi Gita describes the Devi (or goddess) as "universal, cosmic energy" resident within each individual. It thus weaves in the terminology of Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy . The text is suffused with Advaita Vedanta ideas, wherein nonduality is emphasized, all dualities are declared as incorrect, and interconnected oneness of all living beings' souls with Brahman
4176-470: The people, I created Earth and Heaven and reside as their Inner Controller. On the world's summit I bring forth sky the Father: my home is in the waters, in the ocean as Mother. Thence I pervade all existing creatures, as their Inner Supreme Self, and manifest them with my body. I created all worlds at my will, without any higher being, and permeate and dwell within them. The eternal and infinite consciousness
4248-509: The principle that "the facts and circumstances of any particular case determine what is good or bad". The later Hindu texts include fourfold sources of dharma, states Levinson, which include atmanastushti (satisfaction of one's conscience), sadacara (local norms of virtuous individuals), smṛti and śruti. The śrutis, the oldest of which trace back to the second millennium BCE, had not been committed to writing in ancient times. These were developed and transmitted verbally, from one generation to
4320-427: The role of śruti in Hinduism has been inspired by "the belief in a higher natural cosmic order ( Rta succeeded later by the concept Dharma ) that regulates the universe and provides the basis for its growth, flourishing and sustenance – be that of the gods, human beings, animals and eco-formations". Levinson states that the role of śruti and smṛti in Hindu law is as a source of guidance, and its tradition cultivates
4392-440: The same supreme goddess Shakti . Shaktas approach the Devi in many forms; however, they are all considered to be but diverse aspects of the one supreme goddess. The primary Devi form worshiped by a Shakta devotee is his or her ishta-devi , that is a personally selected Devi. The selection of this deity can depend on many factors such as family tradition, regional practice, guru lineage, and personal resonance. Some forms of
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#17327717916764464-806: The sixth century, and the surge in Tantra tradition developments during the late medieval period, states Geoffrey Samuel, were a means to confront and cope with Islamic invasions and political instability in and after the 14th century CE. Notable Shakta tantras are Saradatilaka Tantra of Lakshmanadesika (11th century), Kali Tantra ( c. 15th century ), Yogini Tantra , Sarvanandanatha's Sarvolassa Tantra , Brahmananda Giri's Saktananda Tarangini with Tararahasya and Purnananda Giri's Syamarahasya with Sritattvacintamani (16th century), Krishananda Agamavagisa's Tantrasara and Raghunatna Tarkavagisa Bhattacarya Agamatattvavilasa (17th century), as well as works of Bhaskaracharya (18th century). The Vidyāpīṭha
4536-629: The snake goddesses, Ṣaṣṭī , the protectress of children, Śītalā , the smallpox goddess, and Umā (the Bengali name for Parvati) — all of them, again, considered aspects of the Divine Mother. In Nepal devi is mainly worshipped as the goddess Bhavani. She is one of the important Hindu deities in Nepal. Two major centers of Shaktism in West Bengal are Kalighat where the skull of Kali
4608-469: The source of all creation, its embodiment and the energy that animates and governs it, and that into which everything will ultimately dissolve. Mahadevi said in Devi Upanishad, verse 2, "I am essentially Brahman". According to V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar – a professor of Indian history, in Shaktism theology "Brahman is static Shakti and Shakti is dynamic Brahman." Shaktism views the Devi as
4680-624: The source, essence and substance of everything in creation. Its texts such as the Devi-Bhagavata Purana states: I am Manifest Divinity, Unmanifest Divinity, and Transcendent Divinity. I am Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, as well as Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati. I am the Sun and I am the Stars, and I am also the Moon. I am all animals and birds, and I am the outcaste as well, and the thief. I am
4752-482: The terminal upper paleolithic site of Baghor I ( Baghor stone ) in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh , India. The excavations, carried out under the guidance of noted archaeologists G. R. Sharma of Allahabad University and J. Desmond Clark of University of California and assisted by Jonathan Mark Kenoyer and J.N. Pal, dated the Baghor formation to between 9000 BC and 8000 BC. The origins of Shakti worship can also be traced to Indus Valley civilization . Among
4824-457: The text presents its theological and philosophical teachings. The soul and the Goddess My sacred syllable ह्रीम्] transcends, the distinction of name and named, beyond all dualities. It is whole, infinite being, consciousness and bliss . One should meditate on that reality, within the flaming light of consciousness. Fixing the mind upon me, as the Goddess transcending all space and time, One quickly merges with me by realizing,
4896-457: The third or fourth century. The literature on Shakti theology grew in ancient India, climaxing in one of the most important texts of Shaktism called the Devi Mahatmya . This text, states C. Mackenzie Brown – a professor of Religion, is both a culmination of centuries of Indian ideas about the divine woman, as well as a foundation for the literature and spirituality focussed on the female transcendence in centuries that followed. The Devi Mahatmya
4968-421: The transmission of the Vedas and other knowledge texts from one generation to the next. All hymns in each Veda were recited in this way; for example, all 1,028 hymns with 10,600 verses of the Rigveda was preserved in this way; as were all other Vedas including the Principal Upanishads , as well as the Vedangas. Each text was recited in a number of ways, to ensure that the different methods of recitation acted as
5040-432: The word outspoken. They know it not, yet I reside in the essence of the Universe. Hear, one and all, the truth as I declare it. I, verily, myself announce and utter the word that Gods and men alike shall welcome. I make the man I love exceeding mighty, make him nourished, a sage, and one who knows Brahman . I bend the bow for Rudra [Shiva], that his arrow may strike, and slay the hater of devotion. I rouse and order battle for
5112-418: The world and meditating on one's own soul. The Devi Gita , like the Bhagavad Gita , is a condensed philosophical treatise. It presents the divine female as a powerful and compassionate creator, pervader and protector of the universe. She is presented in the opening chapter of the Devi Gita as the benign and beautiful world-mother, called Bhuvaneshvari (literally, ruler of the universe). Thereafter,
5184-434: The śrutis. Traditionally, all smṛtis are regarded to ultimately be rooted in or inspired by śrutis. The śruti literature include the four Vedas: Each of these Vedas include the following texts, and these belong to the śruti canon: The literature of the shakhas , or schools, further amplified the material associated with each of the four core traditions. Of the above śrutis, the Upanishads are most widely known, and
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