SHAKTHI - THE MOTHER GODDESS

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Goddess Shakthi

 

All about Shakthi

She is the Shakti or energy of the Universe, the power of the cosmic world,

which envelops the three lokas (worlds). The powerful god Shiva sings her

praises and she pervades the thoughts of Brahma and Vishnu. She is said to be

the creative aspect of Divinity, the power through which creation commences.

She is the active female principle Prakriti, in union with the soul of the

Universe, Purusa, manifested as one of the forms of the consort of Shiva -

Parvati, Sati, Uma, Kali, Durga, Chandi, Gauri, Annapoorna.Even Shiva, the

ever-protective spouse, was breathless with fear when Sati revealed her several

forms. She wished to return to her father's house, but Shiva, fearing for her,

forbade her to go. Sati declared that she was the Mother of Creation and even

Shiva had no right over her, and to Shiva's bewilderment he saw her first as

Kanya, the gentle one;

Shitala, the goddess of disease; Gauri, the earth mother; the fearsome Kali and

Durga, the killer of demons, and he realized her strength and bowed to her

wishes. Shiva himself proclaims that without Shakti he is unable to create or

destroy and that he is himself inert like a corpse. Shakti is the all-powerful

concept of the Mother Goddess, Devi, and her worship forms a very important

part of Indian history and civilization.All ancient civilizations had the

mother goddess as an all-powerful concept. In India the worship of the Mother

Goddess is seen first in the 5th - 6th century BC in images recovered from

Mehrangarh, now in Baluchistan, even prior to the Indus Valley Civilisation.

These figures were hand-modeled, mostly in clay and were obviously installed in

all households to ward off evil and ill health. The life-giving mother image has

always been associated with good luck and prosperity, and since survival

depended on the bounties of Nature and the elements, the Earth

was conceived as the Mother - Dharti Mata (Mother Earth).The earth became her

body and the mountains, rivers and valleys represented her physical features.

Vegetation was her adornment and when angry with her children, the Mother with

held her bounty by drying up rivers and causing famine in the land. To

circumvent her fickle nature, she had to be humored and propitiated and thus

all her aspects were to be worshipped.Within the vast bosom of Dharti Mata were

created her other incarnations the river goddesses Ganga, Jamuna, Saraswati, all

receiving their energy from the Supreme Goddess Mahadevi, who encompasses all

the regional devis, including the ones in the broader Hindu pantheon. Thus

Parvati was the child of the Mountains, Sita the child of the Earth and Lakshmi

the daughter of the Ocean.Fertility and life were associated with the Mother, so

all forces of creation and the agricultural deities had naturally to be accepted

as female. Since grain gathering,

an important activity of the primarily agricultural Dravidians, was essentially

a female domain, the female deities flourished. And the Mother was especially

benevolent towards women, listening to their prayers and entreaties for the

welfare of their husbands and children. The concept of the Divine Spirit as

Mother was basic and could be comprehended by the simplest of minds. Human

beings could please her with simple offerings and prayers. She could be invoked

for specific afflictions such as disease or barrenness. One fasts on specific

days for the longevity and good health of one's spouse.The coming of the

Aryans, with their emphasis of vigour and masculinity, brought with it the

Brahminical religion. Indra, Agni, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, were the gods who

guided the destinies of the world. They were the archetypal Aryans, the role

models for the conquering race. And yet, try as they might, the preachers of

the new religion could not relegate the primordial beliefs in the

Mother Goddess to the background. Not wishing to forego their influence on a

large part of the population, they decided that wisdom lay in inculcating the

Devi cult into the folds of the Brahminical beliefs. They saw the advantage of

a 'marriage' between the gods and the ever-powerful Devi, thus effectively

subjugating the female to the male principle.

 

 

Shakthi Temples

• Chamundeeshwari Temple, Mysore

• Karumari Amman Temple, Tiruverkadu

• Kamakshi Amman Temple, Mangadu

• MaariAmman Temple, Samayapuram

• Kali Ghat Temple, Calcutta

• Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple, Kanchipuram

• Kalikambal Temple, Chennai

• Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple, Madurai

• Kanaka Durga, Vijayawada

• Ambaji, Ambaji

• Mookambika, Kollur

• Attukal Bhagavathyamman, Tiruvananthapuram

• Punnainallur, Tanjore

• Kolavizhi Amman,Mylapore

• Periyapalaith Amman , Adyar

• Rajarajeshwari, Nanganallur

• Abirami , Thirukadaiyur

• Bhagavathi , Kanyakumari

• Seliamman Thirukovil, Vellore

• Durga Malleshwaraswamy, Vijayawada

• Mahishasoora Mardhini, Maddur

• Koni Amman Temple, Coimbatore

• Kannika Parameshwari, Akkipet

• Mariamman Temple, Irukkangudi

• Natchiar Thirukoil, Srivilliputtur

• Sharadambhal, Coimbatore

• Dhandumaariamman Temple, Coimbatore

• Thillai Amman, Chidambaram

• Vadiudai Amman, Tiruvatriyur

• Vekkali Amman, Worriyur

• Basar Saraswathi Temple , Nizamabad

• Sri Raja Rajeshwari , Nellore

• Sri Changalamma Parameswari , Sulurpet

• Mondekkattu Amman Kovil, Mandekkattu

• Muppandal Esakki Amman Kovil, Aralvoymozhi

• Arulmegu Kamatchi Amman Kovil, Vadasery

• Vadai Malachi Amman, Vadasery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Durga, Parvathi & Shakti:

The Indian system of beliefs refers to the female aspect of divinity as Shakti

or the manifestation of energy. Parvati, the consort of Shiva or Lakshmi, the

consort of Vishnu are enshrined in temples and all over India. Some of these

shrines are referred to as Shakti Peethams, (or the sites where the parts of

Sati's body fell as in the legend of Daksha's yagna). Others are ancient

shrines closely tied to local legends and beliefs.

Shakti, the mother Goddess, also known as Ambaa (mother), or Devi (Goddess) is

considered to be the personification of Cosmic Energy in its dynamic form. It

is believed that Shakti is the power and energy with which the Universe is

created, preserved, destroyed and recreated (by the trinity of Hinduism

Bhrahma, Vishnu and Shiva).

Shakti is worshipped in several forms. As Rajarajeswari or Kamakshi, she is the

Universal mother. As Uma or Parvati, she is the gentle consort of Shiva. As

Meenakshi - she is the queen of Shiva. As Durga, she rides the tiger, and bears

weaponry. In the angry and terrifying form of Kaali, she destroys and devours

all forms of evil. As Kaali, she is also the personification of time, her dark

form being symbolic of future which is beyond our knowledge. Shakti is the

mother of Skanda and Ganesha.

Shakthi Peethams are centers of Shakti worship, representing sites related to

the legend of Daksha Yagna, Shiva and Sati his consort. Belief has it that

Shiva performed the rudra tandava dance, carrying the dead body of his consort

Sati. The Universe unable to bear the fury of the dance requested Vishnu to

intervene, and Vishnu used is chakra to tear the body into several pieces, and

bring down the fury of Shiva's tandavam. The severed pieces of Sati's body are

believed to have landed in several spots across the region, and these are

referred to as Shakti Peethams.

Belief in Shakti or the feminine aspect of Divinity is an integral (and popular)

element of the religious fabric of the entire subcontinent. Female guardian

deities are revered in all parts of India. The Shakta Agama deals with the

worship protocol adhered to in Devi temples. There is a shrine to Shakti, or

the consort of Shiva in virtually all Saivite temples throughout the

subcontinent.

Tantric practices involving chants, gestures and yantras (geometric shapes) also

govern the worship of Shakti. Local forms of Shakti, not conforming to Agamic or

Tantric rules are also widely prevalent throughout the region.

Goddess Durga [ Goddess of Shakti ] :

The deity has eight arms, and holds on the left trident, sword, snake and bell,

and on the right, drum, shield, cup and water pot; she is seated in sukhasana

posture on a double lotus throne and wears a garland of skulls. The torana at

the back is similar to those shown on plates 10 and 33 with the addition of the

conch shell (right) and wheel (left) symbols usually associated with Vishnu and

often held by Durga.Just visible below her left knee, next to the lotus throne

is the figure of a lion, (sometimes the mount of Durga).

Durga is a female deity whose relation with her closest male deity (Shiva) is

sufficiently remote for her to be worshipped in her own right. It is likely

that, not long after female deities appeared as shaktis of male deities,

goddesses were elevated to the status of independent deities. It is not known

which of them, in the earlier stages of this development, first achieved the

further distinction of having a temple in which they were the main icon that

would give undoubted evidence of final emancipation.

This may have taken place about the 7th or 8th century A.D. as the shakti of the

Impersonal Absolute is referred to as Durga in the Narayana Upanishad and as

being susceptible to worship for the acquisition of material gain in this world

and spiritual advancement in the next.

Yet, in whatever form, Devi's magic still remains. As the Great Triple Goddess

she is today widely worshipped throughout India.

To her followers, she is both the Energy which is life itself and the Source to

whose depths all living things return.

At the time of Kali Yurga, or cosmic dissolution, her devotees believe the

physically manifested universe will once again withdraw itself into the

formless depths of the Goddess until a new gestation period commences and the

cyclic rhythm of creation is once again set into motion.

"Who dares misery, loveAnd hug the form of death,Dance in destruction's danceTo

him the Mother comes."-Vivekananda.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://hindusaktha.freeservers.com/mahaalakshmi.html

 

http://www.eprarthana.com/code/templegal-alp.asp?alps=s

 

http://www.eprarthana.com/poojas/packages/shakthi.asp

 

http://mailerindia.com/temples/history/index.php?thiruppathy

 

http://mailerindia.com/god/hindu/index.php?devi3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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