Shaktism defined?

[TheLizardKing]

Greetings all, i was just wondering if someone wouldn't mind defining shaktism for me.
I've read the wikipedia article about it, but i just found it confusing.
Of all the Hindu Denominations, Shaktism i've found is the hardest of them all to understand.
I understand Vaishnavism, aswell as Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
And i also have a basic understanding of Shaivism.
Aswell as a basic understanding of Advaita Vedanta
But still i can't understand Shaktism based off what i've read.

Anywho, if someone would please set me straight i would be more then thankful.
Regards, TheLizardKing.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté

It seems to me a good question to consider is who is this śakti this Śrī Devī , Pārvatī, some call Śaivī, lakṣmī, gaurī, sitā, satī, sāvitrī, dākṣāyaṇī ?

She is considered parā-bhaṭṭarikārūpe says Abhinavagupta-ji¹. What of this word he offers us?
para पर - is exceeding, Supreme (anuttara) or beyond any equal
bhaṭṭāra - the great lord , venerable or worshipful; bhaṭ भट् - nourish , maintain ; hence bhaṭṭari is the feminine gender of this word.
kārūpe or kārūpa = ka + rūpa : ka क is spendor, light ; rupa रूप is form, also loveliness , grace , beauty , splendour.

She is exceedingly, the Supreme of splendor and light. One who follows śakti adores (īḍya ईड्य -praise, invoke) the Supreme (anuttara) Being (sattā) as the Divine Śakti.

Divine Śakti is known by many names. Lalitā (She who plays) sahasramḥ some write sahasranāma (1,000) offers 1,000 views or names of Her. Here are 10 views of Śrī Devī for your consideration: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3226 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3226)

More if there is interest.


praṇām


references
parā-bhaṭṭarikārūpe is found in Abhinavagupta-ji's Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa

[lighthouse]

She is a thread of Rudraksha mala,hope this single line will help you to understand who the mother is.
Shiva is Shakti
Shakti is Shiva.

[Mohini Shakti Devi]

Shaktas, or devotees of grand energies

From Brahmaji, the first living being within the universe, down to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Narada and all the other powerful demigods, men, supermen, sages, rishis, and other lower creatures of strength and glories, including dead bodies, satans, evil spirits, aquatics, birds and beasts, may appear to be the Supreme Brahman, but actually none of them is the Supreme Brahman; every one of them possesses only a fragment of the great potencies of the Supreme Brahman.

The less enquiring mind is shocked to see the wonders of material creation, as the aboriginals fear thunderbolts & lighning, a great banyan tree, or a mountain or a jungle.

For such undeveloped humans, merely the slight display of the Lord’s potency is enchanting.

A still more advanced person is enamored by the powers of the demigods and goddesses. Therefore, those who are simply enamored by the potentcies of anything in the creation of the Lord, without any facts of Lord Brahman Himself, are known as Shaktas, or devotees of grand energies.

Technological Scientists are enamored by the actions and re-actions of cosmic phenomena and are therefore also known as Shakta.

Other searchers gradually rise to become sauriyas (worshipers of the sun-god) or ganapatyas (devotees of the popular masses of people as daridra-narayana, in the form of Ganesh)
and then rise to the stratum of worshiping Lord Shiva in search for the ever-existing soul,
and then to the path of Yoga of Lord Vishnu, the Supersoul.

Others are, by necessity, devotees of popular cultures, nationality, beasts, spirits, demons, gambling, compulsions etc. The worship of Shani-deva, the lord of distressful condition, and Sitala-devi, the goddess of smallpox, is also common to the mass of people, and there are many who worship the popular masses or the poorest of societies.

So varying peoples, etc., adore different forms of the Lord, wrongly acknowledging the powerful object as God. But none of them is the Absolute Lord Brahman; they are only parts and parcels of the original Absolute Lord Shri Krishna, as He himself advises in Bhagavad-gita ----to worship Him alone

[kshama]

Greetings all, i was just wondering if someone wouldn't mind defining shaktism for me.
I've read the wikipedia article about it, but i just found it confusing.
Of all the Hindu Denominations, Shaktism i've found is the hardest of them all to understand.
I understand Vaishnavism, aswell as Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
And i also have a basic understanding of Shaivism.
Aswell as a basic understanding of Advaita Vedanta
But still i can't understand Shaktism based off what i've read.

Anywho, if someone would please set me straight i would be more then thankful.
Regards, TheLizardKing.

Namaskar TheLizardKing Ji,

There are many school of thoughts in Hinduism. Well basic truths...Shiva is Shakti, Shakti is Shiva. Without Shakti there no Shiva, Without Shiva there's no Shakti. Namaste.

[Eastern Mind]

So varying peoples, etc., adore different forms of the Lord, wrongly acknowledging the powerful object as God. But none of them is the Absolute Lord Brahman; they are only parts and parcels of the original Absolute Lord Shri Krishna, as He himself advises in Bhagavad-gita ----to worship Him alone

Vanakkam Mohini: This is a wide forum. it has Hindus from many countries sects, and ages. There are bhaktars, scholars, advaitins, and curiousity seekers. We all respect each other and very few try to put across their points of view as if they were the only correct ways. Most people preface words with tactful expressions such as "This is my view, others will vary," or "I believe". This enables us all to get along quite well. From your few posts, most of us can guess your stance. I hope you can continue here and have conversations with people like myself who see things somewhat differently. For me (not for you, but this is a good thing) Lord Siva is God. For some, God is formless completely. Others aren't sure yet. Some don't accept Gita as being greater than Vedas. Some do. I hope you get what I mean.

Aum Namasivaya

[Ekanta]

I'll give a short answer... no quotes this time.

Shakti is Sraddha (persistence) or Prakriti (nature). The deified aspects of the 3 gunas.

Through Sraddha are manifested:
• Icha-shakti (power of will) [Lakshmi/rajas/mind]
• Kriya-shakti (power of action) [Durga/tamas/body]
• Jnana-shakti (power of wisdom) [Sarasvati/sattva/prajna]

When the Icha-Shakti (power of Will) is converted into Kriya-Shakti (power of action), it results in Jnana-Shakti (power of Wisdom).

[Mohini Shakti Devi]

Hello all Readers, Hindus from many countries sects, and ages, bhaktas, scholars, advaitins, and curiousity seekers, Please Chant the Holy Name Constantly.

I hope you can continue here and have conversations with people like myself who see things differently.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakti
Shakti (Devanagari (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari): शक्ति (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF)) from Sanskrit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit) shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that move through the entire universe.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakti#cite_note-0#cite_note-0) Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femininity) creative power, sometimes referred to as 'The Great Divine Mother (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Divine)' in Hinduism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism). On the earthly plane, Shakti most actively manifests through female embodiment and fertility - while also existing in males, in its potential, unmanifest form.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakti#cite_note-1#cite_note-1)
Not only is the Shakti responsible for creation, it is also the agent of all change. Shakti is cosmic existence as well as liberation, its most significant form being the Kundalini (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini) Shakti[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakti#cite_note-2#cite_note-2), a mysterious psychospiritual force.[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakti#cite_note-3#cite_note-3) Shakti exists in a state of svātantrya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sv%C4%81tantrya), dependence on no-one, being interdependent with the entire universe.
In Shaktism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktism), Shakti is worshiped as the Supreme Being (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Being). However, in other Hindu traditions of Shaivism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaivism) and Vaishnavism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavism), Shakti embodies the active feminine energy Prakriti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prakriti) of Purusha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purusha), who is Vishnu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu) in Vaishnavism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavism) or Shiva (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva) in Shaivism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaivism). Vishnu's female counterpart is called Lakshmi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi), with Parvati (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvati) being the female half of Shiva (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva).

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté Ekanta,


When the Icha-Shakti (power of Will) is converted into Kriya-Shakti (power of action), it results in Jnana-Shakti (power of Wisdom).

Is it your opinion that action then results in wisdom? How so?
Here is my POV... lets say I wish to do something, some action. How do I do it successfully? I have some level of knowledge , no? This knowledge is converted into doing ( action ) ; from this action some level of success is achieved and some level of fulfillment is expereinced.

If I choose action first, is this a trial-and error method?

Do you have an opinion on this?

praṇām

[Ekanta]

Namasté Yajvan

What kind of knowledge is converted into action? Desires or knowledge? If knowledge, what kind of knowledge? Jnana (ordinary), sujnana (discriminatory) or Vijnana (intuition)?

Knowledge/Jnana
Prajnana (Constant Integrated Awareness) subsumes Vijnana (Intuitive-knowledge) and embraces also Sujnana (Discriminative-knowledge). (sss20-20)
There are three kinds of knowledge in this world.
1. Jnana (Sense-knowledge): is knowledge got through the body. The knowledge got by perceiving objects is ordinary knowledge. It relates to the physical and is useful in daily life.
2. Sujnana (Discriminative-knowledge): is what is got through the mind. Sujnana relates to the mind. In doing any action, when one considers whether what he is doing is helpful to others, the knowledge on which such action is based is Sujnana.
3. Vijnana (Intuitive-knowledge): is the knowledge got from the heart. Actions which are in accord with the dictates of one's conscience and which are performed to propitiate God constitute actions based on Vijnana. If God is pleased with one's actions, the whole world will be pleased. No effort is needed to please others separately. (sss24-15)


What is causes wisdom? What causes illusion? Is it not to take or not take the prescribed medicin (spiritual instructions)?

Truth (sathya) and implementation of truth (rita)
There are two concepts: Sathya (truth) and Rita (right). The triple purity of mind, speech and body is Rita. To adhere to Rita and speak and act accordingly is Truth. What is uttered with this triple purity is alone Truth, not other words. The ancients have declared that adherence to the truth is Dharma (Righteousness). There is no higher Dharma than Truth, Sathyaannaasthi paro Dharmah. Without the firm foundation of Truth, the mansion of Dharma cannot stand. A life built upon sankalpa (desires) cannot last.
The mansion of desires must be converted into a Mansion of Divine Will (Ichcha-Bhavanam). When the
1. Ichcha-Shakti (power of will) is converted into
2. Kriya-Shakti (power of action), it results in
3. Jnana-Shakti (power of wisdom).
It is through this Divine Wisdom that spiritual liberation Kaivalyam is secured. (sss25-32)

Yoga Sutras
"Ritam-bhara (Ritam-filled) Tatra (there’s) Prajna (supreme-knowledge)" (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1.48)

[kd gupta]

2.Vigyana(Discriminative-knowledge): is what is got through the mind. Sujnana relates to the mind. In doing any action, when one considers whether what he is doing is helpful to others, the knowledge on which such action is based is Sujnana.
3. Sugyana(Intuitive-knowledge): is the knowledge got from the heart. Actions which are in accord with the dictates of one's conscience and which are performed to propitiate God constitute actions based on Vijnana. If God is pleased with one's actions, the whole world will be pleased. No effort is needed to please others separately. (sss24-15)

I thought as above .

[Ekanta]

Its interesting kd_gupta...
People use these two [sujnana & vijnana] in different ways.
Su is "good", Vi is "separate/different" (if i got it right). Sujnana is sometimes interpreted as higher wisdom and Vijnana as "science" related to the material (even translators put it this way sometimes). But I'm pretty sure its the way I stated it. "Good" being discriminative and "separate" being of a separate kind...

Edited part:
It doesnt take long to do a little search on Vijnana… here are some examples (some of the first in search):

http://www.google.se/search?hl=sv&rlz=1T4GGLL_svSE343&q=vijnana+site:www.celextel.org&start=10&sa=N


Varaha Upanishad
63. If he sees everything as Chit without any difference, he alone is an actual Vijnani. He alone is Shiva. He alone is Hari. He alone is Brahma.

GSB - Gita Sankara Bhashya
GSB-3.41 - Jnanam sastratah - avabodhah.-Jnana means knowledge about the Self derived from the scriptures andone's teacher [intellectual knowledge].
Vijnanam viseshatahtadanubhavah - Vijnana means the realisation as an actual experience of that intellectual knowledge, the realisation in the form ‘I am Brahman'.

GSB-6.8 - Jnanamsastrokta-padarthanam - svanubhavakaranam - nana is intellectual knowledge of what is taught by the sruti. Vijnana is making that knowledge the subject of one's own experience. To know Brahman is to b eBrahman, that is, to realise that one is Brahman.

Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad CHAPTER - III
27-28(a). The Vijnana Atman that dwells in this body is deluded by Maya during the states of waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep; but after many births, owing to the effect of good Karma, it wishes to attain its own state.
31-32. When the worldly wisdom is destroyed, Pratyagatman that is in the Dahara (Akasa or ether of the heart) obtains Vijnana, diffusing itself everywhere and burns in an instant Jnanamaya and Manomaya (sheaths). After this, He himself shines always within, like a light within a vessel.
33. That Muni who contemplates thus till sleep and till death is to be known as a Jivanmukta. Having done what ought to be done, he is a fortunate person.

Uttara Gita CHAPTER-I
16. He that has acquired Vijnana, (the Supreme Knowledge) by the aid of Jnana, i.e.., the knowledge derived from books of Philosophy and instruction from a Guru, and has learned to place the object of this knowledge in his heart, and he that has acquired peace of mind, such a person requires no Yoga for further practice, and no meditation for further conception.

[sambya]

at a first glance shaktisim might appear to some as complex and confusing . this is because a commoners shaktism includes within itself a vast range of practices and veiws . some even think occults and aithcrafts to be synonymous with shaktisim !

shaktas as the name suggests are the worshippers of shakti . what is this shakti . in a literal sense it means power --the ommnipresent , omnipotent , omniscient power . this power is personalized in a feminie form--the devi . taken from another , but narrower perspective it is worship of female goddesses of hindu pantheon as the supreme absolute .
from yet another perspective it is cncentration of brahman itself , which is why she is reffered to as brahmamayi .

now the question arises , as to which one of these is accurate . the answer is simple and yet grand -- all of them are accurate . shaktisim , as with the case of every other philosophy of god comprises of all these and much beyond that .

sankhya yoga envisions the supreme principle in two parts --purusha and prakriti . the union of these two basic principles gives rise to creation and its subsequesnt destruction . later on this fundamental educative principle was taken up by every sunsequent philosophy of thought working under the subcontinent and elaborated in its own way . thus prurusha came to represented by such figures as shiva vishnu , brahma etc while shakti was associated with durga , sarswati , lakshmi , radha or sita .

what is the relation between the two ?
they r like a machine and electricity --the powerfull and its power . both are dependent on each other and inseperable . both constitute the whole . when the brahman is in its nirguna state it is a reflection of purusha . and when it creates or 'works' it becomes a reflection of shakti . devi is the shakti of brahman .

most spritual sampradayas offer their sincere prayers to shakti --be it in form of radha or kali or saraswati . enlightment becomes hard to ahcieve without the belief in this shakti .
in a sense every hindu is primarily shakta since gyatri mantra --on whom the foundation of sanatana dharma depends is the female --namely shakti ! the worshipped deity of gayatri is female ..

what is the sadhana procedures followed by shaktas ?
while many shaktas follow advaitic doctrines many others crave for pure bhakti at her feet . specially in the last few centuries , the principle shakta sadhaks have glrofied her as a loving mother .

[Onkara]

Namaste
How does one connect Shakti with scriptures. Sambya Ji mentions that some devotees will follow Advaita, in which case is it correct to assume that they follow the commentary of Sri Shankaraya first. Is there a difference is the emphasis they give to Shakti based on the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita for example and where to begin to understand that empahsis? Can anyone recommend specific commentaries or philosophical works for greater understanding please?

Thank you.

[sambya]

well. shakta scriptures can be diveied into two main types --the shakta oriented puranas and tantric texts . vedic corpus also contains many texts revered within shakta community and with shakta overtones but they cannot be exclusively singled out as they are mixed up with others .

however it is the tantras which has done the maximum exploration of the shakta front . tantras deal with three types of practises --one which is aimed at self realization through female principle and the other which is purely ritualistic and sometimes deviates into occcults . out of the one which aimes at self realizations there are two subsects--vama marga and the dakshina marga . vama marga deals with sadhan which might be objectionalble to eyes of many . dakshina marga is the other 'cleaner' path .

processes to be followed in dakshina marga is quite the same as with othe forms of standard hinduism ---approaching a genuine guru . taking a mantram from him . regular and sincere sadhana including meditations , japam and puja etc . sometimes it also involves yogic disciplines like pranayama or kundalini raising ..

one nice book in mahanirvana tantra . unfortunately most of the scripture is lost forever from us . in present day we only have the introduction section of the vast scripture . but even that is very educative and inspirring .

but it is difficult to obtain reliable shakta sadhana procedural books because it has been a confidential subject of tantric guru shishya paramaparas and has seldom been brought out to public . for some sampradyas the exact methods of initiation and sadhana is unknown even today .