The Goddess is not one deity but a horizon: Sarasvatī with her veena (learning), Lakṣmī on her lotus (fortune), Pārvatī on the mountain (devotion as marriage), Durgā on her lion (unconquerable grace), Kālī with her sword (time itself). The Śākta traditions revere her as the supreme, Śakti, the power without which even the gods are still.
The Devī Māhātmya
The fifth-century hymn of her glories is recited across the subcontinent during Navarātri, nine nights each autumn. Its refrain, yā devī sarva-bhūteṣu, “she who abides in all beings as power”, states the theology entire; this site’s tantra pages touch its Śākta afterlife.
In the household
Her worship is the daily pūjā, the lamps of āratī, the sarasvatī-invocation sung before every Indian concert.
Related entries
- Śiva , The ascetic on the mountain and the dancer at the centre of the universe, the deity of destruction-as-renewal, yoga's own patron.
- Viṣṇu , The preserver, resting on the cosmic ocean between worlds, descending as avatar whenever dharma wanes.
- Pūjā , The daily ritual of welcome, inviting the deity as an honoured guest, offering what one would offer a beloved visitor.
Mentioned in
References
- Devī Māhātmya (the Goddess's great hymn (Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa))
- The Goddess in India and beyond , standard scholarly introductions (Kinsley, "Hindu Goddesses")