Shaktism is one of the four main schools of thought in Hinduism. They are all different in many ways and focus on different aspects of divinity.
- Shaktism: followers focus worship upon Shakti or Devi, the Hindu divine mother, as the absolute power
- Shaivism: Shiva is viewed as the Supreme Being, as the creator, preserver,and destroyer
- Vaisnavism: worship focuses on the worship of Vishnu and his avatars, such as Rama and Krishna, as the original deity
While Shaktism focuses on the Divine Feminine, t does not reject the Masculine or Neuter divinity. All are respected and accepted as valid forms of the divine.
The above image is an especially popular rendering of three manifestations of the Hindu Divine Mother. The goddess on the left is Lakshmi, representing wealth and material fulfillment. The middle goddess is Parvati, who represents spiritual fulfillment and love. The third goddess, on the right, is Saraswati, who represents learning and the arts.
During this lesson, we went over many other female goddesses that Shaktism honors. Specifically, the Mahavidyas, or the Great Wisdoms. The Mahavidyas are a group of ten aspects of the Divine Mother. They are wisdom goddesses, who range from horrific to beautiful in terms of appearance. The “truth can be seen in ten different facets” of the Mother Goddess. Some of them appear as follows.
Kali
Tara
Lalita
