Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
115
Though the Doctrine of Sakti has folly bloomed in the Puranic literature
and in the Tantras specially, the source of Sakti can be traced back to the
Vedic literature.
The Vedic seers (Rsis) or the philosophers of the Vedic age were
conversant to the concept of Sakti. It becomes clear from the Devl-Sukta2
and the Ratri-Sukta3 of the Rgveda and also the Prthvf-Sukta4 of the
Atharva-Veda.
The deity of this Devl-Sukta is Adisakti or the Primal Energy. The
seer of this hymn is Vak, the daughter of the Great sage Ambhrna. After
realising the Brahman and being assimilated to Him, she declares in an
ij
116
and makes them function properly. She is one, manifested as many forms.
She is the Energy both static and dynamic. In the Durgasaptasati, it has been
stated by Goddess Candlabam vibbutya bahuviriha rupairyada sthita. ' 6
Adya Sakti is the highest Goddess of the world, who bestows wealth
and prowess to a ll. Being propitiated, she gives everything, remains in all
creations and in all phenomena. In the Durgasaptasati she is called as
aradbita saiva nrnam bbogasvargapavargada. 1 In the DevT-sukta, it
has been clearly declared by the Goddess that She Herself pulls the bow
of the mighty god Rudra, who is powerless without Her. She alone
pervades the Universe. She remains as both transcendent and immanent.
Realising the glory and essentiality of Sakti, in another hymn of the
Rgveda, the Vedic seer prays to the Fire-god to make the gods endowed
with their wives . 8
In the Ratri-sukta, Ratri or Night is extolled as the Goddess, as the
Mother of the world. She is the resort of all. At the nightfall, the universe
is covered with darkness at the outset, afterwards the darkness is removed by
the twinkling light of stars and Moon. Likewise, the goddess (Ratri) with her
divine power fascinates the world, and also kindles the light of knowlede in
every mind afterwards.
In the Prthvl-sukta o f the Atharvaveda, the goddess Earth
is eulogised as the Mother o f the Universe. In one hymn, it has
been clearly said, Lmata bhumih putra abam p rthivy a hf
117
The suprem acy o f the all-pervading prow ess o f this Prim al Pow er
(Adya-Sakti) is beautifully illustrated and established in the parable o f Indra
and the celestial damsel o f the Kenopanisad. Once there was a great battle
between the gods and the demons in which the gods were victorious. A t this,
the gods became very proud and thought that the success was entirely due to
their own prowess. They forgot that their pow er was only a manifestation o f
the Inherent Supreme Power o f Brahman in them. Knowing this, the Brahman
appeared before them, but the gods were greatly wonder-struck not knowing
what it was. Then they sent forth the Fire-god to this Brahman with the
mission to know the real nature o f that great manifestation o f the Brahman.
The Fire-god went in pride to Brahman. Being asked by the Brahman who he
was, he answered that he was Jatavedas who has the power o f burning the
whole earth if so desired. Then Brahman gave him one small blade o f grass
and asked Agni to bum it. The Fire-god was not able to bum it with all his
m ig h t.
He
becam e
d is h e a rte n e d
and
r e tu r n e d
to
th e
g o d s.
Then the gods sent Vayu, the god o f wind for the same purpose. Vayu
also went in pride to Brahman. W hen Brahman asked him who he was, he
said that he was M atarisvan, who possesses the pow er o f blowing away
everything from the surface o f the earth. To him also, Brahman gave a blade
o f grass and asked him to blow it off from the surface o f the earth. Bijt the
i
I\
god o f wind also was not able even to move the blade o f grass from its place.
118
He also became disconcerted and returned to the gods. .Both the gods o f Fire
a n d W in d fa ile d to k n o w th e R e a l N a tu re o f th e B ra h m a n .
Then the gods sent Indra with the mission to know the Real
Nature o f the Brahman. In comparison to Agni or Vayu, Indra was more modest.
But when he went to Brahman to know its real nature, Brahman disappeared
from his sight. Then suddenly, one very beautiful resplendent celestial damsel
appeared in the sky before him : sa tasminnevakase srlyamajagama
119
The m anifold functioning o f the Sakti is also delineated in the
Svetasvetaropanisad The Supreme Brahman is immanent in all these creations.
Brahman has no activity nor any organ. Brahman has no equal nor any superior.
But the Inherent Supreme Energy in H im manifests in m any forms o f
knowledge and power :
na tasya karyam karananca vidyate /
m tatsamascabhyadhikasca drsyate / /
parasya saktirvividhaiva sruyate /
svabbavikijnanavalakiiya ca / /
12
second form (female), the Supreme Soul fashioned the whole universe. This
120
myth emphasises the dual concept of creation that man and woman are each
of them like half a shell, they together consitute a whole. This theory of the
dual aspect of creation is also expressed in other upanisads.
In the treatment of the Radha-Krsna legend in the Naradapancaratra
or in the puranas, like the Brahmavaivartapurana, the DevTbhagavata, a similar
theory of the dual aspect of creation is met by us. Radha emerged from the
left part of Krsna. Radha and Krsna, female and male, played the role of
creators. They both fashioned the whole universe. In the Bible, the religious
text of the Christians, also, there is a reference to the dual power of Adam
and Eve. Eve, the wife of Adam, who is called as the mother of all Living
was created with the ribs of Adam. Adam and Eve, the male and female, also
played the role of the creators. 14
In the DevTbhagavata, the greatness of this Doctrine of Sakti is explained
in details. Sakti is the root of all activities of the universe. The function of
this Sakti is all-pervasive. This Adya Sakti manifests in Brahma as the Power
of creation, in Hari or Visnu as the Power of preservation, in Hara or Rudra
as the Power of annihilation. She also manifests as the Power of holding the
Earth in Ananta or Kurma, heat in the Fire, as radiance in Sun. In fine, all
activities of this universe are but the different manifestations of this
Prime Sakti. 15 Siva or Mahadeva also cannot function without Sakti and
becomes totally inactive like a dead body. The DevTbhagavata thus reveals :
121
druhine srstisaktisca harau palana saktita /
hare samharasaktisca surye saktih prakasika / /
dharadharanasaktisca sese k u n n m e tathaiva ca /
sadya saktih parinata sarvasmin y a pratisthita / /
daha saktistatha vahnau samlre preranatmika /
s iv o p i savatam y a ti &z/ndalinya vivarjitah / /
saktihmastu yah kascidasamarthah smrto budhaih
/ 15
That the relation between the Sakti and Saktiman is quite inseparable,
is variously described with instances in the varioi^ religious texts, like the
puranas, the tantras and the Naradapaficaratra. In the Devlbhagavata, it has
been related that the Supreme Brahman and this Adya-sakti are identical.
Practically, there is no difference between them. It says in unambiguous
terms as :
sadaikatvam na bhedosti sarvadaiva mamasya ca /
y o sau sahamaham yasau bhedosti m ativibhramat / /
ekam evadvitiyam vai brahma nityam sanatanam /
dvaidhabhavam p m a ry a ti kala utpatsusanjake / /
16
the great war of Kuruksetra, and he was granted the boon by her that he
would be victorious in the ensuing war within a short time.
122
On critical examination of this doctrine of Sakti, in the Vaisnava
religion and philosophy, we shall find that this Sakti or Goddess has first
appeared as Sri or LaksmI in the Vaisnava religion. Like Devl-Sukta, there is
also a Sri-Sukta at the end of the Mandala V of the Rgveda. The seers of this
Sukta are Ananda, Kardama, Srida etc. The presiding deity of this Sukta is
Sri or LaksmI, the consort of Visnu. Here the devotee prays to the Fire God
to bring hiranyavarna LaksmI to the place of sacrifice. The hymn is as follows:
hiranyavarnath harinlm suvarnarajata srajam /
candram hirapmaylm laksmim jatavedo ma avaha / /
tam ma avaha jatavedo laksmlmanapagaminlm /
yasyam hiranyam vindeyam gamasvam purusanaham / / 19
In the Padmapurana, the Kurmapurana, the Agnipurana and the
Garudapurana also this goddess LaksmI is described as Sridevl. Krsna is also
another form of Visnu. He is the incarnation of Visnu.
Visnu, the great God, appears in a few verses of the Rgveda and the
Yajurveda. The Vedic seers describe Visnu in the verses as :
visnumu kam viryani pra vocam parthivani vimabhe rajamsi /
yo askabhayaduttaram sadhastham vicakramanastredhorugaya /
20
21
22
123
In the Purusa-Sukta of the Rgveda,23the Supreme Purasa as possessing
one thousand heads and feet, covers the whole Universe with His body. This
Parama Purasa is the Parama Brahman, Supreme Brahman of the Upanisads.
He remains universally present everywhere.
Now, coming to the Vismupurana, we find that Visnu is that Lord
who possesses all the attributes of Brahman. He has been eulogised in the
purana in the same manner as in the Upanisad as the Smallest of the smallest,
biggest o f the biggest (anoranlyan mahatomablyan). In fact, the four hands
of Visnu and His Serpent Bed prepared on Ananta Naga are suggestive of
his all-pervading character.
This mighty Visnu also possesses a Sakti or a Special Power of
potentiality with the help of which He can operate. According to the
Markandeyapuma, the goddess Durga or Candi is the Vaisnavi- Sakti or the
25
124
According to the Guptavaficommentary of Bhaskara Roy Diksita, Candl is
parama brahmanah pattamahisldevata. In the Bhagavatapurana (SkandhaX) and the Kurmapurana also, the goddess known as the Sakti of Visnu or
Rudra has been appropriately extolled. Sahkaracarya described in the first
verse of his Saundaryalahari, that in the absence of this all pervading Sakti of
the Lord, Siva or the Lord will be instantly reduced to a corpse.26 The
Todalatantra also recognises the Power {sakti) of the Lord. It says,
yasmin vyakta mahakll saktihinah
sadasivah saktya yukto yada devl
tadaiva savarupakab / saktihlne savah
saksatpurusatvam na muncatl/ 27
The Visnu-sakti or the Power of Visnu has been variously described
in various words. In the Visnupurana, she is LaksmI, popularly known as the
Goddess of Fortune. Lord Visnu discends to the earth in a new form as
Lord Krsna. Krsna appears in the 10th Skandha of the Bhagavatapurana. The
cowherd m aidens with whom Krsna plays his R asa-krlda in the
Bhagavatapurana, are also the representatives of Sakti. However, in the
Dualistic Vaisnava religion, where Radha receives her due prominence, she
is not an ordinary beloved of the Lord, nor she is a Goddess. In the poetical
works mentioned by us, Radha appears as a lady-love of Krsna. But the
puranas and also Vaisnava preachers of Bengal are not ready to dismiss the
role of Radha so lightly. They have treated Radha as the Sakti of the Lord.
125
The Padmapurana discusses the philosophical significance of Radha
or Radhika quite adequately. It defines the word Gop! as gopanaducyate
gopV
28
Then it says :
gopanaducyate gopl radhika krsna- vallabha /
devi krsnamaylprokta radhika paradevata / /
sarva-iaksmisvarupa sa krsnahladasvarupini/
tatah sS procyate vipra hladimti manlsibhih / /
tatkalakotikotyaihsa durgadyastrigunatmikah /
sa tu saksanmahalaksmlh krsno narayanah prabhuh / /
naitayorvidyate bhedah svalpop i munisattama /
29
Goswami,
126
to Brahman as ' anandamayam brahma, where the suffix mayaf denotes svarupa
or 'identity'. Now, the sakti of Brahman assuming the qualified form of
Krsna is logically the 'Store-House of Bliss and, thus, the name Hladinlsakti is quite appropriate in this context. The word ananda does not, however,
refer to the worldy joy or happiness which are inseparably related to the
material objects. It is Pure and 'Non-related Bliss'. Sankara describes it as
antaratamamanandam.n It is worthnoting in the present context that even
Durga is no match for Radha. In the verses quoted above, we find a significant
statement namely, tatkalakotikotyamsa durgadyastrigunatmikah.
Thus in the Padmapurana, Radha stands superior to all other 'saktis .
The concept of Hladini as one of the powers of Visnu finds its expresssion in
the Visnupurana also where it has been said as :
hladini sandhinl sarhvittvayyeka san'asamsthitau
hladatapakarl misra tvayi no gunavarjjite //
But this purana does not give any interpretation of the word hladini.
Rupa Goswami describes 'Hladini in his Uj j valanllamani as
hiadinl ya mahasaktih sarva saktivarlyasi /
tatsarabhavarupeyamiti tantre pratisthita //
',4
which means that this particular sakti or Power of Visnu is the 'Supreme
Power' which excels all other Power-s of the Lord. Rupa Goswami remarks
that the concept of'Hladinl-Sakti' has been borrowed from the Tantra literature
The commentators of the Ujjvalaniiamani pointedly refer to the following
verse from the Gautamlyatantra in this context:
127
These three powers are HladinI, SandhinI and Samvit. HladinI is his aspect of
Bliss, SandhinI is of His eternal existence and Sarhvit is His aspect of
cognizence which is also accepted as knowledge. The quintessence of the
128
37
129
krsnamayl-krsna yarn bhitare vabire/
yanha yanha netra pade tanha tanha krsna spbure//
38
Here, he explains the epithet of krsnam ayl as One whose within and
without is Lord Krsna. She sees Lord Krsna everywhere she casts her glances.
He further says :
radha purnasakti krsna purnasaktiman /
dui vastu bheda nai, sastra paraman / /
mrgamada, tara gandba yaicbe avicched /
agni jvalate-yaicbe kabbu nahi bheda / /
radha krsna aicbe sadM ekai svarupa /
lilarasa asvadite dhare duirupa / /
39
Brvp.,Prakrti-khanda, 2. 10, 7, p. 63
2.
R.V., X. 125
3.
ibid,
4.
A V ., XII. 1.
5.
RV.,
X.127
X. 125. 1,3, 6
130
a ta s tv a m a r a d b y S m
b a n
p r a n a n tu m
v a
s to tu m
T T .,
s lo k a
l a s t
p a t a l a
2 8 .
P c &
n / j .j P a t a l a k h a n d a ,
2 9 .
ib id ,
P a t a l a k h a n d a ,
3 0 .
D s s .,
I . 5
. p
a n a n d o
3 1 .
h a r a
1 . 1 .
I ,
p .
5 0 ,
V is p .,
3 4 .
U N .,
I .
6 3 .
b r a b m e ti v y a jS n a t m
n ta r a ta m a m
1 2 .
( B
6 ,
p .
ib id ,
a d h a p r a k a r a n a ,
6 ,
3 6 .
ib id ,
a d h a p r a k a r a n a ,
2 7 ,
3 7 .
C C .
3 8 .
ib id ,
d i l l l a .
3 9 .
ib id ,
d i l i l a ,
d i U
l a .
I V
I V
I V
7 6
p .
p .
8 8 - 9 2
8 5
9 6 ,
9 7 ,
9 8
7 8
8 3
<5^
a -
S n i b b u t S n ija y a n t e .
p m y a n ty a b h is a m v is a n titi.
r g u v a l l l )
b r a h m
6 9
a d h a p r a k a r a n a ,
a n d a d d h y e v a k h a lv im
S n a n d a m
a n a n d a m
3 5 .
5 2 - 5 5 .
T a iU .
3 3 .
p .
T a iU .
'a
v ir in c a d ib h ir a p i /
5 0 - 5 2 .
a n a n d e n a jS t S n ijlv a n t i.
3 2 .
k a th a m a k r ta p im y a h , p r a b h a v a t i / /
S L .,
2 7 .
3 .
6 .
p .
3 1 5
S a n k a r a b h a s y a
A n u v a k a ,
o n
B h fg u v a lli. p .
3 1 5