Adi Para Shakti literally means Primordial Supreme Energy which is feminine, also known as the Great Goddess (Maha Devi) who is the source of all manifestations of the universe. She is formless, invisible, intangible, yet changeless, indestructible, and omnipresent. She is self-existent, exists throughout the creation, development, and destruction of the universe, and also exists before the creation, and after the destruction of the universe. She is the life and wisdom of all living beings, and is the holy power of all divine beings.
According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, in an unimaginable realm beyond the universe, Adi Para Shakti manifests Herself as a Supreme Goddess with exceeding beauty and eternal youth. As it is written in the Book 3, Chapter 3 - On seeing the Devī :
We saw a Divine Lady, sitting on the cot, wearing a red garment and a garland of red cloth and bedewed with red sandal paste. Her eyes were dark-red; that beautiful faced red-lipped lady looked more beautiful than ten millions of lightnings and ten millions of Lakṣmīs and lustrous like the Sun.
...... Who is of the colour of the rising Sun, all merciful, and in the full bloom of youth. That lotus-faced smiling lady was adorned with all the beauties of Nature. ...... At this juncture Bhagavān Viṣṇu saw closely the sweet smiling Devī and by his intelligence came to a definite conclusion and spoke to us :-- “This is the Devī Bhagavatī Mahāvidyā Mahā Māyā, undecaying and eternal; She is the Full, the Prakriti; She is the Cause of us all. This Devī is inconceivable to those who are of dull intellects; only the Yogis can see Her by their Yoga-powers. She is eternal (Brahmā) and also non-eternal (Māyā). She is the Will-force of the Supreme Self. She is the First Creatrix of this world. ...... This Devī with wide eyes, the Lady of the Universe, has produced the Vedas. The less-fortunate persons cannot worship Her. During the time of Pralaya, She destroys all the Universe, draws within Her body all the subtle bodies (Liṅga-Sarīras), and plays. O two Devas! At present She is residing in the form of the Seed of the Universe. ...... O Brahmān! O Śaṅkara! To-day we are blessed and highly fortunate that we have got the sight of this Devī. The tapasyā (asceticisms) that we practised of yore have yielded to us this fruit. Else why Bhagavatī has shown so carefully Her own form? Those who are highly meritorious by tapasyās and gifts of abundant wealth, those high souled persons are able to see this all-auspicious Bhagavatī. The person attached to sensual objects can never see Her. It is She that is the Mūlā Prakriti, united with the Cidānanda Person. It is She that creates this Brahmānda and exhibits it to the Paramātmā (the Supreme Self). O two Devas! This whole Universe and all the Seers and Seen and other things contained therein owe to Her as their sole cause. She is the Māyā assuming all forms; She is the Goddess of all.
The Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 3, Chapter 4 - On the hymns to the Great Devī by Viṣṇu says :
Śrī Bhagavān said :-- Salutation to the Devī Prakriti, the Creatrix; I bow down again and again to Thee. Thou art all-auspicious and grantest the desires of Thy devotees; Thou art of the nature of Siddhi (success) and Vriddhi (increase). I bow down again and again to Thee. I bow down to the World Mother, Who is of the nature of Everlasting Existence, Intelligence and Bliss. O Devī! Thou createst, preservest and destroyest this Universe; Thou dost the Pralaya (the great Dissolution) and showest favour to the created beings. Thus Thou art the Authoress of the above five fold things that are done; so, O Bhuvaneśvarī, I bow down to Thee! Thou art the great efficient and material cause of the changeful. Thou art the Unchangeable, Immoveable Consciousness; Thou art the half letter (Ardhamātrā), Hrillekhā (the consciousness that ever pervades both inside and outside the Universe); Thou art the Supreme Soul and the individual soul. Salutation again and again to Thee. O Mother! I now realise fully well that this whole Universe rests on Thee; it rises from Thee and again melts away in Thee. The creation of this Universe shews Thy infinite force. ...... 32. O Mother! Were it not for Thee, no object would be visible, Thou pervadest the whole Universe. It is for this reason that those persons that are wise declare that even the Highest Puruṣa can do no work without Thy aid. ...... 35-37. O Mother! When I Myself, Śaṅkara and Brahmā or any one of us is unable to fathom Thy inconceivable glory, who else can then ascertain? O Bhavānī! Who knows, how many more than the several regions that we saw reflected in thy nails of Thy feet, exist in Thy creation. O One endowed with infinitely great powers! O Devī! we saw another Viṣṇu, another Hara, another Brahmā, all of great celebrity in the Universe exhibited by Thee; who knows how many other such Brahmās, etc., exist in Thy other Universes! Thy glory is infinite. O Mother! I bow down again and again to Thy lotus feet and pray to Thee that may Thy this form exist always in my mind. May my mouth always utter Thy name and may my two eyes see always Thy lotus feet. ...... O World-Mother! There is nothing in this world that is not known to Thee for Thou art omniscient. So O Bhavānī! What more shall my humble self declare to Thee! Now dost Thou do whatever Thou desirest. O Devī! The rumour goes that Brahmā is the Creator, Viṣṇu is the Preserver, and Maheśvara is the Destroyer! Is this true? O Eternal One! It is through Thy Will power, through Thy force, that we create, preserve and destroy. ...... Thou art the attributeless Self, yet by Thy Māyic power Thou appearest in the form of this Prapañca Universe. When Brahmā, Maheśa, and I myself take birth by Thy power and are not eternal, what more can be said of Indra and other Devas than this that they are mere temporary things and created. It is only Thou that art Eternal, Ancient Prakriti and the Mother of this Universe. ...... Thou art the Vidyā of the intelligent persons and the Śakti of the beings endowed with force; Thou art Kīrtī (fame), Kānti (lustre), Kamalā (wealth) and the spotless Tuṣṭi (peace, happiness). Amongst men, Thou art the dispassion, leading to Mukti (complete freedom from bondage). Thou art the Gāyatri, the mother of the Vedas; and Thou art Svahā, Svadhā, etc. Thou art the Bhāgavatī, of the nature of the three Guṇas; Thou art the half mātrā (half the upper stroke of a letter), the fourth state, transcending the Guṇas. It is Thou that givest always the Śāstras for the preservation of the Devas and the Brāhmaṇas. It is Thou that hast expanded and manifested this whole phenomenon of the visible Universe for the liberation of the embodied souls (Jīvas), the parts of the pure holy Brāhmaṇ, the Full, the Beginningless, the Deathless, forming the waves of the lnfinite expanse of ocean. ...... O Mother! O Destroyer of the greatest difficulties! I always take refuge unto Thee. Thou dost save me from this ocean of Samsāra, full of Moha (delusion). Let Thou be my Saviour when my end will come, from these infinitely troublesome and unreal pains arising from love and hatred. Obeisance to Thee! O Devī! O Mahā vidyā! I fall prostrate at Thy feet. O Thou, the Granter of all wishes! O Auspicious One! Dost Thou give the knowledge that is All-Light to Me.
Rig Veda, Mandala 10, Hymn 125 says:
I proceed with the Rudras, the Vasus, the Ādityas, and the Viśvedevās;
I support both Mitra and Varuṇa, Agni and Indra, and the two Aśvinṣ. (The meaning is that She is the energy and holy power of all these gods.) I support the foe-destroying Soma, Tvaṣṭā, Pūṣan and Bhaga; I bestow wealth upon the instrumental tutor of the rite offering the oblation, deserving of careful protection, pouring forth the libation. I am the sovereign Queen, the gatherer-up of treasures, most thoughtful, first of those who merit worship. Thus Gods have established shrines for me in many places with many homes to enter and abide in. One who eats food, who sees, who breathes, who hears the spoken words, does so through me alone. Even though they are ignorant of me, they are always with me. Hear me if you are capable! I speak to you the truth. I, verily, myself announce and utter the word that Gods and men alike shall welcome. I make the man I love exceeding mighty, make him a sage, an immortal one, and a Brahman. I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may strike and slay the hater of devotion. I rouse and order battle for the people. I created Earth and Heaven and reside as their Inner Controller. On the world's summit I bring forth the Father: my home is in the waters, in the ocean. Thence I pervade all existing creatures, as their Inner Supreme Self, and manifest them. I created all worlds at my will, without any higher being, and permeate and dwell within them. The eternal and infinite consciousness is I, it is my greatness dwelling in everything. (Compiled and modified from translations by Ralph T.H. Griffith, H. H. Wilson, and others.)
According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, the gods saw the effulgent appearance of the Supreme Goddess, a marvelous manifestation of Adi Para Shakti, however, they also realized that Adi Para Shakti Herself is actually invisible, unchangeable, indestructible, and eternal. As it is written in the Book 3, Chapter 7 - On the creation and the Tattvas and their presiding deities :
1.O Brahmā said :-- Nārada! Thus we three I, Viṣṇu, and Mahādeva saw that highly effulgent Goddess: we also saw separately Her attendant goddesses, one after another, that form, as it were, a veil to her? Who were also preeminently grand.
2-3. Vyāsa said :-- O king! Nārada, the foremost of the Munis, hearing thus his father’s words, was exceedingly pleased and asked :-- O Grandsire of all the Lokas! Now describe in detail that ancient and indestructible undecaying, unchangeable, eternal Puruṣa, that is Nirguṇa (free from Prākritic qualities) that you have seen and realised. 4. Father! You have seen the Śakti (the Prime Energy) personified the Saguṇa energy (Energy with qualities), the Supreme Goddess, having hands and feet; but cannot understand of what kind is that Nirguṇa Śakti (Energy without material qualities) which cannot be seen and which is devoid of all Prākritic qualities. ...... 7. Father, you have been so successful as to see that beautiful Śakti with qualities; I have heard about Her from you, but how and of what sort, is that invisible attributeless energy as well as that Nirguṇa Purusa (Supreme Self without material qualities). Please narrate and explain all these and satisfy my desires that always reign in my breast. 8. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Thus asked by Nārāda, the Lord of creation, the grandsire of the Lokas, smiled, and began to speak the truth in the following words :-- 9. O best of Munis! The form of the Nirguṇa Purusa (the Supreme Spirit beyond the Prākritic qualities) cannot exist or be visible; for everything that comes within the range of sight is transitory. How can, then, that Eternal Spirit have form and how can He become visible! ...... 15. What is Śakti (energy) is the Highest Self; what is the Highest Self is the Highest Śakti. O Nārada! Nobody can ascertain the subtle difference between these two. (In other words, the Word is God, God is the Word.) ......
21. Until one becomes able to cut asunder all connections with qualities, the seeing of that Nirguṇa Brahmā (the attributeless Absolute) is impossible. No sooner one is totally free from Ahamkāra, than the Nirguṇa Brahmā is at once seen by him within his heart.
The Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 3, Chapter 6 - On the description of the Devī’s Vibhutis (powers) says :
1-10. Brahmā said :-- When I thus asked with great humility, the Devī Bhāgavatī, the Prime Śakti, She addressed me thus in the following sweet words :-- There is oneness always between me and the Puruṣa; there is no difference whatsoever at any time between me and the Puruṣa (Male, the Supreme Self). Who is I, that is Puruṣa; who is Puruṣa, that is I. The difference between force and the receptacle of force is due to error. ...... The One, Non-dual, Eternal, Everlasting Brahmā substance becomes dual at the time of creation. As a lamp, though one, becomes two by virtue of adjuncts; as a face, though one, becomes two, as reflected in a mirror; as one man becomes double by his shadow, we become reflected into many, by virtue of different Antah Karaṇas (mind, buddhi, and ahaṅkāra) created by Māyā. ...... The Māyā and Brahmā appear as two and hence all the differences, visible and invisible, have come forth. Only during creation are these differences conceived. When everything melts away, i.e., there comes the Pralaya or general dissolution, then, I am not female, I am not male, nor I am hermaphrodite. I then remain as Brahmā with Māyā latent in it. ...... 11-13. O Brahmā! See what substance is there in this Samsāra, that is separate from Me? And what can you imagine with which I am not connected? So know this as certain that I am these all forms. O Creator! Say, is there any such thing, where you will not see my above mentioned positive form? So, in this creation, I am one, and I am many as well, in various forms. Know this as certain that it is I, that assuming the names of all the various Devas, exist in so many forms of Śaktis. It is I that manifest power and wield strength. ...... I enter in every substance, in everything of the nature of effect. Making that Puruṣa the instrument, I do all the actions (rather Puruṣa is the efficient cause, the immediate agent).
Divine manifestations of Adi Para Shakti include Tripura Sundari, Durga, Maha-Kali, Gayatri, Lakshmi, Saraswati, etc.
Tripura Sundari is often depicted as sitting on Shiva, while Maha-Kali is often depicted as standing on Shiva, both symbolize that Adi Para Shakti is the essential energy and holy power in Shiva's body.
Additionally, similar to Ultimate One the Heavenly Savior in Taoism, and Manjusri in Buddhism, Durga also rides a lion.
|
