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Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother
Presents the mystery of the Divine Mother in all her manifold aspects
• Explores more than 30 different goddess aspects of the Shakti force, both beneficial and malefic
• Includes Sanskrit hymns and classic verses by Sri Auribindo for each of the goddesses
Shakti is synonymous with the Devi, the Divine Mother or divine power that manifests, sustains, and transforms the universe. She is the womb of all creatures, and it is through her that the One becomes the many. Our first and primary relationship to the world is through the mother, the source of love, security, and nourishment. Extending this relationship to worship of a cosmic being as mother was a natural step found not only in the Shakti cult of Hinduism but also in ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Babylonian cultures.
Shakti presents more than 30 goddess incarnations of the Divine Mother that represent both the beneficial and malefic aspects of the Shakti force. From Lakshmi, Parvati, and Saraswati to Durga, Chandika, and Kali--each of the different functions of the female goddesses in the Hindu pantheon is revealed, accompanied by traditional Sanskrit hymns, classic verses by Sri Auribindo, and discussions of tantric philosophy. The author draws from the Devi Bhagavatham, which describes all the stories of Shakti, and the Devi Mahatmyam, the most powerful scriptural text that glorifies Shakti in her form as Durga. Using these texts she shows that through the power and grace of the Divine Mother we may be released from the darkness of ignorance and taken to the abode of knowledge, immortality, and bliss--the source from which we have come.
• Explores more than 30 different goddess aspects of the Shakti force, both beneficial and malefic
• Includes Sanskrit hymns and classic verses by Sri Auribindo for each of the goddesses
Shakti is synonymous with the Devi, the Divine Mother or divine power that manifests, sustains, and transforms the universe. She is the womb of all creatures, and it is through her that the One becomes the many. Our first and primary relationship to the world is through the mother, the source of love, security, and nourishment. Extending this relationship to worship of a cosmic being as mother was a natural step found not only in the Shakti cult of Hinduism but also in ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Babylonian cultures.
Shakti presents more than 30 goddess incarnations of the Divine Mother that represent both the beneficial and malefic aspects of the Shakti force. From Lakshmi, Parvati, and Saraswati to Durga, Chandika, and Kali--each of the different functions of the female goddesses in the Hindu pantheon is revealed, accompanied by traditional Sanskrit hymns, classic verses by Sri Auribindo, and discussions of tantric philosophy. The author draws from the Devi Bhagavatham, which describes all the stories of Shakti, and the Devi Mahatmyam, the most powerful scriptural text that glorifies Shakti in her form as Durga. Using these texts she shows that through the power and grace of the Divine Mother we may be released from the darkness of ignorance and taken to the abode of knowledge, immortality, and bliss--the source from which we have come.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 15, 2010
A fantastically good book about the 30 main aspect of Mother Divine. As she says- all our troubles arise because our small ego driven self has lost touch with the Atman or god within. The different aspect of Mother Divine shows us how to reconnect with our higher inner self. Vanamali writes beautifully, with a clear and perceptive style. I think she is not just a writer but actually an exponent of what she writes about
November 10, 2018
Outstanding Cultural Discourse
This knowledgeable and discerning author has put together a voluminous and extremely interesting discourse regarding the feminine goddesses of India. Her insight and carefully crafted writing is enthralling and captivating. A wonderful read!
This knowledgeable and discerning author has put together a voluminous and extremely interesting discourse regarding the feminine goddesses of India. Her insight and carefully crafted writing is enthralling and captivating. A wonderful read!
December 16, 2019
Quite a detail book.
A must read.
This book is better than those devdutt kinda writers.
A must read.
This book is better than those devdutt kinda writers.
April 10, 2020
శ్రీ మాత్రే నమః
November 24, 2017
Awesome Book
Read
February 20, 2013Nice book
December 28, 2016
loved this book
And really recommend it for Indophiles
And really recommend it for Indophiles
July 5, 2024
The author explains the most complex concept in the easiest of manner https://www.anuradhagoyal.com/sri-dev...
April 24, 2023
Book: Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother
Author: Vanamali
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (21 July 2008)
Language: English
Paperback: 384 pages
Item Weight: 1 g
Dimensions: 15.24 x 2.03 x 22.86 cm
Country of Origin: India
Price: 515/-
“Shakti, the mother power or divine energy, has many forms and symbols. All beauty and all ugliness flow from her. She is Lakshmi, the auspicious, bestower of boons and beauty. She is Saraswati, the giver of all wisdom and art. She is Tripurasundari, the most beauteous in the three worlds. But she is also Kaali, the destroyer, whose wrath ignites the storm, the thunder, and the lightning. She is Mahishasuramardini, killer of the demon Mahisha. She is Chandika, the terrible, who lets loose the typhoon, the flood, and the tidal wave…”
Mankind has adulated prodigious feminine epitomes for as long as we have pursued a numinous association with life and the universe. The Great Mother, She Who Loves, She Who Instructs, She Who Protects, She Who Heals are but a few of the names bestowed upon the feminine aspect of the epicene, human nature that we have well-regarded over the centuries.
But for most of recorded religious and spiritual history, a categorically masculine predisposition has infused the Western approach to a supreme deity.
God is typically referred to as “He.” God the Father is much more often referred to than God the Mother. The great teachers, gurus, and masters have been customarily represented and described, up until fairly recently, as men.
However, our ‘Devi Bhagavatam’ pronounces the Divine Mother as the mother of the trinity — Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara (Shiva). These three vigorous manifestations of the absolute are all manifestations of Adi Shakti, or the principal force:
**As Brahma Shakti, she reveals in the form of Saraswati;
**As Vishnu Shakti, she reveals in the form of Lakshmi;
**And as Shiva Shakti, she reveals in the form of Durga or Kaali.
These are not three dissimilar devis but the ‘one energy’ of the Brahman worshipped in three different manifestations. She is the creator of many worlds and universes; numerous Brahmas, Vishnus, and Shivas have emanated from her.
In her mystical aspect she is ‘Prakriti’ or ‘Para Brahma Swarupini’, the form of the ‘absolute Brahman’. Consequently, when we worship the Divine Mother, we are not only offering adorations to the supreme in its aspect of motherhood but also adoring the supreme absolute.
She is that aspect of the supreme power by whose elegance alone we shall be eventually released from the darkness of unawareness and the bondage of maya and taken to the abode of immortal knowledge, immortality, and bliss.
The author has divided this tome into thirty-one chapters:
1) Prakriti
2) Parameswari
3) Maha Devi
4) Rajarajeshwari
5) Maheswari
6) Parashakti
7) Lalitha
8) Tripurasundari
9) Kameswari
10) Durga
11) Chandika
12) Mahishasuramardini
13) Chamunda
14) Sati
15) Dakshayini
16) Parvati
17) Aparna
18) Gauri
19) Ganga
20) Kaali
21) Lakshmi
22) Saraswati
23) Radha
24) Tulasi
25) Sita
26) Savitri
27) Shivaduti
28) Adi Shakti
29) Maha Maya
30) Sri Chakra
31) Devi Kundalini
The Sanatan India saw no inconsistency between science and religion. The ancient rishis or philosophers were both scientists and spiritualists. They understood that the foundation of all matter is spiritual. Their inquiries into the material world took them to the spiritual world, since they did not hold any predetermined notions about a world that existed apart from its spiritual foundations. Modern Western scientists, however, started from the ill-fated hypothesis that nature, man, and God are completely unconnected, so that it took a very long time for them to comprehend this truth.
Even now they have not completely grasped it; it was only in the 20th century that they began to glimpse this connection.
Not long ago progressive thinkers believed that science would eventually conquest all the age-old spiritual concepts and rebuild human society on a chastely materialistic basis. But now we see that an absolutely different picture is emerging.
Einstein himself said, “The most beautiful and the most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger—who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his mind and eyes are closed.”
The perception into the mystery of life coupled though it may be with fear has given rise to religion. To know that, what is impassable to us, really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and most beaming exquisiteness which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms — this knowledge, this feeling is at the centre of true religiousness.
The rishis of ancient India were able to experience this knowledge through profound personal understanding brought about by concentrated austerity and meditation.
The Sanatan philosophy is famous for its symbolism, and from ancient times Indian graphic representations of God took both male and female forms. Over time, the universal form of the immobile absolute came to be associated with the male form and the manifested energy of nature with the female form.
The absolute and nature are therefore not two but two-in-one; they are necessary to each other as complementary manifestations of the one.
In the ‘Skanda Purana’, Indra asks Vishnu how the Brahman is able to project itself as both male and female. Vishnu replies, “Listen, O Indra, the male and female are perpetual principles involved in the projection of the universe. They are never detached. Fundamentally they are one, as gold and ornaments made of it are one.”
This two-in-one existence came to be known as ‘Purusha’ and ‘Prakriti’ or ‘Shiva’ and ‘Shakti’. It is something like the dynamo and the force that charges it; one is toothless without the other. Shiva and Shakti are polar opposites, always together but having a varying relative prevalence under different directions.
But in the unmanifest, each aspect of the one reality is only a potential. It is merged in the unadulterated consciousness with the other and is indistinguishable from it.
So we find that in Hindu mythology Prakriti and Purusha or Shiva and Shakti are always found together, though when they are manifest in an organism one or the other predominates according to the organism’s stage of evolution. If the jivatman wants to realize its own divine nature, it has to disentangle itself from the illusory haze created by maya shakti, penetrate through its own center, and emerge on the other side of the point, as it were.
It is then in the realm of pure consciousness and is able to have a direct experience of that consciousness that is both Shiva and Shakti.
So what did I garner from this book?
The following points:
1) Shakti, or Devi, presumes all forms of existing knowledge — past, present, and future. She is the female creative aspect of the Brahman. It is through her that the one becomes the many. She is Adi Shakti, the primordial force, and the first release of power from the absolute, Brahman.
2) Creation and dissolution follow each other. It is a recurring process, not the linear one described in Western philosophy. During the period of dissolution, Shakti lies dormant. Just as the tree lies latent in the seed, so this universe of names and forms lies enfolded in Shakti. In fact, Shakti is a mass of latent, indistinguishable energy that rests in the Brahman and contains the seed power of many universes.
3) During the period of creation this energy flowers into the manifest, evolved cosmos, and during dissolution, it withdraws everything into itself and remains in the latent state till the next period of evolution and creation. This expansion and contraction continues throughout eternity. Like day and night the universe alternately expands into matter and recedes into primal energy or Mula Prakriti.
4) From Shakti comes this whole display of myriad forms, from the stars to the earthworms, from the oceans to the dewdrops! Shakti is cosmic energy, the physical ultimate of all forms of matter.
5) Matter is nothing but energy in motion, as modern physics has come to acknowledge. Spirit and energy are inseparable. They are essentially one. They are like fire and heat.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, “Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego—these constitute the eightfold division of my nature. Know this to be my lower nature. My higher nature, O Arjuna, is that spiritual being that sustains the entire universe. That is quite different from this. These two natures form the womb of all beings. I am thus the origin and the dissolution of the entire universe.” This spiritual being of which Krishna speaks is what the ‘Devi Bhagavatam’ describes as ‘Devi’ or ‘Adi Shakti’ or ‘Mula Prakriti’.
To conclude, Shakti, the mother power or divine energy, has many forms and symbols. All beauty and all ugliness flow from her.
## She is Lakshmi, the auspicious, bestower of boons and beauty.
## She is Saraswati, the giver of all wisdom and art.
## She is Tripurasundari, the most beauteous in the three worlds.
## But she is also Kaali, the destroyer, whose wrath ignites the storm, the thunder, and the lightning.
She is Mahishasuramardini, killer of the demon Mahisha. She is Chandika, the terrible, who lets loose the typhoon, the flood, and the tidal wave.
She is the womb of the universe.
Author: Vanamali
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (21 July 2008)
Language: English
Paperback: 384 pages
Item Weight: 1 g
Dimensions: 15.24 x 2.03 x 22.86 cm
Country of Origin: India
Price: 515/-
“Shakti, the mother power or divine energy, has many forms and symbols. All beauty and all ugliness flow from her. She is Lakshmi, the auspicious, bestower of boons and beauty. She is Saraswati, the giver of all wisdom and art. She is Tripurasundari, the most beauteous in the three worlds. But she is also Kaali, the destroyer, whose wrath ignites the storm, the thunder, and the lightning. She is Mahishasuramardini, killer of the demon Mahisha. She is Chandika, the terrible, who lets loose the typhoon, the flood, and the tidal wave…”
Mankind has adulated prodigious feminine epitomes for as long as we have pursued a numinous association with life and the universe. The Great Mother, She Who Loves, She Who Instructs, She Who Protects, She Who Heals are but a few of the names bestowed upon the feminine aspect of the epicene, human nature that we have well-regarded over the centuries.
But for most of recorded religious and spiritual history, a categorically masculine predisposition has infused the Western approach to a supreme deity.
God is typically referred to as “He.” God the Father is much more often referred to than God the Mother. The great teachers, gurus, and masters have been customarily represented and described, up until fairly recently, as men.
However, our ‘Devi Bhagavatam’ pronounces the Divine Mother as the mother of the trinity — Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara (Shiva). These three vigorous manifestations of the absolute are all manifestations of Adi Shakti, or the principal force:
**As Brahma Shakti, she reveals in the form of Saraswati;
**As Vishnu Shakti, she reveals in the form of Lakshmi;
**And as Shiva Shakti, she reveals in the form of Durga or Kaali.
These are not three dissimilar devis but the ‘one energy’ of the Brahman worshipped in three different manifestations. She is the creator of many worlds and universes; numerous Brahmas, Vishnus, and Shivas have emanated from her.
In her mystical aspect she is ‘Prakriti’ or ‘Para Brahma Swarupini’, the form of the ‘absolute Brahman’. Consequently, when we worship the Divine Mother, we are not only offering adorations to the supreme in its aspect of motherhood but also adoring the supreme absolute.
She is that aspect of the supreme power by whose elegance alone we shall be eventually released from the darkness of unawareness and the bondage of maya and taken to the abode of immortal knowledge, immortality, and bliss.
The author has divided this tome into thirty-one chapters:
1) Prakriti
2) Parameswari
3) Maha Devi
4) Rajarajeshwari
5) Maheswari
6) Parashakti
7) Lalitha
8) Tripurasundari
9) Kameswari
10) Durga
11) Chandika
12) Mahishasuramardini
13) Chamunda
14) Sati
15) Dakshayini
16) Parvati
17) Aparna
18) Gauri
19) Ganga
20) Kaali
21) Lakshmi
22) Saraswati
23) Radha
24) Tulasi
25) Sita
26) Savitri
27) Shivaduti
28) Adi Shakti
29) Maha Maya
30) Sri Chakra
31) Devi Kundalini
The Sanatan India saw no inconsistency between science and religion. The ancient rishis or philosophers were both scientists and spiritualists. They understood that the foundation of all matter is spiritual. Their inquiries into the material world took them to the spiritual world, since they did not hold any predetermined notions about a world that existed apart from its spiritual foundations. Modern Western scientists, however, started from the ill-fated hypothesis that nature, man, and God are completely unconnected, so that it took a very long time for them to comprehend this truth.
Even now they have not completely grasped it; it was only in the 20th century that they began to glimpse this connection.
Not long ago progressive thinkers believed that science would eventually conquest all the age-old spiritual concepts and rebuild human society on a chastely materialistic basis. But now we see that an absolutely different picture is emerging.
Einstein himself said, “The most beautiful and the most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger—who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his mind and eyes are closed.”
The perception into the mystery of life coupled though it may be with fear has given rise to religion. To know that, what is impassable to us, really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and most beaming exquisiteness which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms — this knowledge, this feeling is at the centre of true religiousness.
The rishis of ancient India were able to experience this knowledge through profound personal understanding brought about by concentrated austerity and meditation.
The Sanatan philosophy is famous for its symbolism, and from ancient times Indian graphic representations of God took both male and female forms. Over time, the universal form of the immobile absolute came to be associated with the male form and the manifested energy of nature with the female form.
The absolute and nature are therefore not two but two-in-one; they are necessary to each other as complementary manifestations of the one.
In the ‘Skanda Purana’, Indra asks Vishnu how the Brahman is able to project itself as both male and female. Vishnu replies, “Listen, O Indra, the male and female are perpetual principles involved in the projection of the universe. They are never detached. Fundamentally they are one, as gold and ornaments made of it are one.”
This two-in-one existence came to be known as ‘Purusha’ and ‘Prakriti’ or ‘Shiva’ and ‘Shakti’. It is something like the dynamo and the force that charges it; one is toothless without the other. Shiva and Shakti are polar opposites, always together but having a varying relative prevalence under different directions.
But in the unmanifest, each aspect of the one reality is only a potential. It is merged in the unadulterated consciousness with the other and is indistinguishable from it.
So we find that in Hindu mythology Prakriti and Purusha or Shiva and Shakti are always found together, though when they are manifest in an organism one or the other predominates according to the organism’s stage of evolution. If the jivatman wants to realize its own divine nature, it has to disentangle itself from the illusory haze created by maya shakti, penetrate through its own center, and emerge on the other side of the point, as it were.
It is then in the realm of pure consciousness and is able to have a direct experience of that consciousness that is both Shiva and Shakti.
So what did I garner from this book?
The following points:
1) Shakti, or Devi, presumes all forms of existing knowledge — past, present, and future. She is the female creative aspect of the Brahman. It is through her that the one becomes the many. She is Adi Shakti, the primordial force, and the first release of power from the absolute, Brahman.
2) Creation and dissolution follow each other. It is a recurring process, not the linear one described in Western philosophy. During the period of dissolution, Shakti lies dormant. Just as the tree lies latent in the seed, so this universe of names and forms lies enfolded in Shakti. In fact, Shakti is a mass of latent, indistinguishable energy that rests in the Brahman and contains the seed power of many universes.
3) During the period of creation this energy flowers into the manifest, evolved cosmos, and during dissolution, it withdraws everything into itself and remains in the latent state till the next period of evolution and creation. This expansion and contraction continues throughout eternity. Like day and night the universe alternately expands into matter and recedes into primal energy or Mula Prakriti.
4) From Shakti comes this whole display of myriad forms, from the stars to the earthworms, from the oceans to the dewdrops! Shakti is cosmic energy, the physical ultimate of all forms of matter.
5) Matter is nothing but energy in motion, as modern physics has come to acknowledge. Spirit and energy are inseparable. They are essentially one. They are like fire and heat.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, “Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego—these constitute the eightfold division of my nature. Know this to be my lower nature. My higher nature, O Arjuna, is that spiritual being that sustains the entire universe. That is quite different from this. These two natures form the womb of all beings. I am thus the origin and the dissolution of the entire universe.” This spiritual being of which Krishna speaks is what the ‘Devi Bhagavatam’ describes as ‘Devi’ or ‘Adi Shakti’ or ‘Mula Prakriti’.
To conclude, Shakti, the mother power or divine energy, has many forms and symbols. All beauty and all ugliness flow from her.
## She is Lakshmi, the auspicious, bestower of boons and beauty.
## She is Saraswati, the giver of all wisdom and art.
## She is Tripurasundari, the most beauteous in the three worlds.
## But she is also Kaali, the destroyer, whose wrath ignites the storm, the thunder, and the lightning.
She is Mahishasuramardini, killer of the demon Mahisha. She is Chandika, the terrible, who lets loose the typhoon, the flood, and the tidal wave.
She is the womb of the universe.
January 11, 2009
As the name suggests Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother is about Devi—the ancient, eternal Prakriti and mother of universe—and her various forms. There are an increasing number of books about the incarnations of gods and goddesses, but what makes this book different is that Vanamali goes beyond the stories of over thirty avatars in order to discuss the esoteric significance of each incarnation. Vanamali has accomplished the gargantuan task of bringing the many different aspects of Devi into a single book. It has been spectacularly researched with references to the Devi Bhagavatam Purana, Markandeya Purana, Ganga Mahatyam, and Bhagavad Gita, along with other sources. Every chapter begins with a hymn (mantra) to Devi and ends with a verse from the poem "Savitri" by Sri Aurobindo. The appendix of the book contains more poems on divine mother, names of gods and goddesses, and a glossary of Sanskrit terms and Hindu mythology.
Devi is called many names (Maha Maya, Maha Shakti, Maha Prakriti, Lakshmi, Parvati, and Kali, to name a few), and she is portrayed as the universal expression of power, which is both gentle and forceful. Vanamali explains the concept of Maha Maya, one who causes delusion in the minds of humans, as the production of phenomenal world. Maha Maya herself is the sum total of all and is worshiped as the mother, the life energy of the gods and all other creatures. Vanamali writes that, according to the Devi Bhagavatam Purana, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are born of Devi’s gunas. Hence, the author states, "Wherever you see maternal love, in a bird or an animal or a human being, know that to be an aspect of Devi’s love for the universe, for she is the universal mother.”
Vanamali points out that the worship of god as a mother is found in all civilizations and was later repressed. The book accounts around thirty incarnations of Devi, some of which are gentle and peaceful (Lalitha) while some are ferocious and frightening (Kali). Others still depict the ideal housewife (Parvati) and yet others are shown as fierce warriors (Durga). Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother thus provides an invigorating view of feminine power. This book is a great asset to the Hindu household or to anyone interested in the Hindu religion and its philosophies.
Review by Sunitha Jayan
Devi is called many names (Maha Maya, Maha Shakti, Maha Prakriti, Lakshmi, Parvati, and Kali, to name a few), and she is portrayed as the universal expression of power, which is both gentle and forceful. Vanamali explains the concept of Maha Maya, one who causes delusion in the minds of humans, as the production of phenomenal world. Maha Maya herself is the sum total of all and is worshiped as the mother, the life energy of the gods and all other creatures. Vanamali writes that, according to the Devi Bhagavatam Purana, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are born of Devi’s gunas. Hence, the author states, "Wherever you see maternal love, in a bird or an animal or a human being, know that to be an aspect of Devi’s love for the universe, for she is the universal mother.”
Vanamali points out that the worship of god as a mother is found in all civilizations and was later repressed. The book accounts around thirty incarnations of Devi, some of which are gentle and peaceful (Lalitha) while some are ferocious and frightening (Kali). Others still depict the ideal housewife (Parvati) and yet others are shown as fierce warriors (Durga). Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother thus provides an invigorating view of feminine power. This book is a great asset to the Hindu household or to anyone interested in the Hindu religion and its philosophies.
Review by Sunitha Jayan
December 3, 2020
Such a profound read.
December 20, 2020
Vanamali does it again with her brilliant interpretations Shakti wisdom. To understand the whole of cosmic intelligence, learn it in its masculine and feminine forms....
July 15, 2021
Informative
This book helped to remind me how powerful my Devi Maa is. It has helped to reinforce my faith in Her.
This book helped to remind me how powerful my Devi Maa is. It has helped to reinforce my faith in Her.
September 13, 2021
Great book. You don't only get to know stories of Indian goddesses but also their esoteric meaning.
February 11, 2022
Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother is a fascinating and well-written book about the divine power who is the supreme being of the universe. An insightful book about Hindu religion, spirituality and mythology.
The author speaks about the subtle and gross elements interaction in the universe. The foundation of the first three aspects of mind are not deemed as spiritual entities rather constitute the materialistic things. The concept of zero- point field was a fascinating topic that was well explained. My reading experience with this book was incredible because the knowledge about Shakti and the universe's working along with various other conceptualization was never overwhelming. The majority of the focus was kept on the fusion of spiritual and quantum life. While explaining the Hindu philosophy and religion, the author has spoken immensely about Shakti and her more than 30 divine incarnations. Each Goddess represents different powers that the universe needed to eliminate the encompassing darkness and delusions. She is the embodiment of love, affection and care and she is also the destroyer of evils, sinful and the wicked.
I'm truly enchanting by the way this book was written. I have never read anything like this before and i really liked the fact that everything about Shakti, the Divine Mother were explained in detail and lucid manner. Even if you are curious to know about Hindu religion and philosophy, the spiritual growth and aspects then this book is a treasure trove. It's absolutely rare to find books with accurate knowledge and trustworthy information regarding the sacred foundation of divine, however with this impressive and entrancing book you can gain this wisdom quite easily.
The author speaks about the subtle and gross elements interaction in the universe. The foundation of the first three aspects of mind are not deemed as spiritual entities rather constitute the materialistic things. The concept of zero- point field was a fascinating topic that was well explained. My reading experience with this book was incredible because the knowledge about Shakti and the universe's working along with various other conceptualization was never overwhelming. The majority of the focus was kept on the fusion of spiritual and quantum life. While explaining the Hindu philosophy and religion, the author has spoken immensely about Shakti and her more than 30 divine incarnations. Each Goddess represents different powers that the universe needed to eliminate the encompassing darkness and delusions. She is the embodiment of love, affection and care and she is also the destroyer of evils, sinful and the wicked.
I'm truly enchanting by the way this book was written. I have never read anything like this before and i really liked the fact that everything about Shakti, the Divine Mother were explained in detail and lucid manner. Even if you are curious to know about Hindu religion and philosophy, the spiritual growth and aspects then this book is a treasure trove. It's absolutely rare to find books with accurate knowledge and trustworthy information regarding the sacred foundation of divine, however with this impressive and entrancing book you can gain this wisdom quite easily.
April 2, 2022
“Let’s not forget that in India the symbol of strength is a woman; the goddess Shakti.” – Indira Gandhi
In Hindu mythology, the Devi Shakti is considered to be the epitome of divinity, the Divine Mother. Her reincarnations in various goddesses have been worshipped in India from time immemorial and in this book, the author has compiled the stories of more than 30 goddess incarnations to put forward their importance and the role played by them in Hindu mythology.
The reasons why you should read this book-
- Enlightening ideas presented in the simplest of forms
- Crisp and short chapters dedicated to each Goddess
- Reference to ancient scripts, texts, and verses to support the ideas presented
- Diverse and comprehensive compilation
Truth be told, this book took me by surprise because I was not expecting so many dimensional aspects to be associated with the divine incarnations. Being subjected to their stories from very early childhood, I had my own ideas about their significance but I realized what I knew was only the tip of the iceberg.
I would highly suggest you pick up this book if you are into mythology and ancient philosophy because this book is knowledge well open for exploration.
In Hindu mythology, the Devi Shakti is considered to be the epitome of divinity, the Divine Mother. Her reincarnations in various goddesses have been worshipped in India from time immemorial and in this book, the author has compiled the stories of more than 30 goddess incarnations to put forward their importance and the role played by them in Hindu mythology.
The reasons why you should read this book-
- Enlightening ideas presented in the simplest of forms
- Crisp and short chapters dedicated to each Goddess
- Reference to ancient scripts, texts, and verses to support the ideas presented
- Diverse and comprehensive compilation
Truth be told, this book took me by surprise because I was not expecting so many dimensional aspects to be associated with the divine incarnations. Being subjected to their stories from very early childhood, I had my own ideas about their significance but I realized what I knew was only the tip of the iceberg.
I would highly suggest you pick up this book if you are into mythology and ancient philosophy because this book is knowledge well open for exploration.
December 30, 2025
this was an incredible book, I feel like I just went on a journey with the mother goddess and have come out the other side with a profound sense of realization for how complex and beautiful shakti and all her forms are. the concept of lila has become central to how I live my daily life, and the play of the goddesses was lovely to witness and learn about. the paradox of maya has followed me throughout my spiritual journey, and I really admired the devotional tone that this book held towards maya in spite of the double edged sword-like nature of maha maya’s artistry. this book was also extremely detailed in its descriptions of the goddesses and their mythology, as well as broad enough to touch on concepts of consciousness and kundalini. reading this book felt like a form of sadhana, and I hope this paves the way for me to develop a deeper understanding of shakta vedanta as I continue to walk this path.
June 13, 2023
This whole book is a beautiful expression of the goddess. Each chapter explains a specific form of Shakti, and includes the puranic story and the deeper symbolism of her manifestation.
It really allows a visual representation of the vastness and expansive nature of the goddess to be internalized and understood.
Loved it.
It really allows a visual representation of the vastness and expansive nature of the goddess to be internalized and understood.
Loved it.
January 19, 2022
A clear and well thought out description and analysis of the different forms of Devi. Beautiful imagery is given on each of the deities and the narrative progresses onto discussing topics like Kundalini awakenings and the union of Shiva and Shakti. Would recommend!
September 5, 2022
A book of origin and mythical stories relating to various aspect of Shakti. But of no practical use or benefit to a seeker.
January 6, 2025
It a great read for someone who has no knowledge of Ma or shakti. I have heard the author over some podcast and expected some more depth , so it’s a 3 star for me.
February 9, 2024
A look at different goddess in great detail. A must for anyone looking to delve into a deeper study of goddess and how to access them and learn about them.
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