SHAKTISM

also spelled Saktism worship of the Hindu supreme goddess, Shakti (Sanskrit: Power, or Energy). Shaktism is, together with Vaisnavism and Saivism, one of the major forms of modern Hinduism and is especially popular in Bengal and Assam. Shakti is conceived of either as the paramount goddess or as the consort of a male deity, generally Siva. People of spiritual disposition worship Shakti as the divine will, the divine mother who calls for absolute surrender. Yogis consider Shakti as the power, lying dormant within the body as a coiled serpent (kundalini), that must be aroused and realized to reach spiritual liberation. Shaktism is inseparably related to Tantric Hinduism (q.v.), a system of practices for the purification of both mind and body. In popular worship the goddess Shakti is known by many names; some authorities consider most female deities in Hinduism to be her different manifestations. She may be referred to simply as Devi (goddess). In her beneficent aspect she is known variously as Uma, Parvati, and Ambika. In her fierce, destructive aspect she is represented as the black Kali, the demon-destroying Durga, and the goddess of smallpox, Sitala. The goddess is also worshiped as the gracious Laksmi, who is the consort of Vishnu.