The primordial cosmic energy that represents the dynamic forces of the universe in the Shaktism sect. The figure is the personification of cosmic energy and is considered creative, sustaining and destructive. The manifestation of Shakti is known by several names, including Adi Para Shakti (from the Sanskrit, meaning “primordial inconceivable energy”), Anaadi (“without beginning or end”) and Nitya (“forever”). From the Sanskrit word shakti, meaning “energy.”
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Padmavati
A sasana devi or protector goddess of Parshwanatha, the twenty third Tirthankara, she is one of the most revered yakshis…
Tenjur
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Siddhayika
In Jaina religious art, a yakshi (nature spirit) who is an attendant of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara. Her iconographical attributes…
Shakyasimha
Another name for one of the mortal Buddhas, it literally translates to "the lion of the Shakyas," the clan to…
Mahasiddha
A term used in Tibetan and Tantric Buddhism for someone who embodied the perfect siddhi (psychic or supernatural abilities) through…
Tathagata Buddha
A term used by the Gautama Buddha to refer to himself or other Buddhas in the Pali canon. It is…
Bhringi
In Hindu mythology, Bhringi is a sage and an attendant of the deity, Shiva. In iconographical convention, he is often…
Rati
In Hindu mythology, Rati is the goddess of love. She is the consort of Kama, the Hindu deity of love.