Śakt
The Sanskrit word for “power” or “energy,” śakti is the energizing material power of a given Hindu (See
Hinduism
entries) god, a power that is personified as his wife. Often depicted in a state of sexual union, the god and his śakti together represent the Absolute, the god being nonactivated Eternity, the goddess being activated Time. The Goddess, or Devī (See
Devī
), is śakti or the “Universal Power.” As Prakṛti (See
Prakṛti
) she is the śakti or female energy by which the original Puruṣa or primal man becomes creation (See
Puruṣa
). As Lakṣmī (See
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