Śakti Worship and Mythology (Introduction)

In Hindu religion some goddesses are considered to be the personification of śakti i.e. Śaktidevī on which supreme power has been imposed. In the Hindu pantheon, goddess Mahāmāyā is one of the most impressive and formidable goddesses. She is depicted as a great battle-queen with many arms, each of which yields a weapon. A long description of the various powers of this Devī i.e. Devīmāhātmya has been included in the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa which extends from 79th chapter to 90th chapter of this Purāṇa. Śakti of Mahāmāyā is beautifully described in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa also.^[1] Two parvans viz. Virātaparvan and Bhīṣmaparvan of the Mahābhārata also contain prayers to the Goddess Durgā.^[2]

In the later parts of the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, the Devīmahātmya portion is included. In this part the character and the activities of the goddess are delineated vividly. This portion of the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, extolling the sublime majesty of goddess Mahāmāyā, is known as the Devīmāhātmya. Through this vast portion, described very briefly and beautifully, one can have a good idea of śakti worship and mythology prevailed at that time. This is one of the main and important topics of this Purāṇa. A long description which extends from chapters 78 to 90, collectively known as Devīmāhātmya, discusses about the various aspects like worship, myth, hymns etc. of śakti.

The contents of this portion can be divided into two parts namely

1. Śakti Worship and
2. Śakti Mythology

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

arcayanti manuṣyāntā sarvakāmavareśvarīm /
dhūṇo’pahāṣabalibhiḥ sarvakāmabalapradām //
nāmadheyāni kurbanti snānāni caranabhūvi /
durgeti bhadrakālīti bijayā bairatavīti ca //
kumudā chaṇḍikā kṛshnā mādhavī kanyaketi ca /
māyā nārāyanīśānī śāradaityambiketi ca // Bhāgavatapurāṇa, 10.2,12

[2]:

B. C. Mazumdar, The Origin of the Purāṇa Literature, p.18