Goddess Adi Parashakthi at Parashakthi Temple

Parashakti (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Paraśakti, Sanskrit: पराशक्ति) or Parā is one of the three chief goddesses in Trika system of Kashmir Shaivism along with Aparā and Parparā. In Siddhantic perspective, Parashakti is the counterpart of Paramshiva. Paramshiva is used to describe the ultimate form of Shiva. Parashakti is the power of this primordial Shiva, who is emanated by Paramshiva.

Adi Parashakti Mahadevi ( sa, महादेवी, ), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, and Abhaya Shakti, is the supreme goddess in the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. According to this tradition, all Hindu goddesses are considered to be manifest ...

is used to describe the ultimate form of Parvati. Parashakti is an all-pervasive, pure consciousness, power, and primal substance of all that exists and it has Mahamaya-form, unlike

Parashiva Parashiva (or Paramashiva, Paramshiva, or Parmshiva, among other spellings; Sanskrit: परशिव, IAST: Paraśiva) is the highest aspect of Shiva in Shaiva Siddhanta and in Kashmir Shaivism. Below him are the primordial Shiva with the Para ...

which is formless. A Parashakti as the supreme being of puranic

Shaktism Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...

and of

Sri Vidya Shri Vidya (ISO: '; ; sometimes also spelled Sri Vidya or Shree Vidya) is a Hindu Tantric religious system devoted to the Goddess as Lalitā Tripurasundarī (''Beautiful Goddess of the Three worlds''), Bhuvaneshvari, Maha Lakshmi, etc. A thous ...

obtained the name ''

'' and Maheshvari- Devi.

Parā in Trika

Trika is a Non- Saiddhantic Mantra Margic Saivite sect praising Parā, Aparā and Parāparā as three supreme goddesses. These three represent the three prongs of Shiva's Trishula and they can be meditated in Trishulabja Mandala. The three aspects are emerging from Kulesvari Matrrusadbhava. Para means the highest form and beyond the range of human understanding while it loses its supremacy and manifests ''Parapara'', the mediocre level. While it further loses its strength it becomes Apara. These three aspects symbolizes Shiva, Shakti and Atman in philosophical perspective of Trika.

Para in Siddhanta

According to Saiva Siddhanta, the lower part (pedestal) of

Shiva lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

represents parashakti while upper part (oval stone) represents

parashiva Parashiva (or Paramashiva, Paramshiva, or Parmshiva, among other spellings; Sanskrit: परशिव, IAST: Paraśiva) is the highest aspect of Shiva in Shaiva Siddhanta and in Kashmir Shaivism. Below him are the primordial Shiva with the Para ...

Para in Shaktism

References

Forms of Shiva Kashmir Shaivism Shaktism {{Hindu-myth-stub

Parā in Trika

Para in Siddhanta

Para in Shaktism

See also

References