Shri Vidya (
ISO: '; ; sometimes also spelled Sri Vidya or Shree Vidya) is a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Tantric religious system
Religion is usually defined as a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, trans ...
devoted to
the Goddess as Lalitā Tripurasundarī (''Beautiful Goddess of the Three worlds''),
Bhuvaneshvari, Maha
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). A ...
, etc. A thousand names for this form of
are recited in the
, which includes concepts. The sect accepts and aims to provide both material prosperity and self-realisation. It has an extensive literature. Details of belief vary in different texts but the general principles are similar to those found in
Kashmir Shaivism
Kashmir Shaivism or Trika Shaivism, is a nondualist tradition of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra which originated sometime after 850 CE. Since this tradition originated in Kashmir it is often called "Kashmiri Shaivism". It later went on to become a pan- ...
. Although Shri Vidya is completely against
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...
's Advaita philosophy, in some parts of India, it is believed to be originated from him.
In the principally
Shakta
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 ...
theology of the goddess is supreme, transcending the cosmos that is her manifestation. She is worshiped in the form of a mystical diagram (Sanskrit:
'), a central focus and ritual object composed of nine intersecting triangles, called the
Shri Yantra
The Sri Yantra, Shri Yantra, or Shri Chakra is a form of mystical diagram (''yantra'') used in the Shri Vidya school of Hinduism. It consists of nine interlocking triangles - four upward ones which represent Shiva, and five downward ones represen ...
or '
[.]
Major texts
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Paraśurāma-kalpasūtra
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Sarada Tilaka
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Soundarya Lahari
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Tripura Rahasya The Tripura Rahasya ( Devanagari: त्रिपुरा रहस्य, ) meaning ''The Mystery beyond the Three cities'', is an ancient literary work in Sanskrit believed to have been narrated by Dattatreya to Parashurama. It is an ancient pri ...
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Bhavanopanishad.
Notes
References
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{{Shaktism
Hindu tantra
Shaktism