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Shri Vidya (
ISO
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
Me ...
: '; ; sometimes also spelled Sri Vidya or Shree Vidya) is a
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
Tantric religious system
Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
devoted to
the Goddess. Shri Vidya developed out of various influences, especially
Kāśmīr Shaivism, and its doctrines remain similar to this tradition.
In the principally
Shakta
Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the deity or metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman.
Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, manifestations, or personificatio ...
theology of "the goddess is supreme, transcending the cosmos which is yet a manifestation of her." 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 (Sanskrit: श्री यन्त्र, IAST: śrī yantra) is a form of mystical diagram (''yantra'') used in the Shri Vidya school of Hinduism. Comprising nine interlocking triangles, it embodies ...
or '.
The south Indian tradition of Sri Vidya generally focuses on
Lalitā Tripurasundarī
Tripura Sundari (Sanskrit: त्रिपुरसुन्दरी, IAST: Tripura Sundarī), also known as Lalita, Shodashi, Kamakshi, and Rajarajeshvari, is a Hindu goddess, revered primarily within the Shaktism tradition and recognized as o ...
(''Beautiful Goddess of the Three Worlds'') as the main form of
Mahadevi
Mahadevi (, , IPA: / mɐɦɑd̪eʋiː/), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, and Mahamaya, is the supreme goddess in Hinduism. According to the goddess-centric sect Shaktism, all Hindu gods and goddesses are considered to be manifestations of t ...
. Apart from Mahātripurasundarī, other important deities in this tradition include
Gaṇapati,
Bālā,
Rājamātaṅgī,
Mahāvārāhī, and Parā. The most important source for this branch of Sri Vidya is the ''
Paraśurāma Kalpasūtra''. 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.
Shri Vidya teachings are traditionally transmitted through an unbroken lineage of
guru
Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
s. This ensures the authenticity and integrity of the practices. Without initiation from a qualified guru, it is believed that the full spiritual potential of the practice cannot be realized.
Some legendary sages and teachers of Shri Vidya are Sage
Agastya
Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...
, Sage
Vasishtha
Vasishtha (, ) is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigve ...
,
Dattatreya
Dattatreya (, ), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, incarna ...
, Sage
Parashurama
Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...
, Sage
Angiras
Angiras ( (stem), , , nominative singular , , , rendered Angirā in Hindi) was a Vedic rishi (sage) of Hinduism. He is described in the ''Rigveda'' as a teacher of divine knowledge, a mediator between men and gods, as well as stated in othe ...
and Sage
Shaunaka
Shaunaka (, ) is the name applied to teachers, and to a Shakha of the Atharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian, author of the , the , the , six Anukramaṇīs (indices) to the Rigveda, and the Vidhāna of the Rig ...
.
The most important scholar of Sri Vidya is undoubtedly
Bhāskararāya (1690–1785), who wrote over 40 works from a Sri Vidya perspective. He is the author of key Sri Vidya texts like the ''Saubhāgyabhāskara'' (a commentary to the ''Lalitā Sahasranāma''), ''Varivasyārahasya'' (a work on Sri Vidya mantra and worship) and the ''Commentary on Nityāṣōḍaśikārṇava''.
Major texts
* ''
Bhavana Upanishad
The ''Bhavana Upanishad'' (, IAST: Bhāvana Upaniṣad) is a medieval era minor Upanishad of Hinduism. Composed in Sanskrit, the text is classified as one of the Shakta Upanishads and attached to the Atharvaveda. The Upanishad identifies the human ...
''
* ''
Parasurama Kalpasutra
The Parashurama Kalpasutra () is a Shakta Agama, a Hindu text on Shri Vidya practices ascribed to the Kaula tradition. The authorship of the text is traditionally attributed to Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu and a disciple of Dattatreya ...
''
* ''
Sarada Tilaka
Sarada Tilaka or Sharada Tilak a collection of mantras and instructions for worship ( Homa) of various deities including Ganapati, Shiva, Vishnu and various manifestations of the goddess. It was compiled circa 800 AD by Sri Lakshmana Desikendra b ...
''
* ''
Saundarya Lahari
The ''Saundarya Lahari'' () is a famous literary work in Sanskrit attributed to Pushpadanta as well as Adi Shankara. Some believe the first part "Ananda Lahari" was etched on mount Meru by Ganesha himself (or by Pushpadanta). Sage Gaudapada, th ...
''
* ''
Tripura Rahasya
The Tripura Rahasya (Devanagari: त्रिपुरा रहस्य, ), also called the Haritāyana Samhitā, is a medieaval (11th-17th century CE) tantric Shakta Sanskrit text. The title has an ambiguous meaning, translated variously as '' ...
''
* ''
Lalita Sahasranama
The ''Lalita Sahasranama'' () is a Hindu religious text that enumerates the thousand names of Mother Goddess Lalita, which are held sacred in Hinduism particularly in Shaktism, the tradition focused on the worship of the Divine Feminine (''Sh ...
''
References
Notes
Citations
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Further reading
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{{Shaktism
Hindu tantra
Shaktism