9058009344

CONCEPT OF THE GODDESS ŚAKTI EXPOUNDED IN THE LALITOPAKHYANA 107

order to achicve everything; (10) Sarvasampaltipuranl - goddess who is a personifiealion of the order to storę all the resources of a battle;²⁶ (11) Sarvamantramayl Sakti - a goddess whose job it is to hołd consultations with all concerned with battle;²⁷ (12) Sarvadvandvaksayańkari - personificalion

of the order to bring about the end of all dualilies or differences.²⁸

# / - _f /

18.    These twelve Sakti goddesses have bccn referred to as Ajfia Saklis

of the Goddess Lalita; all these orders have power in them to affect the enemy advcrsely, and that is why, it appears, they have been treated as Sakti goddesses.

19.    Attributes - Sakti Goddesses : Various attributes of a Supreme Deity or Supreme Goddess have bccn personified and presented as various Sakti goddesses: e. g. Sarvasiddhiprad2, (giver of all success); Sar-vasampatprada (giver of all prosperity); Sarvapriyańkari (conferrer of everylhing that is dear [to Her votary]); Sarvamańgalak2rini (bestower of everything that is auspicious); Sarvak2maprada (givcr of that cverything that is desired); SarvaduhkhamocinT (rclicver from all miscries) - these and many morę attributes likc these have been personified and presented as Sakti goddesses.²* It will be seen that all these attributes imply power of a deity to do somelhing.

20.    In personifying the orders and attributes of Goddess Lalita, LalitopakhySna scems to establish the principle that the Goddess Sakti is an embodiment of all powers, she is a mass of power; therefore, anything pertaining to Her, anything forming a part of Her Bcing, cannot be anything else, but power (Sakti). Therefore Her orders, Her attributes arc also various Sakti goddesses.

21.    Presiding Deities of Madana’s Arrows - Sakti Goddesses : It will be interesting to notę that the fivc presiding deities of the five arrows of Madana (God of Love) have also been conecivcd as fivc Sakti goddesses (manobhQbanadcvat2h)*° They arc Dr2vinT, Sosin!, BandhinI, MohinT, Unmadinl. It will be seen herc that these goddesses dcrivc their names from the different five funclions, viz. - (1) captivating the mind of a love-lorn

i

person (Dravinl), (2) emaciating him (Sosin!), (3) making him enamoured (BandhinI) of the object of his love, (4) fascinating his mind (Mohini) and (5) making him inioxicatcd (Unmadinl), performed by the arrows of Madana. The five presiding deities impart ccrtain powers to the arrows of Madana. Therefore, they havc bccn lookcd upon as the manifestations of the Goddess Śakti.

22.    Local Goddesses - Forms of Śakti : Thcre arc sixteen goddesses who havc been dcscribcd as 'jagatksobhanalampatah ’ i. e., they are capable of crcating cxcilcmcnt in the world.” They arc: (1) Vama, (2) Jycstha, (3) Raudri, (4) Śanti, (5) Śraddha, (6) SarasvatT, (7) Śri, (8) Bhuśakti, (9) LaksmT, (10) SrstimohinT, (11) PramathinT, (12) AśvasinT, (13) VTci, (14)