Mahadevi
Mahadevi, also referred to as Devi, Mahamaya and Adi Parashakti, is the supreme goddess in Hinduism. According to the goddess-centric sect Shaktism, all Hindu gods and goddesses are considered to be manifestations of this great goddess, who is considered to be the Para Brahman or the ultimate reality.
Shaktas often worship her as Durga, also believing her to have many other forms. Mahadevi is mentioned as the Mulaprakriti
in Shakta texts, having five primary forms—Parvati, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Gayatri and Radha—collectively referred to as Panchaprakriti. Besides these, Goddess Tripura Sundari, a form of Devi, is often identified with the supreme goddess Mahadevi in Shaktism. Author Helen T. Boursier says: "In Hindu philosophy, both Lakshmi and Parvati are identified as manifestations of this great goddess—Mahadevi—and the Shakti or divine power".
Epithets
Mahadevi is known by many names. She is commonly known as Mulaprakrti and Mahamaya. The Devi Bhagavata Purana and Lalita Sahasranama describe Mahadevi's numerous epithets. These names include her divine and destructive characteristics. In the Devi Bhagavata Purana she is described as 'the mother of all', 'the life force in all beings', and 'she who is supreme knowledge'. The Lalita Sahasranama also describes her as Visvadhika, Sarvaga, Vishvadharini, Raksasaghni, Bhairavi, and Samharini. Mahadevi's destructive features are further described in a hymn called the Aryastava, calling her Kalaratri and Nistha.Attributes
Mahamaya
In the first episode of the Devi Mahatmya, Mahadevi is referred as Mahamaya, meaning the one who controls maya.Literature
Vedas
The Vedas name numerous forms of goddess such as Devi, Prithvi, Aditi, Vāc, Nirṛti, Ratri and Aranyani. Bounty goddesses such as Dinsana, Raka, Puramdhi, Parendi, Bharati, and Mahi are among others are mentioned in the Rigveda.The Devīsūkta of the Rigveda is among the most studied hymns, declaring that the ultimate reality is a goddess.
Upanishads
are a group of minor Upanishads of Hinduism related to the Shaktism theology. There are eight Shakta Upanishads in the Muktika anthology of 108 Upanishads. The Shakta Upanishads are notable for declaring and revering the feminine as the Supreme, the primal cause and the metaphysical concepts in Hinduism called Brahman and Atman.Shakta Puranas
Shaktas conceive the Goddess as the supreme, ultimate, eternal reality of all existence, or same as the Brahman concept of Hinduism. She is considered to be simultaneously the source of all creation, its embodiment and the energy that animates and governs it, and that into which everything will ultimately dissolve. She has manifested herself as Shiva in male form. Her half is Shiva.Devi Bhagavata Purana
The Devi Bhagavata Purana describes Mahadevi in her form of Bhuvaneshvari. It is stated that Shiva worshipped and meditated on the goddess for thousands of years using the bīja mantra hrīm. The goddess is described to possess both the aspects of Para Brahman, nirguna and saguna. In her form of saguna, she is extolled as the mother of the universe, residing upon the highest abode named Manidvipa. All the gods and goddesses are described to be her various forms. In the Devi Mahatmya, the Trimurti and the demigods praise the goddess.In the third canto of the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, Devi addressed the Trimurti as follows:
In the Devi Gita of Devi Bhagavatam, it is suggested that before incarnating as Parvati, she appeared to King Himalaya and revealed divine, eternal knowledge to him. She explained herself, in the words of the Vedas, as having neither beginning nor end. She is the only, eternal truth. The whole universe is her creation. She is the only victor and the manifestation of victory itself. She is a manifested, un-manifested, and transcendent divinity. She then displayed her scarcely seen form to him: Satyaloka was located in her forehead; the created universe were her hairs; the sun and moon were her eyes; in her ears were the four directions; the Vedas were her words; death, affection and emotion were her teeth; Maya was manifested by her smile. The goddess Parvati, as Kushmanda, gives birth to the universe in the form of a cosmic egg which manifests as the universe. Ultimately, Adi Shakti herself is the energy which exists even after the destruction of the universe and before its creation.
According to the Tripura Rahasya, only Mahadevi was existed in her form of Tripura Sundari before the beginning of the universe. She is supposed to have created the Trimurti, and began the creation of the universe.
Shaiva Puranas
The Shiva Purana says Adi Parashakti incarnated in materialistic form as Parama Prakriti from the left half of Shiva during the beginning of the universe. The Linga Purana states that Adi Shakti brings forth the evolution of life in every universe through the union of every Shiva and Parvati in all of the Universes.Vaishnava Puranas
The goddess Lakshmi is revered as manifestation of Mahadevi in the Vaishnavite tradition, extolled to possess a thousand names and qualities. Various texts like the Garuda Purana, Bhagavata Purana, and Lakshmi Tantra refer to Lakshmi as form of Mahadevi. According to Devdutt Pattanaik, "Lakshmi is worshipped as maya, the delightful delusion, the dream-like expression of divinity that makes life comprehensible, hence worth living. She is true shakti, energy, boundless and bountiful".Forms
According to Shakta traditions, Mahadevi is the ultimate goddess while Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva are her subordinates who cannot function without her power. Whatever deity one is worshiping, they are ultimately worshiping Devi. According to the Srikula tradition in Shaktism, Tripura Sundari is the foremost of the Mahavidyas, the highest aspect of Mahadevi and also the primary goddess of Sri Vidya. The Tripura Upanishad places her as the ultimate Shakti of the universe. In Vaishnavism, Lakshmi is traditionally worshipped as secondary to her consort Vishnu, and represents the bliss of a settled and domestic life. In Shaivism, the goddess Parvati is the complete incarnation of Devi.Pancha Prakritis
According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Mahadevi is worshipped in five distinct forms: Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Savitri, and Radha, collectively referred to as the Panchadevis or Panchaprakritis and are regarded as forms of goddess Mahadevi.Durga or Parvati, the mother of Ganesha and consort of Shiva, is revered as the primary, supreme, eternal, all-powerful force upholding dharma. She is both the giver of happiness and the remover of sorrows for devotees seeking refuge in her.
Lakshmi, as the sublime form of the universal soul, embodies wealth, beauty, compassion, and all goodness. She is revered in various realms, serving Vishnu in Vaikuntha, adorning heaven with glory, and manifesting prosperity in households.
Sarasvati, the embodiment of knowledge, arts, and intellect, is considered the deity of learning. She bestows intellect, poetic skill, reason, and logic to her devotees, being the source of fine arts and every branch of knowledge.
Savitri or Gayatri, identified as the mother of the four Vedas, represents the essence of truth, existence, and supreme bliss. She grants salvation and forms the core of the universal soul, purifying the world with her sacred presence.
Radha, the fifth of the Panchaprakriti, presides over the five pranas. She is described as exceptionally beautiful, the consort of Krishna, and possesses divine attributes.