Śakti
शक्तिस्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminino) · शक् धातु (śak — poder, ser capaz) + क्तिन् प्रत्यय
śakti
Metaphysics
AI translationPower; potency; inherent capacity
Śakti is the potency of something — that by which something produces its effect. In Vedānta, śakti is inseparable from the possessor: fire has the śakti of burning, Brahman has the śakti of projecting the world (māyā-śakti). The conceptual distinction 'Brahman and its śakti' is only analytical — in reality they are one, as fire and heat cannot be separated. This is the basis of non-dualism: the world is not 'other' than Brahman, it is Brahman manifesting its śakti.
Occurrence in the corpus
अन्नपानसमुत्था हि शक्तिः प्राणो बलं तथा ।। बलावष्टम्भ एतस्मिन्प्राणो देहेऽवतिष्ठते ।। १४ ।।
annapānasamutthā hi śaktiḥ prāṇo balaṃ tathā || balāvaṣṭambha etasminprāṇo dehe'vatiṣṭhate || 14 ||
— Brihadaranyaka Bhashya Vartikam →Using this in academic work? Get formal citation
Vishva Vidya (2026). Śakti (शक्ति). Vishva Vidya — Vedanta. https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/shakti
Vishva Vidya. "Śakti (शक्ति)." Vishva Vidya — Vedanta, January 1, 2026, https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/shakti.
Vishva Vidya. "Śakti (शक्ति)." Vishva Vidya — Vedanta, January 1, 2026. https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/shakti.
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