शक्ति [ śakti ] [ śákti ] [ śákti ] or [ śaktí ] f. power , ability , strength , might , effort , energy , capability ( [ śaktyā ] or [ ātma-ś ] or [ sva-ś ] , " according to ability " ; [ paraṃ śaktyā ] , " with all one's might " ; [ vitta-śaktyā ] , " according to the capability of one's property " ; [ śaktim a-hāpayitvā ] , " not relaxing one's efforts , exerting all one's strength " ) , faculty , skill , capacity for , power over (gen. loc. dat. , or inf.) Lit. RV.

  effectiveness or efficacy (of a remedy) Lit. ŚārṅgS.

  regal power (consisting of three parts , [ prabhutva ] , personal pre-eminence ; [ mantra ] , good counsel , and [ utsāha ] , energy) Lit. Kām. ( cf. Lit. Ragh. iii , 13)

  the energy or active power of a deity personified as his wife and worshipped by the Śākta ( q.v.) sect of Hindūs under various names (sometimes only three , sometimes eight Śakti goddesses are enumerated , as follow , Indrāṇī , Vaishṇavī , Śāntā , Brahmāṇī , Kaumārī , Nārasiṃhī , Vārāhī , and Māheśvarī , but some substitute Cāmuṇḍā and Caṇḍikā for the third and sixth of these: according to another reckoning there are nine , viz. Vaishṇavī , Brahmāṇī , Raudrī , Māheśvarī , Nārasiṃhī , Vārāhī , Indrāṇī , Kārttikī , and Pradhānā: others reckon fifty different forms of the Śakti of Vishṇu besides Lakshmī , some of these are Kīrtti , Kānti , Tushṭi , Pushṭā , Dhṛiti , Śānti , Kriyā , Dayā , Medhā ; and fifty forms of the Śakti of Śiva or Rudra besides Durgā or Gaurī , some of whom are Guṇôdarī , Virajā , Śālmalī , Lolâkshī , Vartulâkshī , Dīrgha-ghoṇā , Sudīrgha-mukhī , Go-mukhī , Dīrgha-jihvā , Kuṇḍôdarī , Ardha-keśī , Vikṛita-mukhī , Jvālā-mukhī , Ulkāmukhī ; Sarasvatī is also named as a Śakti , both of Vishṇu and Rudra: according to the Vāyu-Purāṇa the female nature of Rudra became twofold , one half [ asita ] or white , and the other [ sita ] or black , each of these again becoming manifold , those of the white or mild nature included Lakshmī , Sarasvatī , Gaurī , Umā ; those of the dark and fierce nature , Durgā , Kālī ) Lit. Kāv. Lit. Kathās. Lit. Pur. ( cf. Lit. RTL. 181 Lit. MWB. 216)

  the female organ (as worshipped by the Śākta sect either actually or symbolically) Lit. RTL. 140

  the power or signification of a word (defined in the Nyāya as [ padasya padārthe ] [ sambandhaḥ ] i.e. " the relation of a word to the thing designated " ) Lit. Bhāshāp. Lit. Sāh.

  (in Gram.) case-power , the idea conveyed by a case (= [ kāraka ] ) Lit. Pāṇ. 2-3 , 7 Sch.

  the power or force or most effective word of a sacred text or magic formula Lit. Up. Lit. Pañcar.

  the creative power or imagination (of a poet) Lit. Kāvyâd.

  help , aid , assistance , gift , bestowal Lit. RV.

  a spear , lance , pike , dart Lit. RV. ( also [ śaktī ] g. [ bahv-ādi ] )

  a sword Lit. MW.

  (prob.) a flag-staff (see [ ratha-ś ] )

  a partic. configuration of stars and planets (when the latter are situated in the 7th , 8th , 9th , and 10th astrological house) , Lit. VarBṛS.

  [ śakti ] m. N. of a Muni or sage (the eldest of Vasishṭha's hundred sons ; accord. to Lit. VP. he was father of Parāśara , and was devoured by king Kalmāsha-pāda , when changed to a man-eating Rākshasa , in consequence of a curse pronounced upon him by the sage ; he is represented as having overcome Viśvāmitra at the sacrifice of king Saudāsa ; he is regarded as the author of Lit. RV. vii , 32 , 26 ; ix , 97 , 19-21 ; 108 , 3 ; 14-16 ; Śakti is also identified with one of the Vyāsas , and with Avalokitêśvara , and has elsewhere the patr. Jātūkarṇa and Sāṃkṛiti) Lit. Pravar. Lit. MBh.