08/03/2026
Is Devi Brahman or maya?
❝ एतत् परा चितिः प्रोक्ता त्रिपुरा परमेश्वरी ।~the Supreme Consciousness (Parā Cit) is Bhagwatī Tripirā Parameśvarī.❞
■ In Shakt philosophy, Devī is herself the supreme Brahman and the power by which the universe arises is known as Māyā and it is her (Śrī Bhuvaneśvarī) own Śakti. Nothing exists apart from her Chāndogya Upaniṣad 13.14.1 ❝ सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म ~Indeed, all this is Brahman.❞ and similar statement is present in Devī Māhātmya 10.3 ❝ एकैवाहं जगत्यत्र द्वितीया का ममापरा ~In this universe, I alone exist as one. What second, other than me could there possibly be? ❞.
अहमेवास पूर्वं तु नान्यत्किञ्चिन्नगाधिप । तदात्मरूपं चित्संवित्परब्रह्मैकनामकम् ॥ २ ॥
❝ I alone existed in the beginning; nothing else whatsoever existed, O Lord of Mountains. That Reality is of the nature of the Self, pure Consciousness, Awareness, known by the single name Parabrahman is me . ❞~Devī Bhāgavatam Mahāpurāṇam 7.32.2
■ As Aitareya Upaniṣad states :-
आत्मा वा इदमेक एव अग्र आसीत् नान्यत् किञ्चित् ॥
❝ In the beginning, this was the Self alone; there was nothing else whatsoever ❞ ~Aitareya Upaniṣad
And Devī is the self of every jeev :-
❝ सदानन्दपूर्ण स्वात्मेव परदेवता ललिता । लौहित्यमेतस्य सर्वस्य विमर्श । ❞ ❝ Lalitā is none other than one’s own Self, ever full of bliss. The radiant energy of all thisuniverse is Her Vimarśa , Her self-reflective awareness.❞ ~Bhāvanopaniṣat (Sruti praman)
■ Nirguṇa Brahman (Devī herself) is the cause of the this universe. The power by which the universe arises is known as Māyā and that Māyā is none other than Prakṛti. Devī herself is śaktimatī.
सा च माया परे तत्त्वे संविद्रूपेऽपि सर्वदा । तदधीना प्रेरिता च तेन जीवेषु सर्वदा ॥ ततो मायाविशिष्टां तां संविदं परमेश्वरीम् । मायेश्वरीं भगवतीं सच्चिदानन्दरूपिणीम् ॥ स्वमायां संहरत्येव स्वानुभूतिप्रदानतः । भुवनं खलु माया स्यादीश्वरी तस्य नायिका ।।
❝ That Māyā , though eternally resting in the Brahman, which is of the nature of pure Consciousness, is always dependent on It and is propelled by It into the individual souls. Therefore, that Consciousness which is qualified by Māyā is called Bhagavatī Parameśvarī Māyeśvarī, the Mistress of Māyā who is of the form of Saccidānandarūpiṇī . She certainly withdraws Her own Māyā by granting the realization of Her own Self (Svānubhūti-pradānataḥ). Indeed, the Universe is Māyā, and the Bhagavatī is its Nāyikā.❞ ~Devī Bhāgavatam Mahāpurāṇam 6.31.48–51.
❝ केचित्तां तप ~Some call that Māyā or “Tapaḥ”❞ ~Devī Bhāgavatam 7.32.9 ❝ तपसा चीयते ब्रह्म ~By tapas Brahman expands❞ ~Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad
ज्ञानं मायां प्रधानं च प्रकृतिं शक्तिमप्यजाम् ॥
❝ Some call Her knowledge; some call Her Māyā, Pradhāna, Prakṛti, Ajā and some others call Her Śaktī. ❞ ~Devī Bhāgavatam 7.32.9
मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यात् ॥
❝ Know Māyā to be Prakṛti ❞ ~Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad
Prakrti or Māyā works under the control of Supreme Brahman.
मया अध्यक्षेण प्रकृतिः सचराचरं सूयते ।
❝ Under My supervision, Prakṛti brings forth the entire universe of moving and non moving beings.❞ ~Bhagavad Gītā 9.10
स्वशक्तेश्च समायोगादहं बीजात्मतां गता । स्वाधारावरणात्तस्या दोषत्वं च समागतम् ॥
❝ I am Nirguna. And when I am united with my Śaktī, Māyā, I become Saguna, the Great Cause of this world. This Māyā is divided into two, Vidyā and Avidyā. Avidyā Māyā hides Me; whereas Vidyā Māyā does not. Avidyā creates whereas Vidyā Māyā liberates. ❞ ~Devī Bhāgavatam 7.32.7
■ Devī Umā is the supreme consciousness is self-luminous, omnipresent, and unaffected.
एवंविधं हि भारूपं ग्रस्तसर्वप्रपञ्चकम् ।
भाति स्वतन्त्रतः स्वस्मिन् सर्वत्रापि च सर्वदा ॥
एतत् परा चितिः प्रोक्ता त्रिपुरा परमेश्वरी ।
❝ Indeed, in this way, the supreme consciousness, having absorbed all the universe, shines independently in itself, everywhere and always.This supreme consciousness is called Tripurā ❞ ~Tripurā Rāhasyam 14.43.44
■ In Devī Bhāgavatam 12.8 Devī Pārvatī explains that She is the Supreme Brahma, the Cause of all causes, the Seat of Māyā, the Witness of all, infallible and free from all defects or blemishes ❝रूपं मदीयं ब्रह्मतत्सर्वकारणकारणम् ❞ and represented by Bīja “Om” and "Hrīm" Bīja is Māyā Prakṛti which made manifest ❝ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म तदेवाहुश्च ह्रींमयम् ❞.
Also :- ❝ परं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः प्रणवद्वन्द्वरूपिणी। अहमेवास्मि सकलं मदन्यो नास्ति कश्चन ॥ ~I am the supreme Brahman, the supreme light in the form of two Pranavas "Hrīm" Bīja and “Om" Bīja . I am all. There is none other besides me❞. ~Śiva purāṇa - Uma Saṃhitā 49.28
That Māyā is the supreme shakti that Bhagwatī Possess ❝ सा च माया परा शक्ति शक्तिमत्यहमीश्वरी ॥ ❞. Brahma (स्थूलदेहो) , Vishnu (लिंगदेहो) and Rudra (कारणो देह) are the three and Bhagwatī is beyond them (देहस्तुरीया त्वहमेव हि) inner controller of all (साम्यावस्था तु या प्रोक्ता सर्वांतर्यामिरूपिणी)
