The Cosmic Play of Power

In Hindu theology Divine Power is conceived as a divine woman-theGoddess. Sometimes she is wholly autonomous and sometimes she isthe divine spouse of the creator God, Siva or Visnu. She is alsoheld to be the evolving material source of every createdphenomenon. Religious texts like Puranas and Tantras havethoroughly investigated the mysterious nature of the CosmicGoddess. Tantra as a religious practice endeavoured to show howthrough ritual and Yoga one may achieve realization of the mysteryof the Supreme Goddess. Authors in Sanskrit and modern Indianlanguages, have poured out their ecstatic devotion to the Goddess.She is close to the heart of the passionate devotee, who adores heras mother or daughter - a mortal emotional bond with the divine sopeculiar to Hindus. She is also sovereign Power a little part ofwhich reigning royalties covet to possess in order to be goodrulers. AS the divine woman she is represented in all women.Therefore women should be holding a high position amongst Hindus.But the question is, do they? In spite of the obvious contraryevidence, women do succeed in carving out a very important positionin Hindu religious practices by having their alternative religiousrituals highly valued by Hindu women have a very complexinterrelationship.