Shakthi is a femenine gender word and means power or energy.

1. Shakthi is a femenine gender word and means power or energy. • Power is therefore associated with women. • Its only in sanAtana Dharma that shakti is celebrated. • Shakti is largely associated with godessDurga who defeated the evil demon MahishAsura

2. The other forms of shakti are Saraswati and Lakshmi • Saraswati the wife of Brahma is the godess of arts, • knowledge and learning • Mahalkshmi the wife of Maha Vishnu is the other form of • shakti. • She is the godess of wealth (health and wealth) शक्ति or Power is derived from samskRutam.

3. Sanatana Dharma and Shakti • Sanantana Dharma recognises the significance of shakti • The masculine power is considered incomplete without the feminine power • Classic example of the equality of the two powers is in • Lord Ardhanarishvara • Lord Ardhanarishvara is half woman and half male. Half • Shiva and half Parvati

4. Bharat and shakti-Education Anasuya. In Ancient Bharat there were a lot of women who were very highly educated . • Anasuya was the wife of Maharishi Atri and the sister of Maharishi Kapila • Kapila Maharishi was her guru. • She was a very intelligent and knowledgeable. • When Rama Lakshmana and Sita visited them in chitrakoota, she gave Sita clothes that would never soil and a cream that Would prevent aging. Anasuya Pictured with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as her children

5. Maitrayi • Maitrayi was a highly educated philosopher in ancient India • She was capable of debating and defending the vedas • Ten hymns in the “rig veda” are accredited to Maitrayi Maitrayee debating Maharishi Yagnavalika Gargi • Gargi was also a renowned vedic scholar of ancient India • She had studied the vedas and is the author of “GargiSamhita” (Collection)

6. Lopamudra • Lopamudra was the wife of sage Agastya • Encouraged by Agastya she studied the vedas and also composed hymns in the “Rig veda” • Lopamudra was known to debate highly educated scholars Lopamudrapictrued with her husband Maharishi Agastya

7. Bharat and shakti-Powerful women of Bharateeyaitihasa (Indian History) • Sitathe wife of Prince Rama and daughter of the King of Mithila. Alone she puts brave fight against eveil plans of Rakshsa king Ravana, and they all get destroyed for humiliating Seeta • Sita did not pick up a bow or an arrow, yet she achieved not only the • death of Ravana, but also the complete destrucion of the rakshasa race. • Though faced with the challenge of bing single mother, living in a Ashram in forests, she raised her children to be great warriors worthy to be praised by Sri Ram and his army

8. Draupadiwas the daughter of King Drupada of Panchala. She was born of the fire of her regal personality equally filled with spark and flame. And Mahabharata describes her as extremely beautifull • She agreed to be wife of all five Pandava brothers and kept them united. Gave Pandavas good support and guidance in both good and difficult times. • She refused to go to the court when Dushasanawas asked to • Bring her to the court to disrobe her. • She was enraged when she came to know that her husband • Yudhishtirahad gambled away his kingdom and his brothers and herself. • She vowed to destroy the entire “kuru” race for the humiliation they caused her and her family.And inthe Mahabharata war she she made her vow true. BheemaKilling Dushasana Draupadi being disrobed IN Kuru court With her husbands

9. Brave Indian Women Soldiers: Prowess of shakti • Rani Durgavati • Born a Rajput princess she married an exremely brave • “Gond” Prince • After his death she ruled the kingdom on behalf of her • young son • She trained her son Vir Narayan to be a brave ruler • When the mughals attacked her kingdom, she fought bravely with her army and was successful in chasing the mighty mughals away many times • In her last battle with the Mughals (who repeatedly attacked her kingdom) knowing she was going to lose she killed herself than be captured

10. Kittur Rani Chennamma • She was an ordinary woman who became • the queen of Kittur after marrying Mallasarja • After his death she took over the reign of • Kittur • After her son died young she adopted a child • The British did not recognize the adoption and attacked Kittur to annexe it • Rani Chennamma and her forces fought bravely and won the first round • The British attacked again and this tie Rani Chennamma was captured and imprisoned by the Birtish • Thus ended the reign of an ordinary woman who rose to fight valiantly against the British Empire

11. Rani Lakshmi Bai • When we hear the phrase brave woman the • name Lakshmi Bai comes to our minds. Why? • Rightfully so. • She was born as “manikarnika” to a Marathi • family in Varanasi • She was trained in horse riding and warfare • even when she was just a child • She married the Maharaja of Jhansi • Just like Rani Chennamma she lost her • child and adopted her husband’s cousin’s child just before her husband’s death • Once again just as in the case of Rani Chennamma the British did not recognize the adoption and chose to annexe Jhansi • She fought bravely to defend Jhansi and Gwalior in the 1857 soldiers uprising against the Birtish • She died fighting for her Kingdom, fighting to free India from the British • She is immortalized in the poem by poet SubhadraKumari Chauhan • “khoobladimardani who to Jhansi Vali Rani thi” • The lady who fought bravely like a man was none other than the queen of Jhansi • Such was the power of this lady who was nothing but Shakti

12. During the later part of India’s freedom struggle a lot of women fought bravely defying the roles society thrust upon them. These women are also personifications of Shakti. They inspired other women to join the struggle. Some of them are… Sarojini Naidu: She was a brilliant woman with great oratorical skills. She worked beside Mahatma Gandhi in the civil disobedience movement and was jailed repeatedly. She accepted it proudly. Her whole life was dedicated to achieve India’s freedom. ArunaAsaf Ali: During the time when in India women were not educated, she was a graduate and a teacher. She joined Congress and particiated in many agitations. She was Jailed numerous times. She held a hunger strike while I jail and craeted history. She participated actively I the “quit India Movement”. She was awarded the Bharat Ratna for her Bravery. Such is the power of woman.

13. Sister Nivedita: Sister Nivedita as she was popularly known after hhaving been given the name by Swami Vivekananda was born in Ireland and came to India in 1898. She believed India was a great country and that the woman of India were forms of Shakti. She worked hard for the empowerment of women and inspired great people such as Swami Vivekananda, Sri Rabindranath Tagore and Sri Aurbindo. Swami Vivekananda called hera “lioness”, Sri Tagore as “ Lok-Mata” and Sri Aurbindo as “Agni Shikha”. She started an all grils school in India which is now the Ramakrishna Math Sarada Mission Sister Nivedita’s Girls’ high school. Kasturba Gandhi: She was the wife of mahatma Gandhi. She was instrumental in the success of the “satyagraha” movement. She fought for India’s independence shoulder to shoulder with her husband, taking in multiple imprisonments by the British. She was also involved in women ‘s education and educating women about cleanliness and hygene. She was an ordinary woman who proved to be very powerful in India’s freedom struggle just by her sheer ability to stand up.

14. Padma SubramanyamA rare combination of a flawless dancer, choreographer, music composer, singer, research scholar, teacher and author, Dr. Padma Subramanyam is one of the most respected and reputed Bharatanatyam dancers. Born in Chennai in year 1943 LataMangeshkar: She at one time even held the world record for recording the most number of songs, a record that was taken over by her contemporary and a great singer herself, Asha Bhonsle. She has recorded songs for more than 30 regional languages and has laid a claim to every entertainment award that there is on offer. Easily one of the most memorable voices in Indian music, she has given more to playback singing than any other singer, dead or alive

15. Kalpana Chawla Nivedita Indian American Astronaut SadhviumaBharati Minister for Water resources,RiverDevelopment and Ganga Rejunvenation in Union Government of India Irish origin Hindu, who contributed to India’s freedom Shakuntala Devi Smt. SushmaSwaraj Women with Magical Mathmeatical capabilities KiranBedi SadhviRitambara She runs an ashram for abandoned children and women in Mathura called “Vaatsalya Gram”. Minister for External Affairs in The Union Government of India Successful career Indian Police Service officer

16. We have taken a look at the various forms of Shakti and the different embodiments of Shakti • Starting from Vedic times, Hindu History has a number of women who are nothing but Shakti herself • We have to be proud to be a part of a culture that celebrates such women