INTRODUCTION
Ever since the dawn of Hindu civilisation and culture the Hindu mind has been busy in making assiduous efforts to find various means for the attainment of Śreyah and Preyah-spritual greatness and worldly prosperity. The former, it has come to the conclusion, is not achievable unless the unification is reached with the highest Reality as forming the causeless cause of the universe. For This, approach is advised of the two possible aspects of the highest Reality-unqualified and qualified. The unqualified is difficult of access to the man as is declared in the Bhagvadgita. The qualified has reference either to the male conception or the female. It is therefore that the highest Reality is described in the sacred texts whether Agamas or Tantras as a personal God or Goddess always engaged in creating, sustaining and dissolving the world, both admitting their affiliation more or less with the Vedas.
Agamas refer to the higest Reality through the male aspect calling it by Siva and the Tantras through both, male and female. Those of the latter which stress the importance of the female aspect are designated by the term Śākta Tantras. From their standpoint the highest Reality is known by the name of Mahātripurasundari. She is recognised and contemplated upon as constituting the quintessence of the female Trinity corresponding to that of Brahma, Viṣnu and Rudra. i. e., the male Trinity. In this way the female Trinity is known popularly by Mahasarasvati, Mahalaksmi and work Mahākālī.
Worship of these two aspects seems to have been simultaneously going on from the earliest times. The episode of the appearance of Uma to Indra and other Vedic Gods, appearing as it does in the Kenopanisad, supports this view. The first founder of the Recognitive School Somānanda of the ninth century A. D. tells in clear terms that the highest Reality was being worshipped also through the female aspect in his own Śivadṛsti.
The name Mahātripurasundari given above conveys the idea that the, Goddess is so called not only because. She is the beauty of the three worlds but also because She is the mistress of the three spheres of Brahma, Visnu and Rudra.
Like the Saivas, the Saktas also belive in the existence of the five Schools respectively called Eastern, Southern, western, Northern and the Upper. The deities associated with them are Unmani, Bhogini, Kubjikā, and Mahātripurasundari.
Texts composed in glorification of Mahātripurasundari, specially those
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