[Advaita-l] All Shaivas, Vaishnavas are indeed Shaktas - Devi Bhagavatam/Haribhaktivilasa

[V Subrahmanian]

देवीभागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः ११/अध्यायः २१
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/hsx

Addressing Gayatri as the 'Mother of Veda'  in this chapter, the Devi
Bhagavatam concludes that all Gayatri worshipers are indeed Shaktas:


*सर्वे शाक्ता द्विजाः प्रोक्ता न शैवा न च वैष्णवाः ।आदिशक्तिमुपासन्ते
गायत्रीं वेदमातरम् ॥ ६ ॥*

Gayatri is called 'Adi Shakti' in this verse. Similarly the
Mahanarayanopanishat of Krishna yajurveda also describes Gayatri as
'Jagatkaarana' (Creatrix of the world).

Also Sri Sanatana Goswami, a Gaudiya Vaishnava, has also said this in his
Haribhaktivilasa:

हरिभक्तिविलासः

https://sa.wikisource.org/s/2mqg




*ब्राह्मणाः शाक्तिकाः सर्वे न शैवा न च वैष्णवाः ।यत उपासते देवीं गायत्रीं
वेदमातरम् ॥ ३.३१० ॥या च सन्ध्या जगत्सूतिर्मायातीता हि निष्कला ।ऐश्वरी केवला
शक्तिस्तत्त्वत्रयसमुद्भवा ॥ ३.३११ ॥*

These Vaishnavas call Gayatri as Jagatsuti (Source of creation), Mayateeta
(That which transcends Maayaa).

So the Vedic consensus is that Gayatri is a female deity.

Om