Tradition

Shanmata

Overview

Shanmata (Sanskrit: षण्मत, romanized: Ṣaṇmata) meaning "Six Sects" in Sanskrit, is a system of worship, believed in Hinduism to have been established by the Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara, whose lifetime was during circa 8th century CE. It centers around the worship of six primary deities of Hinduism: Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Surya, and Skanda. It is based on the belief in the essential oneness of all deities, the unity of Godhead, and their conceptualization of the myriad deities of India as various manifestations of the one divine power, Para Brahman.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Philosophers who discussed Shanmata

• Adi Shankara

Related ideas

• Ātman (Hinduism)
• Hinduism
• Hindus
• Adi Shankara
• Vishnu
• Ganesha
• Shiva
• Advaita Vedanta
• Hindu denominations
• Shaktism
• Vaishnavism

Place in the tradition

Part of Neo-Vedanta.

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