The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
11. mahāśakti
She who has great power.
māyā presents the impossible as possible and the possible as impossible. While remaining in its intrinsic nature as the formless śakti, it can manifest in any form. This is the essential nature of śakti. It is through Her expansion and Her manifestation that we know or recognize Her. As Svetaśvatara Upanishad states: “The Vedas speak of His exalted power, which is innate and capable of producing diverse effects, and also of His omniscience and might.“
śakti manifests as the phenomenal world and moves freely without any restraint. She is the invisible current in the ocean that manifests externally as waves, bubbles, foam, etc. She is the hidden energy in the tree that manifests externally as branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Hence, śakti is present inside every object as energy and outside as name and form.
mahāśakti transcends the phenomenal world. It is the Supreme Power of Consciousness that manifests as the micro- and macro-cosmic worlds containing countless sentient and insentient entities. We stare in awe at the ever-changing spectacular universe. When it is un-manifest or dormant, like the invisible current in the ocean, we call it śakti. When it manifests externally as names and forms, like the waves in the ocean, we call it māyā. śakti and māyā are both a play of Consciousness.