Goddess worship is an integral part of Hinduism and both male and female aspects of the divine, personified through the deities, are worshiped by men and women alike. Indeed, the word for strength, power and energy in Sanskrit, is the feminine aspect of the divine – or “Shakti”.  While, Shiva, the masculine impulse in the universe is the transcendent eternal principle; it is the feminine Shakti that transforms spirit into material form.