Within Shaktism, the Divine Mother, or Shakti, is regarded as the supreme reality and primordial creative power from which all else proceeds, including the masculine deities. She is not merely a consort but the very source and dynamic force that animates the cosmos, while the masculine deities such as Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma represent the quiescent, static principle, often described as pure consciousness. This understanding places the Goddess at the center of theological vision: the gods themselves are seen as emanations or expressions of her power, granted their roles and capacities through her. In this sense, she is both the origin and the sustaining energy of the divine order, the “Mother” of the gods in a metaphysical as well as devotional sense.

The relationship between Shakti and the masculine deities is frequently articulated through the image of complementary unity. Shiva, for example, is said to be inert without Shakti—“Shiva is shava (a corpse) without Shakti”—indicating that consciousness without energy is powerless, while energy without consciousness lacks orientation. Shakti is the active, manifesting principle; Shiva and other male deities are the still, witnessing consciousness that becomes effective only in union with her. This polarity is not a conflict but a mutual dependence, a vision in which neither aspect is complete or operative in isolation, yet the emphasis falls on the primacy of the Goddess as the empowering ground.

Shaktism thus portrays the masculine deities as dependent upon the Divine Mother for their very ability to create, preserve, and transform the universe. They function as channels or media through which her power flows, their divine offices intelligible only as particular modes of her one, undivided Shakti. While philosophical reflection may ultimately speak of a single, gender-transcending reality manifesting as both active and passive principles, devotional and ritual life in Shaktism consistently foregrounds the Goddess as the supreme source. The masculine deities, honored and revered, are nevertheless understood as essential expressions of her inexhaustible, maternal power.