śaktiḥ f. [śak-ktin] 1 (a) Power, ability, capacity, strength, energy, prowess; daivaṃ nihatya kuru pauruṣamātmaśaktyā Pt. 1. 361; jñāni maunaṃ kṣamā śaktau R. 1. 22; so yathāśakti, svaśakti &c. (b) Faculty, capacity; smaraṇaśakti ‘retentive faculty or memory’. 2 Regal power; (it has three parts or elements; prabhuśakti or prabhāvaśakti ‘the majesty or pre-eminent position of the king himself’; 2 maṃtraśakti ‘the power of good counsel’, and 3 utsāhaśakti ‘the power of energy’); (pb) rājyaṃ nāma śaktitrayāyattaṃ Dk.; trisādhanā śaktirivārthasaṃcayaṃ R. 3. 13, 6. 33, 17. 63; Śi. 2. 26. 3 The power of composition, poetic power or genius; śaktirnipuṇatā lokaśāstrakāvyādyavekṣaṇāt K. P. 1; see explanation ad loc. 4 The active power of a deity, regarded as his wife, female divinity; (these are variously enumerated, 8, 9 or even 50 being mentioned); sa jayati pariṇaddhaḥ śaktibhiḥ śaktināthaḥ Māl. 5. 1; Ś. 7. 35. 5 A kind of missile; śaktikhaṃḍāmarṣitena gāṃḍīvinoktaṃ Ve. 3; tato bibheda paulastyaḥ śaktyā vakṣasi lakṣmaṇaṃ R. 12. 77. 6 A spear, dart, pike, lance. 7 (In phil.) The relation of a term to the thing designated. 8 The power inherent in cause to produce its necessary effect. 9 (In Rhet.) The power or signification of a word; (these are three abhidhā, lakṣaṇā and vyaṃjanā); tisraḥ śabdasya śaktayaḥ S. D. 11. 10 The expressive power or denotation of a word (opp. lakṣaṇā and vyaṃjanā); it is thus defined: — asmācchabdādayamartho boddhavya ityākārako'nādisaṃketaḥ śaktiḥ Tarka K. 11 The female organ, the counterpart of the Phallus of Śiva worshipped by a sect of people called Śāktas. 12 A sword. 13 An implement in gambling. Comp. — ardhaḥ perspiring and panting through fatigue or exertion. — apekṣa, — apekṣin a. having regard to strength; Śi. 2. 93. — kuṃṭhanaṃ the deadening of a power. — graha a. 1 apprehending the force or meaning. 2 armed with a spear. — (haḥ) 1 apprehension of the force, meaning, or acceptation of a word. 2 a spearman, lancer. 3 an epithet of Śiva. 4 of Kārtikeya. — grāhaka a. determining or establishing the meaning of a word. — (kaḥ) an epithet of Kārtikeya. — trayaṃ the three constituent elements of regal power; see śakti (2) above. — dhara a. strong, powerful. — (raḥ) 1 a spearman. 2 an epithet of Kārtikeya. — pāṇiḥ, -bhṛt m. 1 a spearman. 2 an epithet of Kārtikeya. — pātaḥ prostration of strength. — pūjakaḥ a Śākta q. v. — pūjā the worship of Śakti. — pūrvaḥ an epithet of Parāśara. — kalyaṃ loss of strength, debility, incapacity. — hani a. powerless, weak, impotent. — hetikaḥ a lancer, spearman.

śakti or śakti f. power, ability, strength, might, effort, energy, capability (śaktyā or ātma-ś˚ or sva-ś˚, ‘according to ability’; paraṃ śaktyā, ‘with all one's might’; vitta-śaktyā, ‘according to the capability of one's property’; śaktim a-hāpayitvā, ‘not relaxing one's efforts, exerting all one's strength’), faculty, skill, capacity for, power over (gen. loc. dat., or inf.), RV. &c. &c.

effectiveness or efficacy (of a remedy), ŚārṅgS.