She is the Mother Goddess, Mahamaya-the enchantress, the supreme consciousness, the pure source from which all creation emerges and to whom all must eventually return. As Usas, the enchanting goddess of the dawn, she is loved passionately and hated fiercely, leading to a horrific tragedy. As Durga, the invincible warrior, she defeats the savage Mahishasura, whom none of the male gods could vanquish. As Kali, the fearsome dark goddess, she delights in chaos. Yet she is also Shakti, beloved of all, who, when united with Shiva, restores balance to the universe.

In this captivating narrative, explore the contrasting facets of the sacred feminine; experience her awesome power, forged on the flames of love and hate; and watch her teach the male- dominated pantheon a lesson in compassion. Witty, engaging and thought-provoking, Shakti: The Divine Feminine will force readers to re- evaluate everything they know about the gods and goddesses and inspire all to embrace the Shakti within.

Anuja Chandramouli graduated from Women's Christian College, Chennai, and was the college topper in Abnormal Psychology. She also holds a master's degree in English. Currently, she is studying classical dance. Her debut novel, Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince, was named as one of the top five books in the Indian Writing category by Amazon India in 2013. She is also the author of the bestselling novel Kamadeva: The God of Desire. Anuja is the mother of two little girls and lives in Sivakasi.

This is not so much an Author's Note' as it is a gentle reminder to my readers: Shakti is a story, which was manufactured in a factory designated for that express purpose in the subterranean regions of my brain, in collusion with the more twisted elements of a convoluted mind that has long been a source of despair for my mum.

Some of you might be feeling a tad inquisitive about which parts of this tale are true, and which parts are fictionalized or extracted in various states of purity from documented mythology. All I can say is, please don't bother your head too much about it, since there is no way of ascertaining to an absolute certainty what is true and what isn't, or what is fact and what is fiction, in the realms of myth and the real world, for that matter. In any case, such things are of little consequence in this particular instance, because this offering of make-believe is intended solely to be an intense experience from which the reader can take or leave whatever he or she pleases, in keeping with personal preferences and individual inclinations.