("beautiful
waves") The Goddess is praised as the ultimate force in the cosmos in this
poetic passage.
Despite being the greatest exponent of the philosophical
school known as Advaita Vedanta, in which the Supreme Reality, called Brahman,
is believed to be completely devoid of specific attributes, the text is
traditionally ascribed to the philosopher Shankaracharya, who is also believed
to have written other hymns in praise of Hindu gods and goddesses.
If these lyrical poems were written by Shankaracharya, one
plausible interpretation is that he was a very devout man who exhibited his
devotion in a variety of ways.
The scripture has had a huge impact, especially among
tantric schools (secret, ritual-based religious practices) that consider the
Goddess to be the One Ultimate Reality.
