Divine Powers

When a single divinity is deemed to be
the supreme power in the universe, he
or she is generally said to wield five overarching divine powers: creation, ordering and maintaining the cosmos,
destruction, concealment, and giving
grace (divine self-revelation). The first
three powers describe the relationship
between the deity and the physical universe, whereas the fourth and fifth focus
on the deity’s relationship with individual devotees. By using the power of concealment, the deity becomes hidden
in creation, and thus human beings
are kept in ignorance. This power
of concealment is often also described
as the deity’s maya, or the power of
illusion that keeps human beings from
199
Divine Powers
A man performs the dipa ritual, offering a lamp before the image of a deity.
perceiving the divine reality that lies
behind all things. This power of illusion
is so strong that the only way human
beings can break through it is through
the deity’s grace, the final power. This
grace is an act of divine self-revelation,
in which the deity shreds the concealing
veil of illusion and reveals himself or
herself to human beings.