Śakti — The Divine Power of Bhagavān
Śakti (Sanskrit: śak = to be able, to be capable; śakti = power, potency, capacity) in Śrī Vaiṣṇava philosophy refers to one of the kalyāṇa guṇas (auspicious attributes) of Bhagavān Śrīman Nārāyaṇa — not a separate goddess-principle as in Śākta traditions, but an intrinsic, eternal attribute of the Supreme Person inseparable from His being. Rāmānujāchārya in the Vedārthasaṅgraha enumerates Bhagavān's essential attributes as including jñāna, bala, aiśvarya, śakti, vīrya, and tējas — these six together constitute Bhagavattā (being Bhagavān).
Śakti and the Cosmic Functions: Bhagavān's śakti underlies all three cosmic functions: sṛṣṭi (creation), sthiti (preservation), and saṃhāra (dissolution). The Viṣṇu Purāṇa describes Bhagavān's śakti as the supreme parāśakti — from which the secondary powers are delegated. In Viśiṣṭādvaita, even the activities of Brahmā (creator) and Rudra (destroyer) are ultimately powered by Nārāyaṇa's śakti acting through those forms.
Śakti vs. the Śākta Framework: It is important to distinguish the Śrī Vaiṣṇava understanding from the Śākta philosophical tradition, in which Śakti as Goddess is the ultimate principle and Viṣṇu is a subordinate manifestation. In Viśiṣṭādvaita, śakti is an attribute of Bhagavān, not a separate and higher divinity. Śrī Mahālakṣmī, sometimes called Viṣṇu-śakti in Paurāṇic language, is understood in Śrī Vaiṣṇava theology as a distinct and eternal consciousness — the foremost among nityasūris, inseparable from and ever in service to Bhagavān.
Śakti in Practice and Devotion: In Śrī Vaiṣṇava pāsurams and temple theology, Bhagavān's śakti is celebrated as the power that makes mokṣa possible. The chakra (discus) of Viṣṇu is a symbol of this śakti — the unconquerable divine will that destroys obstacles and purifies souls. Nammāzhvār in Tiruvāymozhi repeatedly addresses Bhagavān's overwhelming māyā-śakti as the very quality that draws the soul irresistibly towards Him.