Research Article written by London swaminathan

Post No. 1775; Date 4th April 2015

Uploaded from London at  22-02

“ Yatra naryast pujyante ramante tatra devatah

Yatraitastu na pujyante sarvastatraphalah kriyah”

Manu smriti 3-56, Mahabharata 13-45-5

‘Where women are worshipped, there the gods are delighted; but where they are not worshipped, all religious ceremonies become futile’—Manu Smriti.

One acharya/Guru excels ten Upadhyayas/teachers in glory; a father excels 100 acharyas/Gurus in glory; but a MOTHER excels even a thousand fathers in glory (Manu 2-145)

Hinduism is the only religion in the world where woman is worshipped as Goddess from the days the oldest Veda until today. In other religions God is He, but in Hindu religion God is worshiped as He and She from the Vedic days. The beauty of Hindu religion is that the same goddesses are worshiped continuously until today. Though we heard many names of goddesses in in the Middle East, Egypt and Europe (Greek and Rome) all those goddesses were sent to Museums. The most powerful mantra Gayatri is in all the three Vedas. Goddesses Gayatri, Savitri and Sarasvati are worshipped from Vedic days and they are very popular names of girls from Northern Himalayas to Southern Most parts of Sri Lanka.

Here is a list of Goddesses from the Vedas:–

1.Usas (dawn)—Most beautiful description of Usas is found in the Vedas in many hymns.

2.Sarasvati — River and Goddess; praised in many hymns

3.Prithivi  – Earth (Greeks and others followed this Hindu concept)

4.Ratri (RV 10-107) – Called daughter of Heaven

5.Vac (personified speech) – RV 10-125

6.Purmandhi (Goddess of Plenty)  – Her name occurs nine times in the Oldest Book Rig Veda

7.Parendi(Goddess f Riches and abundance) –

8.Dhiisanaa  (Goddess of Abundance) – mentioned at least 12 times

9.Ilaa (Goddess of Nourishment) Personification of the offering of milk and butter, meaning plenty. Her name is very common among girls. She is mentioned at least 10 times in the Rig Veda. She is also known as the daughter of Manu or Mitra- Varuna in the Satapata Brahmana

10.Brhaddivaa- Occurs at least four times. She is called mother and mentioned with Ila (RV 10-64-10), Sarasvati and Raka.

11.Raka – Bountiful goddess Raka is mentioned at least twice (RV 2-32-7, 5-42-17)

12.Sinivaali _ She is mentioned in two hymns (2-32; 10-184). She is invoked with Sarasvati and called as wife of Vishnu. She is sister of the gods, broad hipped, fair armed, prolific and a mistress of the family. She is implored to grant off spring.

13.Kuhu (Personification of New Moon). Raka and Sinivaali are also connected with the phases of the moon

14.Prsni – The mother of Maruts

15.Saranyu (10-17-2)- Occurs once in the RV; Tvast’s daughter married to Visvat

16.Indrani – Wife of Indra

17.Varuni- Wife of Varuna

18.Agnayi – Wife of Agni

19Rudrani

(This type of Sanskrit naming exists until today among Hindu families: Bhava=Bhavani, Shiva= Shivan, Vishnu=Vasihnavi etc)

20.Asvini= Wife of Asvins is mentioned once

21.Suryaa is also mentioned

22.Bharati

23.Mahi

24.Aditi:Aditi is an ancient Goddess to express the infinite and boundlessness. She is mentioned about eighty times in the Rig Veda. The concept of her motherhood is found in many words such as dyaur-aditih, aditeh putrah. Her children were Adityas. Aditi is connected with light.

God and Goddess sharing (Ardhanaree)

Ten Mandalas of the Rig Veda have Apri Suktas where Bharati, Sarasvati and Ila are invoked. In some, Bharati is replaced with Mahi.

Al other are invoking Bharati, Sarsvati and Ilaa.

There are over twenty poetesses among the Rig Vedic poets or “composers” ( Vedas are “heard” like we hear radio wavelengths on the receivers; not “composed”. Like Newton’s Laws of Motion, they exit whether we discover them or not. Vedas are eternal)

Along with the names of poetesses, the goddesses form the biggest group of esteemed women in any known ancient civilization. The latest date accepted for the Rig Veda is 1700 BCE. We have not heard such a big group of women in any other civilization around that time. All the Vedic metres are given women’s names. All the rivers are given women’s names in the Vedas: Ganga Sindhu, Sarasvati and Yamuna etc. All the good virtues are given the names of women in the Vedas such as Kirti, Karunaa and Shanti.

And of feminine forms I am fame(Kirti), prosperity (Sri), speech (Vac), memory (Smrti) , intelligence (Medha), firmness(Dhrti) and patience (Kshama).—Bhagavad Gita—X-34

Jagata Pitarau Parvati Paramesvarau (Father and Mother of Universe– Kalidasa)