Difference between revisions of "Bhudevi" - New World Encyclopedia
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===Vedas=== | ===Vedas=== | ||
| − | '''Prithvi'' | + | Bhudevi's Vedic precursor seems to have been ''Prithvi'' Mata ([[Sanskrit]]: "earth mother", the primordial [[goddess]] of the Rg Veda. One of the oldest Aryan dieties, she too personifies of the [[Earth]] while taking on the attributes of a loving mother. She shares many common traits with other Indo-European earth goddesses such as the Greek [[Gaia]], in that she is personified as a mother and paired with a sky god Dyaus as her consort. In the [[Rigveda]], Earth and Sky are frequently addressed in the dual, probably indicating the idea of two complementary half-shells. Together she and Dyaus are considered the creators of the myriad beings, and sired many divine children who became the progenitors of the rest of the Hindu pantheon. She is the mother of [[Indra]], who eventually rose to become the supreme sky god, and [[Agni]], the god of fire. Legend has it that when Agni was born, Prithvi and her husband fled away from the fiery diety in fear. According to another myth, when Indra killed Dyaus Pita for purposes of overthrowing him, Prithvi applauded his deed and then married him. |
| − | + | Prithvi is the source of all vegetation, bestowing prosperity upon the inhabitants of earth, and serves to represent the female principle. In her associations with the gifts of plenty, she was commonly symbolized as a cow. [[Prithu]], an incarnation of Vishnu, milked her in the cow's form to get food from her. The Vedic cult seems to have commemorated the earth and her giving properties in at least one ritual. Here, a cake made of newly harvested barley or rice mixed with clarified butter was offered to the Sky father and mother earth. The offering may also have consisted exclusively of clarified butter, as this was considered the sap of the heaven and earth. Regardless, Prithvi does not seem to have been attributed with the importance of the earth-mother goddesses in the Greek, European and European mythological traditions, which is not surprising considering the patriarchal focus of the Vedic Aryans. | |
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| + | [[Image:Prithu.jpg|thumb|left|[[Prithu]] chasing Prithvi, who is in the form of a cow.]] | ||
| − | + | ===Epics=== | |
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| + | In the Valmiki Ramayana, Rama's wife Sita is discovered in a plowed field by Janaka, king of Mithila. Hence, Sita is born ayonija — not from the womb of a woman but rather from the womb of the earth itself, and for that reason she has been regarded as a daughter of Bhudevi. Throughout the story, however, she becomes something of an earth goddess and therefore a representation of Bhudevi in her own right; after all, she is the incarnation of Sri-[[Lakshmi]], who herself has been related to the bounty of the earth and Bhudevi. Sita, then, in the tradition of Bhudevi, inherits this mytheme of the fertile, feminine earth , which is fructified by the decidedly male power of the sky incarnate in the person of the titular hero. | ||
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| + | In the Uttara-Kanda, the final book of the Ramayana, Rama banishes Sita to the forest due to unsubstantiated public suspicions that she may have compromised her chastity under captivity of the demon [[Ravana]]. Rama insists upon having Sita go through with the exile in spite of the fact that she has already survived the Agni pariksha — the harrowing task of walking through fire — in order to prove her chastity to him. Later on Rama realizes the error of his ways and eventually seeks out Sita in the forest, begging for her return to Ayodhya. At this point Sita requests that Bhudevi take her back, and she is promptly swallowed into a cleft in the soil, never to be seen again. Not only does this ''deus ex machina'' provides Sita with some measure of justice in the face of intense suffering, but it also reaffirm her status as daughter and incarnation of the earth mother. | ||
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| + | ===Puranas=== | ||
| − | + | The Vishnu Purana provides an account of Prithvi/Bhudevi's birth. A notoriously evil king by the name of Vena began to neglect his religious duties, and was subsequently slain by a group of sages who had grown discontent with his impiety. In the wake of the king's death, anarchy ensued. The sages began to rub the thigh of Vena, and from where they rubbed there came forth a black dwarf, representing all of Vena's sin. Afterward, the asges rubbed Vena's right arm, and from it there emerged a resplendent prince named Prithu, who assume the throne held by his father. During his reign, the earth would not yield fruits, and so a terrible famine developed. Prithu vowed to slay the earth, thereby forcing her to give up her precious resources. Terrified, the earth assumed the form of a cow. Prithu gave chase to the beast, all the way to the heaven of Brahma. Finally, she turned to her pursuer and reminded him of the magnitude of sin that killing a woman entailed. The king replied that the murder of one for the benefit of many is a virtuous act. The earth retorted by noting that a kingdom without the earth would be utterly devoid of support. In order to make amends, the earth-as-cow agreed to use her milk to fertilize the dessicated landscape, so long as Prithu flattened the land so as to be conducive to the flow of the nourishing liquid. Prithu accepted the conditions, and had the land plowed up and smoothened, thus marking the beginning of agriculture. Prithu then milked the earth and his kingdom was able to ascend from their famine when all varities of corn and vegetables sprouted forth. Because Prithu was considered her father, the earth was given the epithet Prithvi. | |
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| − | + | According to the Puranas, Bhudevi is the consort of [[Varaha]], Vishnu's third avatar. In the story of their pairing, Bhudevi takes on the role of the earth in its most literal, elemental form, while Varaha takes the form of a boar. When mother earth is carried off by asuras and submerged under the vast ocean by the orders of the demon Hiranyaksha, Varaha comes to her aid, diving deep down into the great waters. Here he kills Hiranyaksha and steadies Bhudevi on his snout, carrying her above the water once again. He then maps the geography of the land as we know it today, sculpting mountains and valleys, and dividing it into seven continents. | |
According to [[Hindu]] mythology, the divine saint [[Andal]] is a form of her. | According to [[Hindu]] mythology, the divine saint [[Andal]] is a form of her. | ||
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Bhumi Devi is also believed to be one of the two forms of [[Lakshmi]]. The other is Sridevi, who remains with [[Narayana]]. | Bhumi Devi is also believed to be one of the two forms of [[Lakshmi]]. The other is Sridevi, who remains with [[Narayana]]. | ||
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==Iconography== | ==Iconography== | ||
Revision as of 03:48, 20 November 2007
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Bhuma Devi or Bhumi Devi or Bhu Devi is an earth goddess and the divine wife of Varaha, an Avatar of Vishnu. Bhudevi is the Goddess of Earth, and the fertility form of Lakshmi. Prithvi is also called Dhra, Dharti, Dhrithri, meaning thereby, which holds everything. As Prithvi Devi, she is one of two wives of Lord Vishnu. His other wife is Lakshmi. Prithvi is another form of Lakshmi. Another name for Her is Bhumi or Bhudevi or Bhuma Devi. Bhudevi or related goddesses personifying the earth often accompany incarnations of Vishnu, and as such it is often the earth's call for help which triggers the descent of the sky god [1]
Mythology
Vedas
Bhudevi's Vedic precursor seems to have been Prithvi Mata (Sanskrit: "earth mother", the primordial goddess of the Rg Veda. One of the oldest Aryan dieties, she too personifies of the Earth while taking on the attributes of a loving mother. She shares many common traits with other Indo-European earth goddesses such as the Greek Gaia, in that she is personified as a mother and paired with a sky god Dyaus as her consort. In the Rigveda, Earth and Sky are frequently addressed in the dual, probably indicating the idea of two complementary half-shells. Together she and Dyaus are considered the creators of the myriad beings, and sired many divine children who became the progenitors of the rest of the Hindu pantheon. She is the mother of Indra, who eventually rose to become the supreme sky god, and Agni, the god of fire. Legend has it that when Agni was born, Prithvi and her husband fled away from the fiery diety in fear. According to another myth, when Indra killed Dyaus Pita for purposes of overthrowing him, Prithvi applauded his deed and then married him.
Prithvi is the source of all vegetation, bestowing prosperity upon the inhabitants of earth, and serves to represent the female principle. In her associations with the gifts of plenty, she was commonly symbolized as a cow. Prithu, an incarnation of Vishnu, milked her in the cow's form to get food from her. The Vedic cult seems to have commemorated the earth and her giving properties in at least one ritual. Here, a cake made of newly harvested barley or rice mixed with clarified butter was offered to the Sky father and mother earth. The offering may also have consisted exclusively of clarified butter, as this was considered the sap of the heaven and earth. Regardless, Prithvi does not seem to have been attributed with the importance of the earth-mother goddesses in the Greek, European and European mythological traditions, which is not surprising considering the patriarchal focus of the Vedic Aryans.
Epics
In the Valmiki Ramayana, Rama's wife Sita is discovered in a plowed field by Janaka, king of Mithila. Hence, Sita is born ayonija — not from the womb of a woman but rather from the womb of the earth itself, and for that reason she has been regarded as a daughter of Bhudevi. Throughout the story, however, she becomes something of an earth goddess and therefore a representation of Bhudevi in her own right; after all, she is the incarnation of Sri-Lakshmi, who herself has been related to the bounty of the earth and Bhudevi. Sita, then, in the tradition of Bhudevi, inherits this mytheme of the fertile, feminine earth , which is fructified by the decidedly male power of the sky incarnate in the person of the titular hero.
In the Uttara-Kanda, the final book of the Ramayana, Rama banishes Sita to the forest due to unsubstantiated public suspicions that she may have compromised her chastity under captivity of the demon Ravana. Rama insists upon having Sita go through with the exile in spite of the fact that she has already survived the Agni pariksha — the harrowing task of walking through fire — in order to prove her chastity to him. Later on Rama realizes the error of his ways and eventually seeks out Sita in the forest, begging for her return to Ayodhya. At this point Sita requests that Bhudevi take her back, and she is promptly swallowed into a cleft in the soil, never to be seen again. Not only does this deus ex machina provides Sita with some measure of justice in the face of intense suffering, but it also reaffirm her status as daughter and incarnation of the earth mother.
Puranas
The Vishnu Purana provides an account of Prithvi/Bhudevi's birth. A notoriously evil king by the name of Vena began to neglect his religious duties, and was subsequently slain by a group of sages who had grown discontent with his impiety. In the wake of the king's death, anarchy ensued. The sages began to rub the thigh of Vena, and from where they rubbed there came forth a black dwarf, representing all of Vena's sin. Afterward, the asges rubbed Vena's right arm, and from it there emerged a resplendent prince named Prithu, who assume the throne held by his father. During his reign, the earth would not yield fruits, and so a terrible famine developed. Prithu vowed to slay the earth, thereby forcing her to give up her precious resources. Terrified, the earth assumed the form of a cow. Prithu gave chase to the beast, all the way to the heaven of Brahma. Finally, she turned to her pursuer and reminded him of the magnitude of sin that killing a woman entailed. The king replied that the murder of one for the benefit of many is a virtuous act. The earth retorted by noting that a kingdom without the earth would be utterly devoid of support. In order to make amends, the earth-as-cow agreed to use her milk to fertilize the dessicated landscape, so long as Prithu flattened the land so as to be conducive to the flow of the nourishing liquid. Prithu accepted the conditions, and had the land plowed up and smoothened, thus marking the beginning of agriculture. Prithu then milked the earth and his kingdom was able to ascend from their famine when all varities of corn and vegetables sprouted forth. Because Prithu was considered her father, the earth was given the epithet Prithvi.
According to the Puranas, Bhudevi is the consort of Varaha, Vishnu's third avatar. In the story of their pairing, Bhudevi takes on the role of the earth in its most literal, elemental form, while Varaha takes the form of a boar. When mother earth is carried off by asuras and submerged under the vast ocean by the orders of the demon Hiranyaksha, Varaha comes to her aid, diving deep down into the great waters. Here he kills Hiranyaksha and steadies Bhudevi on his snout, carrying her above the water once again. He then maps the geography of the land as we know it today, sculpting mountains and valleys, and dividing it into seven continents.
According to Hindu mythology, the divine saint Andal is a form of her.
The demon Narakasura whose killing by Krishna is celebrated as the festival of Diwali is her son.[2].
Bhumi Devi is also believed to be one of the two forms of Lakshmi. The other is Sridevi, who remains with Narayana.
Iconography
In art she is represented as a woman with four arms and a green skin. One of the most common depictions of Bhudevi depicts her being carried atop the nose of Varaha; she is relatively small compared to the boar-god.
Notes
- ↑ Nagaran, 168.
- ↑ killing of Narakasura.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Dallapiccola, Anna. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. London: Thames and Hudson, 2002. ISBN 0-500-51088-1
- Kinsley, David. Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988. ISBN 978-0520063396
- Nagaran, Vijaya Rettakudi. "Soil as the Goddess Bhudevi in a Tamil Women's Ritual." In Women as Sacred Custodians of the Earth: Women, Spirituality and the Environment. Ed. Alaine Low and Soraya Tremayne. New York: Bergham Books, 2001. 159-174. ISBN 1-57181-467-1
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