Goddesses in Rigveda

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Goddesses in Rigveda

In the Vedic pantheon, goddesses (devīḥ) occupy a comparatively subordinate position in belief and worship. They seldom appear as sovereign rulers of the cosmos. The most prominent is Uṣas (Dawn), who—judged statistically—ranks only as a third-tier deity and, unlike most gods, receives no share of the Soma offering. Next in prominence stands Sarasvatī, and a few others are praised in single hymns. Pṛthivī (Earth), scarcely separable from Dyaus (Sky), has just one brief hymn of three stanzas to herself.

Rātrī (Night)

Rātrī is invoked in one hymn (RV 10.127), depicted not as darkness but as the bright, starry night. She shines “with many eyes,” fills valleys and heights, drives away danger with light, and is prayed to fend off wolves and thieves as people return home at dusk. She likely became a goddess by antithesis to Dawn; indeed, Night and Dawn are also invoked together as a dual pair elsewhere. [1]

Vāc (Speech)

Vāc, personified Speech, speaks about herself in an entire hymn (RV 10.125): she accompanies all the gods, supports Mitra-Varuṇa, Indra-Agni, and the Aśvins, bends Rudra’s bow against unbelievers, and “encompasses all beings,” with her seat in the cosmic waters. In another passage she is called “queen of the gods” and “divine” (RV 8.89). [2][3] A later Brāhmaṇa legend tells that Soma was bought back from the Gandharvas at the price of Vāc transformed into a woman.

Puraṃdhi, Dhīṣaṇā, and Iḷā

Puraṃdhi (often paired with Bhaga) is a goddess of plenty—sometimes interpreted as activity—while Dhīṣaṇā is another deity of abundance. Iḷā (“Nourishment”) personifies the ghee-and-milk oblation, hence the bounty derived from the cow. Fittingly, she is styled “butter-handed” (RV 7.16.8) and “butter-footed” (RV 10.70.8). As a personified figure she appears chiefly in the Aprī hymns, often forming a triad with Sarasvatī and Mahī/Bhāratī. [4][5]

Several verses link Iḷā to notable mythic relations and ritual moments: Agni is called her son (RV 3.29.9); Purūravas is also said to be her son (RV 10.95.8); she is named “mother of the herd” and connected with Urvaśī (RV 5.41.19); and she is mentioned alongside Dadhikrāvan and the Aśvins in reference to the morning sacrifice (RV 7.44.2). [6][7][8][9]

Bṛhaddivā

The goddess Bṛhaddivā occurs four times in hymns to the Viśvedevas. She is explicitly called a mother (RV 10.64.10), and appears together with Iḷā (RV 2.31.1; 5.41.19) and with Sarasvatī and Rākā (RV 5.42.12). [10][11][8][12]

Sinīvālī, Rākā, and Kūhū

Sinīvālī is mentioned in two hymns (RV 2.32; 10.184) as “sister of the gods,” broad-hipped, fair-armed, fair-fingered, mistress of the household, and a granter of offspring; she is invoked together with Sarasvatī, Rākā, and (once) Guṅgū. Later texts associate Kūhū with the new moon, and link Rākā and Sinīvālī with full-moon and new-moon phases respectively—though such lunar phase associations are not attested in the Ṛgveda itself. [13][14]

Other goddesses briefly noted

Pṛśni, mother of the Maruts, likely represents the speckled storm-cloud; the word also functions adjectivally for “speckled” and extends to “speckled cow/cloud” in imagery. Saraṇyū appears once as the name of Tvaṣṭṛ’s daughter, wedded to Vivasvat. [15]

“Wives of the gods”

Goddesses who are simply the spouses of great gods—formed with the feminine suffix -āṇī, such as Indrāṇī (“wife of Indra”), Varuṇānī, and Agnāyī—play a minor role in the Ṛgveda. They possess virtually no independent character apart from their marital designation; Rudrāṇī appears later and becomes more significant in ritual than the other -āṇī names.

References

  1. RV 10.127 — Hymn to Rātrī (Night).
  2. RV 10.125 — Hymn of Vāc (Speech) describing her cosmic functions.
  3. RV 8.100.8–9 — Vāc praised as “queen of the gods” and “divine.”
  4. RV 7.16.8 — Iḷā described as “ghṛtapāṇi” (butter-handed).
  5. RV 10.70.8 — Iḷā described as “butter-footed.”
  6. RV 3.29.9 — Agni referred to as “son of Iḷā.”
  7. RV 10.95.8 — Purūravas spoken of as son of Iḷā.
  8. RV 5.41.19 — Iḷā called “mother of the herd.”
  9. RV 7.44.2 — Iḷā mentioned with Dadhikrāvan and the Aśvins at the morning rite.
  10. RV 10.64.10 — Bṛhaddivā called a “mother.”
  11. RV 2.31.1 — Bṛhaddivā named alongside Iḷā.
  12. RV 5.42.12 — Bṛhaddivā with Sarasvatī and Rākā.
  13. RV 2.32 — Sinīvālī referenced (with fertility epithets).
  14. RV 10.184 — Sinīvālī referenced (wedding/household context).
  15. RV 10.17.2 — Saraṇyū as the daughter of Tvaṣṭṛ, wife of Vivasvat.

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