Since I have some time off, it's overdue that I post a summarised version of my talk from last year's Witchfest and Artemis Gathering.
For the first decade or so of my life, I was Hindu, raised in the Brahman tradition. My family aren't the most observant, but I grew up celebrating the holidays and learning the mythology. One of my treasured books as a child was a storybook about Krishna. When I reached my teens, I realised that Hinduism didn't speak to me as much as Paganism, although as I've grown older I have found the Gods and Goddesses that I knew as a child calling back to me. The faiths of my childhood and my adult life are merging into something new. In celebration of this, I brought together research and family stories into a talk about the Goddesses of Hinduism.
This list is by no means exhaustive, or we'll be here for years! The Goddesses I've highlighted are mainly from the Brahman tradition. Despite it being a smaller list, this will still be very "mind-bendy"- within Hinduism, every God and Goddess is one in their own right, but they're also aspects of each other and also relatives of each other. The can also "evolve" into each other, but there's no true hierarchy as they are also known to pray to each other. On top of that, each region of India has different names and different legends for each of the Gods, and this can even vary between families. The names I use are Gujarati, as is my heritage, but I will try to include Hindi translations where I can, as these are often the more commonly known names.
Gayatri
Her name is derived from two words: "gaya", to sing'; and "tri", referring to the trinity of Goddesses which she also represents, Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Parvati (who I will cover later).
Gayatri has five heads, with her four additional heads representing the sacred texts, and ten arms, which each hold a symbol of Vishnu. She is seated on a lotus, which is a symbol of truth and longevity.
Prithvi
She is also the mother of the goddess Sita.
Sita
Sita and Rama (a form of Vishnu) were a married couple, but Sita caught the eye of the evil King Ravana, who decided she should be his wife. He stole her away and kept her locked away for 15 years, every day promising her freedom if she agreed to marry him (which she rejected since her heart belonged to Rama). Rama, with the help of the God Hanuman, eventually found her, freed her and defeated Ravana in battle. The villagers lit divas (small oil lamps) through the forest to guide their way back home- the festival of Diwali has us light our own candles or divas to re-enact that celebration.
After Rama and Sita were reunited, it wasn't long after that rumours began to circulate that Sita wasn't faithful to her husband during her incarceration... the implication being that she gave in to Ravana on several occasions. When Rama decided to confront Sita on the matter, she insisted on her innocence, but he said that she must jump through a sacred bonfire to prove it. If she made it through unscathed, it would prove that she was still pure.
There are several versions of this story- in one version, she jumped through the fire, proved the rumours untrue and rejoined the village and her husband. In another version, she refuses, telling him her word should be enough and leaving the village forever. In another version, she is cast aside as Rama caves to public opinion. Heartbroken, Sita calls to Prithvi to help her prove she is being truthful. Prithvi rises from the ground, embraces Sita and takes her back into the earth, forever proving her purity, for Sita would not have been accepted by the earth if she were lying.
Sita is the Goddess of fertility, fidelity and purity.
Lakshmi
Lakshmi was born from the ocean, as the waters were churned by the Gods to locate a sacred ambrosia. As the Milk Ocean's waters were churned, the stars, moon and Sacred Cow were born, and Lakshmi herself emerged from the waves to take her place at Vishnu's side.
Gauri
She has two main origin myths- the first is that she was born from the sea, as Lakshmi also was, and the second is that she was born from Kali after a great battle (which I will go into more detail in Kali's section).
She is the unmarried incarnation of the Goddess Parvati, in the stage where she is seeking to prove herself worthy of Shiva. To do this, she undergoes a period of austerity and penance- depending on the origin story you follow, this is either a general ritual to prove her purity or as a way of atoning for the violence she committed as Kali. Many observing Hindu women undergo a similar period of fasting or limited diet in honour of Gauri, in hopes they will earn a good husband in their future (this is not something our family observed).
Gauri is also connected to the festival of Holi, a festival of youthful exuberance and of joy and unity between people of all status. Participants of the festival dress in white and throw powdered paint, for your monetary status cannot be told if you're all dressed similarly and covered in paint!
Parvati
Parvati is the flip side to her husband. Whilst Shiva is the destroyer, Parvati is the Bringer of Life. She was a mother from the start and wanted a child of her own. Not particularly tactful or fond of this idea, Shiva removed a strip of his clothing and gave it to his wife, stating that this will be their child. Furious and devastated, Parvati ran off into the forest and wept into the rag. The tears merged with Shiva's essence and this created a child: Ganesh. The two of them lived together in the forest until Ganesh was around 10 or 11, when Shiva came in search of Parvati. Ganesh was adamant that Shiva was not allowed to see her and, furious, Shiva cut off the boy's head for his insolence. When Parvati emerged and revealed the identity of the child, Shiva was desperate to make things right. He found an elephant and removed its head to bring life back to Ganesh. The boy became the protector of the home and remover of obstacles, and Shiva and Parvati were reunited.
Kali
She is also another aspect of Parvati. Shiva was tasked to defeat the demon Daruka and his army, however Daruka can only be defeated by a woman. He approaches Parvati to help him in this battle but, as the Bringer of Life, she is not willing to do this.
Going back to the Milk Ocean story from Lakshmi's section, Shiva saved everyone from being choked by a blue poison which also emerged from the ocean by inhaling it and trapping it in his throat. Parvati took the poison from him and absorbed into herself, turning herself into the fiersome Kali. Kali forges into battle and is triumphant, decaptitating the army and wearing their heads around her waist. Shiva, in awe, praising her and calls her by her name, which means "the Black One", however Parvati is offended by this title. She strips Kali away to remove herself from this new identity- Kali then becomes a Goddess in her own right and Parvati becomes Gauri once more, to undergo her penance from this battle.
Another version states that Kali emerged from Parvati/Durga's third eye. The legend says that Durga is under attack from several demons, one of whom creates a clone of himself whenever a drop of his blood touches the ground. Durga is enraged by their presence, which causes Kali to spring from Durga's Third Eye. Kali defeats them all by sucking the demon dry and swallowing all of his clones whole.
Kali is the Goddess of Death, although not always in the literal sense. Kali transcends the world and time itself, and sees beyond such concepts as good and evil. What she sees is the ego which binds us in our human form, and represents the need for one to transcend the ego and understand that material possessions are unimportant.
Sarasvati
Like Parvati, Sarasvati is a personification of a geographical location. Whilst Parvati is of the mountains, Sarasvati is of the river in North-West India of the same name. Her connection with water gives her representation over procreation, fertility and purification. Her consort is Brahma, although not prominently. Like Prithvi, she is generally an independent Goddess.
Vidhata
Sixth days after the birth, the Chhaithi ceremony takes place, in honour of Vidhata. A woman in the family, usually the child's paternal aunt, sits within a circle of candles and presents the parents with a pen and red paper. This is placed by the child's cot at night and a prayer is recited for Vidhata, who is believed to then visit that night to declare the destiny of the child.
Blessings,
Shanti
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