Women in the Atharva-veda Samhita

by Pranab Jyoti Kalita | 2017 | 62,142 words

This page relates ‘Goddess Aditi’ of the study on women in the Vedic society reflecting the Atharva-veda Samhita in English. These pages discusses the social aspects of women, education, customs of marriage, practices of polyandry and polygamy, descriptions of female deities and various rites and rituals. It is shown how women earned much praise in ancient Indian society. Included are Sanskrit text and references of the Atharvaveda and commentary by Sayana-Acharya.

1. Goddess Aditi

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Aditi, the most prominent among the female deities, belonging to atmospheric region, according to Yāska,^[1] has her origin in the Ṛgveda. Upto the time of the Atharvaveda, she has drawn much attention of the seers as she has been referred to by them for several times in the Vedic texts. To understand her importance, it is necessary to study the attributes assigned to her.

In the Vedic pantheon, Aditi enjoys an exalted position as the mother goddess. In the Atharvaveda,^[2] she is called janitra, i.e. cause of creation. Similarly, the Ṛgveda^[3] too regards her as viśvajani, i.e. the progenitrix of the whole creation. Being the great womb, she holds the entire universe into herself.^[4]

Sāyaṇācārya^[5] has frequently used the epithet devamātā in connection with Aditi for her being the mother of all gods. As she has all the gods as her sons, hence, she is called śūraputrā.^[6] Similarly, suputrā, i.e. having worthy sons, is her epithet in the Ṛgveda.^[7] Varuṇa owes his birth to Aditi.^[8] That Indra^[9] and the Ādityas^[10] are her sons is referred to in the Ṛgveda. Bhaga is spoken of as her son.^[11] Sūrya is also regarded as aditeḥ putro, i.e. son of Aditi, twice in the Atharvaveda.^[12] She is called aṣṭayoni,^[13] i.e. having eight wombs and also aṣṭaputrā,^[14] i.e. having eight sons. She is also called as the mother of worthy people.^[15]

The Atharvaveda depicts her as the goddess desiring offspring. For the preparation of brahmaudana by Aditi with the desire of a son, Agni is prayed to be kindled.^[16] That Aditi begot the four Ādityas by means of cooking and offering brahmaudana to the Sādhya gods is alluded to in the Taittirīya Saṃhitā also.^[17] Putrakāmā^[18] is her epithet for her desire of having sons. With this desire, she wore the parihasta, one kind of bracelet.^[19]

Not only as a mother, once, she is also called as the wife of Ṛta,^[20] i.e. Truth or sacrifice. Ṛta is often interpreted as the law or principle that guides the universe.^[21] That she upholds such law^[22] and strengthens^[23] the same, is referred to in the Ṛgveda also. She is portrayed as an ideal goddess as the path, called devayāna followed by her is also asked to be followed by Soma.^[24] By means of her sacred deeds, she is expected to be gracious.^[25]

By the wrath of Aditi, those who are of evil courses are destroyed.^[26] She is also implored along with the gods Dyau, Mitra, Agni, Savitṛ to approve one’s sinlessness to Varuṇa, whose abode can only be reached by the gods, but not by the invokers.^[27] In one place of the Atharvaveda,^[28] Agni is invoked to destroy the enemies of his invokers and proclaim their guiltlessness to Aditi. Thus, it is clear that there is no place for sin in the realm of Aditi.

In the Atharvaveda, Aditi is eulogised for all types of protection. She is prayed along with the gods Indra, Pūṣan, the Maruts, Apāṃ Napāt and the oceans for protection.^[29] Along with her sons and brothers, she is also asked to protect the strength of her invokers.^[30] Again, along with her sons, the Ādityas, she is beseeched to protect from the evil forces, dwelling in the western direction.^[31] For the protection from the enemies, she is conjured with the gods Aṃśa, Bhaga, Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman and Maruts.^[32]

As she can fulfil one’s desires, she is called kāmadughā.^[33] Sāyaṇācārya^[34] also interprets her as sarvānugrāhikā devī, i.e. the goddess, who fulfils all sorts of desires. Hence, she is implored to bestow food and shelter.^[35] Her shelter is regarded as an amiable one.^[36] Having her lap as the shelter, the seer wants himself to be a glorious one.^[37] She is also called tuvikṣatrā, i.e. having many riches or power.^[38]

Here, it is worthy of note that Aditi is, in the Atharvaveda, observed often as identical to Pṛthivī, the Mother goddess. Though in the Ṛgveda,^[39] in many hymns, both are mentioned together, showing each of them as separate entity, but, in later period, in certain references of the Atharvaveda and in some Brāhmaṇas,^[40] they are treated as identical to one another.

Sāyaṇācārya, for several times, interprets Aditi as adīnā,^[41] i.e. rich and akhaṇḍanīyā pṛthivī,^[42] i.e. unbreakable Earth. With the support of the Taittirīya Saṃhitā, he^[43] ^[44] attempts to interpret Aditi as the Earth, the shelter of all. Besides these, in the well-known Bhūmisūkta of the Atharvaveda, after having a long description on the different aspects of the Great Earth, toward the last of the hymn, the term Aditi is used instead of Bhūmi.^[45]

Though some aspects such as broadness, greatness, motherhood are common to both the deities and perhaps such similarities have led to their identification with each other, but, Aditi, in some other references is depicted as broader than the broad Earth.

For her greatness, she is called mahī,^[46] i.e. great. Urūcī,^[47] her another epithet also denotes her all-pervading nature. Again, she is called ajarantī,^[48] i.e. everlasting. Her vastness may well be assumed when the broad atmosphere is spoken of as having its shelter on the lap of Aditi.^[49] The well-preserving earth, the unenvious sky, the wellsheltering and well-conducting Aditi are entreated as separate entities.^[50] Disclosing the utmost vastness of Aditi, the seer of the Atharvaveda states thus,

Aditi [is] heaven, Aditi atmosphere, Aditi mother, she father, she son; all the gods [are] Aditi, the five races (jana); Aditi [is] what is born, Aditi what is to be born.^[51]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

athāto madhyasthānāḥ striyaḥ / tāsāmaditi prathamagāminī bhavati / Nirukta, 11.22

[2]:

bhūmirmātāditirno janitraṃ … / Atharvaveda, 6.120.2 aditiḥ akhaṇḍanīyā adīnā vā devamātā janitram jananakāraṇam / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[3]:

Ṛgveda, 7.10.4

[4]:

Taittirīya-saṃhitā, 1.7.7.1

[5]:

Sāyaṇa on Atharvaveda, 3.22.1; 6.3.1; 7.1; 68.1; 81.3; 120.2; 7.6.1; 8.1; 18.3

[6]:

huve devīmaditiṃ śūraputrāṃ … / Atharvaveda, 3.8.2 śūraputrān śūrā vikrāntāḥ śauryopetāḥ putrā mitrāvaruṇādayo yasyāḥ sā tathoktā tāṃ devīm dānādiguṇayuktām aditim / Sāyaṇa, Ibid. see also Atharvaveda, 11.1.11

[7]:

Ṛgveda, 3.4.11; 7.2.11

[8]:

… varuṇaṃ putramadityā … / Atharvaveda, 5.1.9

[9]:

Ṛgveda, 2.30.2; 4.18.4; 7.20.5

[10]:

Ibid., 2.28.3; 8.18.5; 10.72.8; 10.185.3

[11]:

prātarjitaṃ bhagamugraṃ havāmahe vayaṃ putramaditeryo vidhartā / Atharvaveda, 3.16.2

Ibid., 13.2.9, 37

Ibid., 8.9.21

Ibid.

… ṣu mātaraṃ… / Ibid., 7.6.2 śobhanakarmaṇāṃ puruṣāṇāṃ mātaram / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[16]:

agne jāyasvāditirnāthiteyaṃ brahmaudanaṃ pacati putrakāmā / Atharvaveda, 11.1.1

[17]:

aditiḥ putrakāmā sādhyebhyo devebhyo brahmaudanam apacat / tasyā uccheṣaṇam adaduḥ / tat prāśnāt / sā retodhatta / tasyai catvāra ādityā ajāyanta / Taittirīya-saṃhitā, 6.5.6.1

[18]:

Atharvaveda, 11.1.1

[19]:

yaṃ parihastamabibharaditiḥ putrakāmyā / Ibid., 6.81.3

[20]:

… ṛtasya patnīm … / Ibid., 7.6.2 ṛtasya satyasya yajñasya vā patnīm pālayitrīṃ / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[21]:

Ṛgveda, 1.12.7; 22.8; 24.10; Vājasaneyī-saṃhitā, 24.42; 26.1; Atharvaveda, 4.1.3

[22]:

ṛtāvarī / Ṛgveda, 8.25.3

[23]:

ṛtāvṛdhā / Ibid., 10.65.3