8. Goddess Ekāṣṭakā

Ekāṣṭakā is the female deity to whom the Atharvaveda has provided one entire hymn consisting of thirteen mantras.^[1] In this hymn, she is spoken of as being born at the very beginning of the creation of the universe.^[2] She divided time by day and night which was absent before creation.^[3] She is the first one out of the five Uṣases.^[4] She is spoken of as the remover of darkness.^[5] Ekāṣṭakā is lauded to fulfil the desires of the invokers.^[6]

Thus, she is identified with the goddess Uṣas. But, again, she is regarded as one tithi, i.e. a lunar day and it is stated that the rituals to the forefathers, performed on this tithi bring unending results.^[7] Sāyaṇācārya^[8] has understood her as the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Māgha. The seer, personifying this particular day as a goddess addressed her as the mother of Soma and Indra.^[9] She is spoken of as giving birth to Indra, who is non-different from Āditya.^[10] She is called the daughter of Prajāpati^[11] and the wife of Saṃvatsara, i.e. a year.^[12] She is also presented as inseparable with Rātri.^[13]

Ekāṣṭakā is entreated to be sumaṅgalī, i.e. a pleasant one^[14] and also to accept the oblations, and to bestow the desired cattle and progeny to the worshipper.^[15] She is also lauded for nourishment and long life.^[16] The major deities like Sūrya, Soma, Agni, etc., belong to her and they act according to her wish.^[17] She is called janitrī, i.e. the cause of all people.^[18] With the blessings of this Ekāṣṭakā, people want to be prosperous with offspring, servants and other riches.^[19]

In the above references, it is observed that Ekāṣṭakā is identified with different aspects in different mantras, once with Uṣas, once with a particular tithi and once with Rātrī and hence, her identity seems to be an obscure one. In one mantra,^[20] she is lauded for the well-being of the seasons, of the days and the nights, of the months, of the years, of Dhātṛ and of Vidhātṛ, the creator and lord of all beings. Thus, it appears that Ekāṣṭakā was, in the minds of the seers, a goddess of higher status and even higher than the creator god.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Atharvaveda, 3.10

[2]:

prathamā ha sṛṣṭyādau utpannā khalveṣā ekāṣṭakāsaṃbandhinī ādyā uṣāḥ vyuvāsa tamovyudasanaṃ kṛtavatī / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 3.10.1

[3]:

sṛṣṭeḥ prāk ahorātravibhāgaśūnyaṃ kālaṃ tadyuktam akarod / Ibid.

[4]:

… iti pañcasaṃkhyānirdiṣṭe nandāditithyapekṣayā vā pañcoṣasaḥ pratipāditāḥ … tāsāṃ madhye ekāṣṭakāsaṃbandhinyuṣāḥ prathamā sarvatrānugamāt pradhānabhūtā / Ibid.

[5]:

tamovyudasanaṃ kṛtavatī / Ibid.

[6]:

sā na payasvatī duhāmuttarāmuttarāṃ samām / Atharvaveda, 3.10.1

[7]:

atra ekāṣṭakatitheḥ pitryakarmaṇi akṣayaphalasādhanatvena dhenutvapadeśaḥ / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[8]:

ekāṣṭakā māghakṛṣṇāṣṭamītyuktam / sā devatātvena stūyate / Sāyaṇa on Atharvaveda, 3.10.12

[9]:

indraputre somaputre … / Atharvaveda, 3.10.13 he indraputre uktarītyā indraḥ putro yasyastādṛśi he somaputre somaḥ putro yasyāstathāvidhe / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[10]:

… jajāna garbhaṃ mahimānamindram / Atharvaveda, 3.10.12 indram īśitāram ādityaṃ jajāna janayāmāsa / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[11]:

… duhitāsi prajāpateḥ / Atharvaveda, 3.10.13

[12]:

saṃvatsarasya yā patnī … / Ibid., 3.10.2

[13]:

rātryekāṣṭakayorabhedavyavahārād / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 3.10.13

[14]:

… sā no astu sumaṅgalī / Atharvaveda, 3.10.2

[15]:

sā na āyuṣmatīṃ prajāṃ rāyaspoṣeṇa saṃ sṛja / Ibid., 3.10.3 kāmanāmasmākaṃ pūraya prati gṛhṇāhi no haviḥ / Ibid., 3.10.13

[16]:

… rāyaspoṣeṇa saṃ sṛja / Ibid., 3.10.3, 8

[17]:

mahāntaḥ mukhyāḥ sūryasomāgnayaḥ asyām antarvartante / sūryādaya etadadhīnāḥ prakāśanta ityarthaḥ / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 3.10.4

[18]:

… navagajjanitrī / Atharvaveda, 3.10.4 janitrī janānāṃ prakāśapradānena sādhu janayitrī / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[19]:

ekāṣṭake suprajasaḥ suvīrā vayaṃ syāma patayo rayīṇām / Atharvaveda, 3.10.5

[20]:

ṛtubhyaṣṭvārtavebhyo mādbhyaḥ saṃvatsarebhyaḥ / dhātre vidhātre samṛdhe bhūtasya pataye yaje // Ibid., 3.10.10