Women in the Atharva-veda Samhita

by Pranab Jyoti Kalita | 2017 | 62,142 words

This page relates ‘Goddess Ida’ 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.

10. Goddess Iḍā

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The goddess Iḍā, in the Atharvaveda, has been presented as the personification of cow. The name Iḍā is read among the equivalent words of pṛthivī, i.e. cow in the Nighaṇṭu.^[1] Sāyaṇācārya^[2] has interpreted Iḍā as dhenurūpā or gaunāmā.^[3] He^[4] refers to certain Vedic texts where too Iḍā is used in the sense of cow. Noticeably, Iḍā, once^[5] in the Atharvaveda, has been interpreted optionally as the representative of earth.

In the Vedic texts, other than the Atharvaveda, the concept of Iḍā is not confined only within the cows. In the Taittirīya Saṃhitā,^[6] the cooked offering is called Iḍā. Elsewhere,^[7] she is regarded as the sacrificial food. In the Ṛgveda, Uṣas is implored to bestow Iḍā on people^[8] and the Aśvins too are expected for making people rich in Iḍā, i.e. food.^[9] Soma is also called as iḍānām ānetā, i.e. bestower of food.^[10]

Her connection with cattle is also observed in other Vedic texts. She is often depicted as being identical with cattle in general.^[11] In the Taittirīya Saṃhitā,^[12] her identification with a cow is noticed. In the Atharvaveda,^[13] Iḍā, i.e. a cow is prayed to pervade one’s sacrifice. There,^[14] she is expected to make the performance of the sacrifice fruitful. She is called śakvarī, i.e. able in bestowing fruit.^[15] She is also called as ghṛtapadī,^[16] i.e. one on whose feet ghee persists. Hence, the sacrificers purify themselves on the holy feet of Iḍā.^[17] It is stated in the Taittirīya Saṃhitā^[18] that whatever Iḍā has stepped, there exists ghee. Similarly, Agni is prayed to accept the oblations belonging to Iḍā’s feet, i.e. ghee for the well-being of cattle.^[19] In the Ṛgveda,^[20] she is called ghṛtahastā, i.e. having ghee in her hands. She is somapṛṣṭhā,^[21] i.e. having Soma on her back. As she belongs to all the gods, she is called vaiśvadevī.^[22]

For the satisfaction of Iḍā, parts of the remnants of a sacrifice are offered to her.^[23] Her status, being elevated, she along with some other divinities is spoken of as belonging to the almighty Ucchiṣṭa, the deified remnant of a sacrifice.^[24]

Iḍā is also connected with Bhāratī and Sarasvatī. These three deities form a triad, mostly mentioned in the Āprī hymns of the Ṛgveda,^[25] which occur in the Atharvaveda^[26] too. These three deities are together prayed to come to the sacrifice and to sit there on the pleasant barhis, certain sort of grass.^[27] They are called as mahī, i.e. great.^[28]

Contextually, it is worthy to be mentioned that Bhāratī, another female deity belonging to the triad, mentioned above is prayed in the Atharvaveda only for two times^[29] and in every occasion, jointly with Iḍā and Sarasvatī. She finds no individual importance in this Veda and thus, entreated as a very minor deity.