Ushas
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Ushas (उषः; uṣás-), Sanskrit for "dawn", is a Vedic deity. She is the chief goddess (sometimes imagined as several goddesses, Dawns) exalted in the Rig Veda. She is portrayed as a beautifully adorned, sexually attractive young woman riding in a chariot. She is the daughter of Dyaus "Heaven", divó duhitâ (e.g. RV 6.64.5).
Twenty out of 1028 hymns in the Rig Veda are dedicated to Dawn: Book 7 has seven hymns, books 4–6 have two hymns each, and the younger books 1 and 10 have six and one respectively.
E. g. RV 6.64.1-2 (trans. Griffith):
- 1. The radiant Dawns have risen up for glory, in their white splendour like the waves of waters.
- She maketh paths all easy, fair to travel, and, rich, hath shown herself benign and friendly.
- 2. We see that thou art good: far shines thy lustre; thy beams, thy splendours have flown up to heaven.
- Decking thyself, thou makest bare thy bosom, shining in majesty, thou Goddess Morning.
The name is an s-stem, i.e. the genitive case is uṣásas. It is from PIE *h₂ausos-, cognate to Greek *Ηως and Latin Aurora.
[edit] See also
- Hindu mythology
- Hindu deities
- List of Hindu deities
- List of Hinduism-related articles
- History of India
- Hindu scriptures
[edit] References
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola
[edit] Further reading
- Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by David Kinsley
| Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Indian epic poetry |  |
|---|---|
| Female Deities: Saraswati | Lakshmi | Dakshayani | Gayatri | Parvati | Durga | Shakti | Kali | Sita | Devi | Radha | Mahavidya | more... | |
| Male Deities: Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Murugan | Hanuman | Indra | Surya | more... | |
| Texts: Vedas | Upanishads | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata | Rigveda | |
| The Rigveda (Mandalas: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10) |
| Deities: (Devas) Agni, Indra, Soma, Ushas | (Asuras) Mitra, Varuna, Vrtra | Visvedevas, Maruts, Ashvins |
| Rivers: Sapta Sindhu; Nadistuti; Sarasvati, Sindhu, Sarayu, Rasā |
| Rishis: Saptarishi; Gritsamada, Vishvamitra, Vamadeva, Atri, Angiras, Bharadvaja, Vasishta |
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