Indrani
Indrani | |
---|---|
Queen of the Matrika, Shakti | |
Abode | Amaravati, Indraloka, Svarga |
Mantra | ॐ ऐन्द्री नम: |
Weapon | Vajra, Astras, Trishula |
Day | Sunday |
Mount | Airavata |
Gender | Female |
Festivals | Navaratri |
Personal information | |
Parents | Puloman (father) |
Consort | Indra |
Children | Jayanta, Rishabha, Midhusha, Jayanti, Devasena (Shashthi) |
Indrani (
According to legend, due to her heavenly beauty and sensuality, Indrani was desired by many men, many of whom tried to marry her. When Indra was away performing his penance for the slaying of Vritasura, Nahusha, a mortal king of the Lunar dynasty, was chosen as the ruler of heaven. The latter tried to seduce Shachi and make her his queen, though she cleverly executed a scheme to dethrone him and later reunite with her husband.
Indrani (or Aindri) is also one of the Sapta
Etymology and epithets
Like many Vedic goddess-consorts whose names are derived from their husband's name by adding a feminine termination, the word Indrani (Indrāṇī) is derived from Indra and means 'wife of Indra'.[2][3] Importantly, however, Indra is known by his wife's name as well; he is often referred to as Shachipati (husband of Shachi), Shachindra (Shachi's Indra), or Shachivat (possessor of Shachi).[4][5]
Shachi (Śacī) is a prominent other name of Indrani. The term finds usage in the Vedas with dual significance: firstly, as the proper name for Indrani and secondly, as a generic expression denoting the strength inherent in the divine entities, particularly associated with Indra.
- Aindri (Aindrī) – 'wife of Indra'[8]
- Poulomi (Poulomī) – 'daughter of Puloman'[9]
- Poulomuja (Poulomujā) – 'daughter of Puloman'[9]
- Devarani (Devarāṇī) – 'queen of devas'
- Charudhara (Cārudhārā) – 'beautiful'[10]
- Shakrani (Śakrāṇī) – 'wife of Shakra (Indra)'[11]
- Mahendrani (Mahendrāṇī) – 'wife of Mahendra (Indra)'[11]
In Hindu literature
Vedic
Indrani first appears in the Rigveda, which was composed in the early second millennium BCE. According to Subodh Kapoor, unlike many Vedic deities who personify natural phenomena, Indrani does not have a myth of nature that explains her existence and may have originated as Indra's wife.[12] Indologist John Muir states that in the Rigveda, she is invoked multiple times and is mentioned with other goddesses in the first three of these passages. Another hymn considers her to be the most fortunate female, as her husband Indra cannot die from old age.[13] David Kinsley states that many of the goddesses in the early texts are named after their husbands and have no independent character of their own. While Indrani is mentioned more often than any other Vedic goddess-consorts, she remains overshadowed by her husband.[2]
Hymn 10.68 of the Rigveda praises her as being very beautiful and mentions her jealousy of rivals. Another hymn (10.159) describes Indrani as being boastful and claiming that she has conquered her husband; he is submissive to her will. Despite this, in the same hymn, Indrani asks the gods to rid her of rivals in Indra's favour.[2] A hymn in Rigveda is dedicated to a quarrel between Indrani and Indra, where she becomes annoyed with the pranks of Vrishakapi—Indra's pet ape—and complains about it.[12]
The
Epic and Puranic
In the later Hindu texts, including the epics
Author James G. Lochtefeld comments that Shachi is not a major figure, and this may reflect Indra's diminished status in later Hindu mythology. He claims that Shachi's only important role is in the story of
According to another story in the Ramayana, Anuhlada, the son of the
The Puranas attest that Shachi owned the
Association with the Matrikas
In
The legends of the Matrikas are narrated in various texts. In the
The Varaha Purana associates each of the Matrikas with an emotion; Indrani is associated with jealousy.[33][34]
Iconography and worship
Sculptures of Indrani and Indra are common in Hindu temples. They are typically depicted sitting on the white elephant
Roa describes the Matrika Indrani as being red, with three eyes and four hands. Two of her hands should be in Varada and Abhaya
Indrani is usually venerated with Indra and is rarely worshipped as an independent deity. Author
In other religions
Indrani exists in other religions, though she plays a minor role. In
In the Buddhist
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ a b Chandra 1998.
- ^ a b c d Kinsley 1988, p. 17.
- ^ Monier-Williams 1872, p. 141.
- ^ a b Monier-Williams 1872, p. 989.
- ^ a b Dalal 2014, p. 164.
- ISBN 978-1-4384-1618-2.
- ^ a b c d Daniélou 1991, p. 109.
- ^ Gandhi 1993, p. 158.
- ^ a b Dalal 2014, p. 165–166.
- ^ Gandhi 1993, p. 89.
- ^ a b c d Dalal 2014.
- ^ a b Kapoor 2002, p. 969.
- ^ Muir 1870.
- ^ a b Dalal 2014, p. 166.
- ^ Jordan 2014.
- ^ a b Lochtefeld 2001, p. 297.
- ^ Mani 1975, p. 516.
- ^ Mani 1975, p. 660.
- ^ Sarkar 1989, p. 126.
- ^ Debroy 2015.
- ^ Mani 1975, p. 6.
- ^ Sinha 2020.
- ^ Debroy 2017a.
- ^ a b Mani 1975, p. 330.
- ^ Dalal 2014, p. 399.
- ^ Mukherjee 1999, p. 29, 39.
- ^ Debroy 2017b.
- ^ Brodbeck & Black 2007, p. 136.
- ^ Bhattacharya 1996.
- ^ Cush, Robinson & York 2012, p. 775.
- ^ Kinsley 1988, p. 156.
- ^ Cush, Robinson & York 2012, p. 739.
- ^ a b Kinsley 1988, p. 159.
- ^ a b Leeming & Fee 2016.
- ^ Gopinatha Rao 1916, p. 520.
- ^ a b Rao 1997, p. 385.
- ^ Stutley 2019.
- ^ Dalal 2014, p. 165.
- ^ Kalomiris 2019.
- ISBN 978-81-260-1194-0.
In his Harshacharita Bana informs that Charanas of various branches had come from far off places and assembled in a small room where the goddess Indrani was worshipped.
- ^ Banerjee, Nikita (8 April 2019). "Ashtami – Why is Ashtami the most important day during Navratri?". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ a b Appleton 2016.
- ^ Goswamy 2014, p. 245.
- ^ Daniélou 1991, p. 487.
- ^ "Suja, Sujā: 6 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. 12 April 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
Sources
- Kinsley, David (1988). Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. University of California Press. pp. 17–18, 156–158. ISBN 978-0-520-90883-3.
- Monier-Williams, Monier (1872). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Clarendon.
- Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- Leeming, David; Fee, Christopher (15 March 2016). The Goddess: Myths of the Great Mother. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78023-538-7.
- Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Robarts – University of Toronto. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 330, 660.
- Sinha, Purnendu Narayana (28 September 2020). A Study of the Bhagavata Purana: Or, Esoteric Hinduism. Library of Alexandria. ISBN 978-1-4655-2506-2.
- Daniélou, Alain (December 1991). The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. ISBN 978-0-89281-354-4.
- Bhattacharya, Sunil Kumar (1996). Krishna-cult in Indian Art. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-7533-001-6.
- Mukherjee, Prabhati (1999). Hindu Women: Normative Models. Calcutta: Orient Blackswan. ISBN 81-250-1699-6.
- Gandhi, Maneka (1993). The Penguin Book of Hindu Names. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-012841-3.
- Lochtefeld, James G. (15 December 2001). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 1. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
- Brodbeck, Simon; Black, Brian (9 August 2007). Gender and Narrative in the Mahabharata. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-11995-0.
- Debroy, Bibek (2017a). The Valmiki Ramayana: Vol. 2. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-87326-27-9.
- Debroy, Bibek (2017b). The Valmiki Ramayana: Vol. 3. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-87326-28-6.
- Jordan, Michael (14 May 2014). Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-0985-5.
- Stutley, Margaret (9 April 2019). The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-62425-4.
- Muir, John (1870). Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India, Their Religion and Institutions: Contributions to a knowledge of the cosmogony, mythology, religious ideas, life and manners, of the Indians in the Vedic age. Volume fifth. Trübner & Company.
- Rao, T. A. Gopinatha (1997). Elements of Hindu Iconography. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 978-81-208-0876-8.
- Gopinatha Rao, T. A. (1916). Elements Of Hindu Iconography, Vol. II Part II.
- Kapoor, Subodh (2002). Encyclopaedia of Vedic Philosophy: The Age, Religion, Literature, Pantheon, Philosophy, Traditions, and Teachers of the Vedas. Cosmo. ISBN 978-81-7755-357-4.
- Cush, Denise; Robinson, Catherine; York, Michael (21 August 2012). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-18978-5.
- Chandra, Suresh (1998). Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 978-81-7625-039-9.
- Kalomiris, James (4 September 2019). The Vedic Astrologer: The Spiritual Legacy of the Nakshatras. Balboa Press. ISBN 978-1-9822-2638-1.
- Debroy, Bibek (1 June 2015). The Mahabharata: Volume 4. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-534-3.
- Sarkar, Rabindra Nath (1989). An Episodic Interpretation of the Mahabharata. Atlantic Publishers & Distri.
- ISBN 978-0-670-08657-3.
- Appleton, Naomi (25 November 2016). Shared Characters in Jain, Buddhist and Hindu Narrative: Gods, Kings and Other Heroes. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-05574-7.
External links
- Media related to Indrani at Wikimedia Commons