Nirṛti

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Nirṛti (

Hindu deity, personifying death, decay, and sorrow. In early Hindu scriptures, Nirṛti is a goddess who is lives in the kingdom of the dead. In later Hinduism, Nirṛti and Nirṛta is also a male god, who is regarded as a dikapala
("guardian of the directions") of the southwest.

Etymology

The Sanskrit word Nirṛti means 'decay' and is derived from nirṛ (lit. 'to separate'). It can be interpreted as meaning "devoid of ṛta/i", a state of disorder or chaos.[1][2]

The name nirṛti has the meaning of "absence of ṛta", meaning 'disorder', or 'lawlessness', specifically the guardian to the absence of divine or cosmic disorder.[2][3]

This term was used in Vedic texts to indicate a realm of non-existence and absolute darkness, which threatened to consume those who failed in their duties to sacrifice and procreate. In nirṛti, there was no light, no food, and no children: none of the necessary elements of Vedic life and ritual.[2]

Goddess

Nirṛti is mentioned in the hymns of the

Taittiriya Brahmana (I.6.1.4), Nirṛtī is described as dark, dressed in dark clothes and her sacrificial shares are dark husks. In the sacred Shatapatha Brahmana (X.1.2.9), she is associated with the southwest quarter as her region. But elsewhere in the same text (V.2.3.3.) she is mentioned as living in the kingdom of the dead.[4][5][6]

In later Hindu texts, Nirṛti was re-conceptualized as a deity. According to some texts, she is the wife of

Samudra Manthana (the churning of the ocean).[9][10]

Dikpala

A painting of Nirrti riding a man and accompanied by servants, c. 1820.

According to some scholars and authors, the goddess Nirṛti transformed into a male in later Hindu mythology and became a

dikpala. Nirṛti is regarded as the guardian of the southwest direction.[11]

Nirṛti is sometimes included as one of the

yojanas.[18]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-89254-616-9
    .
  2. ^ a b c d Witzel, Michael. “Macrocosm, Mesocosm, and Microcosm: The Persistent Nature of 'Hindu' Beliefs and Symbolic Forms.” International Journal of Hindu Studies, vol. 1, no. 3, 1997, pp. 501–539. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20106493. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
  3. ISBN 978-81-7625-039-9
    .
  4. ISBN 81-208-0394-9
    , p.13
  5. ISBN 0-14-029570-4
    , pp.80–1
  6. OL 35543927M
    .
  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. p. 540.
  8. ^ "Śrīmad-bhāgavatam 4.8.2". vedabase.io. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  9. ISBN 978-0-19-535294-8
    .
  10. ISBN 978-1-59477-733-2
    .
  11. ISBN 978-81-7625-039-9
    .
  12. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0-89281-354-4
    .
  14. ISBN 978-81-208-1273-4
    .
  15. ISBN 978-81-7030-763-1
    .
  16. ^ a b Gopinatha Rao, T. A. (1916). Elements Of Hindu Iconography, Vol. II Part II. pp. 527–529.
  17. ^ Rodrigues, E. A. (1842). The Complete Hindoo Pantheon, Comprising the Principal Deities Worshipped by the Natives of British India Throughout Hindoostan: Being a Collection of the Gods and Goddesses Accompanied by a Succinct History and Descriptive of the Idols. E.A. Rodrigues.
  18. ^ 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. 62, 540.

Sources

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