Bhudevi
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Bhudevi , Bhūmi ( Sanskrit : भूमि) or Bhūmī-Devī (Sanskrit: भूमी देवी) is the divine personification of Mother Earth in the world of Hinduism . She is considered the daughter of Prajapati as well as the wife ( shakti ) of Vishnu and would therefore be an aspect or an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi . She is the mother of Sita (Sanskrit: सीता Sītā = "furrow") and of the demon Naraka .
history
The Vedic scriptures only know Prithivi as the earth goddess. Only in the Puranas and in the Ramayana does Bhudevi (or Bhūmi) appear under its new name.
myth
According to Varaha- Purana, the earth ( bhu ) once sank in the waters of prehistoric times. Vishnu thereupon assumed the form of the boar, the most powerful swamp animal; as a good swimmer, he dived into the primordial ocean. There he kills the dangerous demon ( asura ) Hiranyaksha , lifted the earth on his colossal tusks in the form of the goddess Bhudevi ( Bhūmi ) and thus saved her from sinking into primeval chaos.
In another version, the demon Hiranyaksha, who had achieved immortality from Brahma, abducted the earth into the depths of the primordial sea.
Another version of the legend reports that during the act of creation the earth accidentally fell into the primordial ocean, whereupon Brahma asked the help of Vishnu, who took the form of a boar and saved Bhudevi or the world.
presentation
Bhudevi is rarely shown alone. Much more common and common all over India are their depictions on the bent forearm or the shoulder of Varahas; sometimes it also clings to its tusks.
literature
- David R. Kinsley: Indian Goddesses - Female deities in Hinduism. Insel, Frankfurt / M. 1990, ISBN 3-458-16118-X : Prthivi , pp. 18ff
- Anneliese and Peter Keilhauer: The Imagery of Hinduism. The Indian world of gods and their symbolism. DuMont, Cologne 1986, ISBN 3-7701-1347-0 .
