Prithvi

Prithvi
Prithu chasing Prithvi, who is in the form of a cow.

Prithvi (Sanskrit: पृथ्वी pṛthvī, also पृथिवी pṛthivī) is the sanskrit name for earth and its essence Prithivi Tattwa, in the form of a mother goddess or godmother. Prithvi is also called Dhra, Dharti, Dhrithri, meaning that which holds everything. As Prithvi Devi, she is one of two wives of Lord Vishnu. His other wife is Lakshmi. Prithvi is another form of Laxmi. Another name for Her is Bhumi or Bhudevi or Bhuma Devi.

As Prithvi Mata "Mother Earth" she contrasts with Dyaus Pita "father sky". In the Rigveda, Earth and Sky are frequently addressed in the dual, probably indicating the idea of two complementary half-shells. She is the wife of Dyaus Pita ('father Dyaus'). (The widespread belief that these two were originally a single deity appears to be mistaken. See Dyavaprthivi). She is the mother of Indra and Agni. According to a tradition, when Indra killed Dyaus Pita, she applauded and married him. She is associated with the cow. Prithu, an incarnation of Vishnu, milked her in the cow's form to get food from her. She is a national personification in Indonesia, where she is known as Ibu Pertiwi ('Mother Earth').

Contents

Ephitets

Indonesian depiction of Prithvi in ancient regal attire as Mother Earth at Indonesian National Monument

As Provider

  • Bhumi ("Soil")
  • Dhatri ("Nursing Mother")
  • Dharitri ("Nurturer")
  • Janitra ("Birthplace")
  • Medini ("Nurturer")
  • Prshni ("Mother of Plants")
  • Vanaspatinam Grbhir Osadhinam ("Womb of Forest Trees and Herbs")
  • Vishvadhaya ("All-Nourishing")
  • Vishvagabha ("World's Womb")
  • Vishvamshu ("Producer of Everything")
  • Vishvasvam ("Source of Everything")

As Sustainer

  • Dhara ("Upholder")
  • Drdha ("Steady One")
  • Ksama ("Patient One")
  • Sthavara ("Stable One")
  • Vishdava ("All-Preserving")
  • Vishvadharini ("All-Supporting")
  • Vishvamhara ("All-Bearing")

As Enricher

  • Ratnagarbha ("Repository of Gems"")
  • Ratnavati ("Abounding in Jewels")
  • Vasundhara ("Bearer of Treasure")

Buddhism

Prithvi also appears in Early Buddhism where she appears in the Pali Canon, dispelling the temptation figure Mara by attesting to Gautama Buddha's worthiness to attain enlightenment.[1]

In the Arts

Pṛithvī Sūkta (also Bhūmī Sūkta) is a celebrated hymn of the Atharvaveda (AVŚ 12.1), dedicated to Prthivi (the Earth). It consists of 63 verses.

In art she is represented as a woman with four arms and a green skin.

References

  1. ^ Shaw, Miranda Eberle (2006). Buddhist Goddesses of India. Princeton University Press. pp. 237. ISBN 9780691127583. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MvDKOK1h3zMC&. 

Further reading

  • Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola
  • Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by David Kinsley

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Prithvi — Bir Bikram Shah Dev (* 18. August 1875; † 11. Dezember 1911) war von 1881 bis zu seinem Tod König von Nepal. Er war der Enkel seines Vorgängers Surendra und ebenfalls Enkel des Regierungschefs Jang Bahadur (1816 1877). Zu den größten Ereignissen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Prithvi — Pour le missile nucléaire indien, voir Missile Prithvi. Prithu chassant Prithvi sous la forme d une vache (illustration d un manuscrit indien du Bhagavata Purana, vers 1740). Prithvi …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Prithvi Theatre — is one of Mumbai s best known theatres, it belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood [http://www.mumbainet.com/travel/prithvi.htm Prithvi] www.mumbainet.com.] , and since 1993, its being run by …   Wikipedia

  • Prithvi Narayan de Nepal — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Prithvi Narayan de Nepal Prithvi Narayan Shah (en nepalí: पृथ्वी नारायण शाह, * Gorkha, 1723 † Nuvakot, 11 de enero de 1775) fue el primer rey de Nepal y es considerado como el fundador histórico del …   Wikipedia Español

  • Prithvi (disambiguation) — Prithvi may mean: * Prithvi, a Hindu earth goddess * Prithvi missile for the ballistic missile named after the goddess. * Prithvi Raj for searching people having the name Prithviraj. * Prithvi Rock Band for the Noida based, Indian Rock Band …   Wikipedia

  • Prithvi (misil) — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Prithvi es un misil balístico indio de una sola etapa y corto alcance, propulsado por combustible sólido, desarrollado a finales de los años 1980. Entró en servicio en 1995. El primer vuelo de un Prithvi tuvo lugar… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah — Dev (* 18. August 1875; † 11. Dezember 1911) war von 1881 bis zu seinem Tod König von Nepal. Er war der Enkel seines Vorgängers Surendra und ebenfalls Enkel des Regierungschefs Jang Bahadur (1816 1877). Zu den größten Ereignissen während seiner… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah Dev — (* 18. August 1875; † 11. Dezember 1911) war von 1881 bis zu seinem Tod König von Nepal. Er war der Enkel seines Vorgängers Surendra und ebenfalls Enkel des Regierungschefs Jang Bahadur (1816 1877). Zu den größten Ereignissen während seiner… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Prithvi Narayan Shah — Prithvi Narayan Prithivî Nârâyan Shâh (1723 1775 ; népalais : पृथ्वी नारायण शाह) est le chef de la petite principauté de Gorkha à partir de 1743. Unifiant un certain nombre d États indépendants des contreforts de l Himalaya en 1768, il… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Prithvi de Nepal — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah (* 18 de agosto de 1875 † 11 de diciembre de 1911), fue Rey de Nepal desde 1881 hasta su muerte. Entre los hechos más destacados de su reinado, se cuenta la introducción de vehículos al Reino …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”