Ratri
Personification of the night
TextsVedas
Personal information
SiblingsUshas (sister)[1]

Ratri is a Hindu goddess, who is the personification of the night. Not to be confused with Chandra, god of the moon. Above: Night sky at Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
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Ratri (Sanskrit: रात्रि, lit. 'night' IAST: Rātri) also referred to as Nisha, is a Vedic goddess in Hinduism.[2] She is the personification of the night.[3] The majority of references to Ratri are found in Rigveda and she is described as the sister of Ushas, the personification of dawn. Together with Ushas, she is referred to as a powerful mother and strengthener of vital power. She represents cyclic rhythmic patterns of the cosmos. Her physical appearance isn't explicitly mentioned, but she is described as a beautiful maiden.[4]

One hymn in the Rigveda and five hymns in the Atharvaveda are dedicated to her. In later Tantric texts she occupies an important position. She is associated with Ushas, Indra, Rta, Satya in Rigveda, whereas in Atharvaveda she is associated with Surya. The Brahmanas and the Sutra literature often mention Ratri.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses. Infobase. 14 May 2014. ISBN 9781438109855.
  2. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (12 April 2016). "Ratri, Rātrī, Rātri: 19 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  3. ^ Jordan, Michael (14 May 2014). Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses. Infobase Publishing. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-4381-0985-5.
  4. ^ Kinsley, David (2005). Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 14. ISBN 81-208-0394-9.
  5. ^ Mishra (1994). Pandit N.R. Bhatt, Felicitation Volume Iib: Philosophy Series. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. pp. 39–49. ISBN 9788120811836.
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