Talk:Bhudevī
By Swami Harshananda
Bhudevī literally means ‘the Earth-goddess’
This earth which supports and sustains all the living beings has often been deified as the mother, Bhumātā or Bhumi- devī or Bhudevī.
In the legends, she is described as a daughter of Brahmā, the Creator, and as a consort of Viṣṇu. The Vaiṣṇava texts show her as the second consort of Viṣṇu, along with Śridevi or Lakṣmi. Her other names are :
- Vasundharā
- Dharaṇī
- Medinī
- Kṣoṇī
- Pauṣṇī
In iconography she is shown as a goddess with two hands, holding a red or a blue lotus in her right hand, while the left arm is gracefully hanging. She is on the left side of Viṣṇu. Her complexion may be white or golden.
Sometimes she is shown with four hands carrying a ratnapātra (jewel pot) in one hand, a pot filled with plants in the second, another pot filled with medicinal herbs in the third and a lotus in the last.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore