Talk:Bhudevi

By Swami Harshananda

Bhudevi literally means 'the Earth-goddess.'

This earth which supports and sustains all the living beings has often been deified as the mother, Bhṅmātā or Bhṅmi-devī or Bhudevī. According to legend, she is the daughter of Brahmā, the Creator, and the consort of Viṣṇu.

Specifically, Vaiṣṇava texts show her as the second consort of Viṣṇu, along with Sridevi or Lakṣmi.

Her other names are: Vasundharā, Dharaṇī, Medinī, Kṣoṇī and 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.

She is sometimes shown with four hands carrying a ratnapātra (jewel pot), a pot filled with plants, a pot filled with medicinal herbs and a lotus.

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore