Three Goddesses of India

     When I was given this assignment, I already had a pretty good idea of the Goddess that I wanted to focus on for this report, but I had no idea of whom the other two Goddesses I would choose were. Since I had already been researching Kali and had a good amount of information on her, I decided to try and find two other Hindu Goddesses with enough prospective information to write a few pages on. It took quite a while to choose my other two Goddesses because, as I discovered, while Hindu Goddesses are very powerful and very revered, they are both few and far between and, for the most part, just different aspects of the same "Mother Goddess". In the end though, I chose to use Devi and Sarasvati.

KALI

     When Raktabija, a demon who could multiply himself through drops of his own blood, threatened the three worlds the hero Skanda was left virtually powerless against him because of his ever-growing hordes. Parvati, his mother, knew against such odds her son could not win, and decided to take action. She gave prayer to the Goddess Kali, and was transformed into the Destroyer herself. With her dark skin, long tongue, naked body, and weapons in hand, Kali entered the fight. With every drop of blood that fell, the demon gained a thousand clones of himself to aid in his battle against Skanda. But, as Raktabija dripped blood unto the earth, Kali licked up the drops with her long tongue, preventing the demon from multiplying his numbers. This gave Skanda the chance to slay Raktabija, and he and Kali easily killed the rest of the demon's army.

     In the joy of her victory, Kali danced around the battlefield, donning a necklace and girdle of skulls, one of her most recognizable symbols today, drinking the blood of her slain enemies from their own skulls. Intoxicated from the blood of the fallen Raktabija, Kali was overcome and ran wild through the three worlds, leaving death and destruction in her wake everywhere she went, sparing nothing. Seeing this, the God Shiva knew something must be done to stop the Goddess' mindless, careless rampage. Shiva devised a plan to stop this fearsome Goddess. He took the form of a corpse, and laid himself in her path. Blinded by her lust for blood, Kali did not see Shiva's corpse, and tripped over it. Kali, unsure of whether she had killed her own husband without realizing it, was brutally jarred from her blood frenzy, the effect Shiva had hoped for.

     Kali put her foot upon Shiva's corpse, and brought her husband back to life. Shiva immediately took the form of a small child, and began to cry, causing maternal longing and instincts to well up in Kali, and she became transformed into the Goddess Gauri, the bestower of life and the radiant mother.

     This story is interesting for a number of reasons. To begin with, the story starts out with a demon and a hero battling, and the demon is able to clone himself by shedding his own blood. This is a bit odd, because this shedding of the blood to create others is a very menstrual thought, after all, a female becomes able to bear children when she begins to have her monthly courses, though those same monthly courses also mean that she is not bearing child. This is interesting because the demon is male, and through the shedding of blood he is creating life, the opposite of the female life giving. Next is the Goddess's use of her tongue to stop the demon from multiplying by catching the blood on her tongue. This is a put-offish thought, the drinking of blood, most especially a blood that is almost menstrual in nature. Also, the Goddess' tongue could, with a stretch of imagination, be considered almost phallic, to the degree that this could, possibly be considered a very carnal act. After the victory, when Kali becomes joyful, it almost seems as though she is reverting to a very selfish, unconcerned, macabre childish state. She dances around, and makes necklaces, almost the way a little girl makes garlands of flowers. Kali is overtaken by the blood that she drinks, and goes crazy. This is what sets her off, and she rampages the three worlds, and Shiva her husband must stop her. Another strange thought, that such a Goddess of Destruction could be married, and care for her husband. Shiva's method of stopping her rampage, turning himself into a corpse is also interesting. Kali has been indiscriminate and uncaring of the lives she takes, the destruction she causes, the toll of her frenzy, yet all it takes to snap her from her bloodlust is one corpse, the corpse of her husband. As uncaring and deadly as she was in her rampage, she is instantly transformed into a worried and doubting spouse. Her husband lies before her dead, and this Goddess of Destruction places her foot upon him, and gives back to him life. Not only does he come back, but he comes back as a child, a symbol of renewal, and stirs maternal emotions in Kali, something that seems so uncharacteristic to a Goddess of Death.

     This is a tale of the nature of personality. The Goddess Kali is not completely destructive, nor is she lofty and uncaring, reveling only in slaughter as Westerners imagine she does. Instead she goes from being (conceivably) very sexual in nature to very childlike and almost innocent in a very short period of time. Her actions also do a complete turn-about in the story, when she goes from ruthlessly destroying everything in her path to giving life in the next instant. This story perfectly demonstrates the dual nature of the Goddess. The point of it seems to be that nothing can exist if it's opposite does not also exist. Kali cannot exist without Shiva, death cannot exist without life; they are different sides of the same coin. The need to keep control of our emotions is also a powerful part of this tale, as is illustrated when Kali gives in to her "joy" after the victory and allows her more primal nature to take over. Kali herself represents duality. Her name means "Time" in Sanskrit, and she is representative of the "all-producing, all-annihilating principle." (Zimmer, 211) She has four arms, which also represent the four directions, with which she both gives and takes life, two of her black arms hold a golden ladle and a vessel of milk-rice, while her other two arms hold a noose, iron hook, rosary, or prayer book. The ladle represents life, light and immortality, and her vessel of milk-rice is always full of what is considered to be the sweetest food (possibly representing both nourishment without substance, akin to someone who is dying of scurvy eating only canned food, getting what you want but maybe not what you need). The noose Kali holds is used to catch and strangle her victims, and the iron hook is used to drag a victim to his doom. The rosary and prayer book symbolize the spiritual path of devotion and redemption. In some cases she is depicted as having a halo of flames, symbolizing the ideal that "life feeds on life"; in order to create new life, something must be sacrificed. This is the nature of Kali, fearsome and fierce yet generous and maternal at times.

     Kali is the Creator/Destroyer Archetype, as are Inanna, Dinah, Ingeri, and Morgain. First are Kali and Inanna. Both are Goddesses, though this is a superficial similarity at best. Inanna, just like Kali has another side, as both the queen of Heaven and the Queen of the Otherworld. In the case of Kali both sides are in one body, in Inanna's case it is one consciousness in two bodies. In the case of Inanna's other side, the Queen of the Underworld, she both kills Inanna and restores her life to her. Next is Dinah, who though through most of the story is very innocent and childlike, is at one point an embodiment of the Creator/Destroyer. After she and her prince are married, and he is slain by her brothers she curses the men of her family, while the seed of life even then takes root in her. From the death of her husband comes the life of her son. A second aspect of Dinah's role as a Creator/Destroyer is that she is a midwife. She assists women give life into the world, and also eases their deaths, and deals with the deaths of the babies, the stillborns, and also tells women how to keep themselves from conceiving. Third is Ingeri, the pregnant Norse girl who carries life inside of her, but wishes the death of her master's daughter. Ingeri watches as Karin is raped and murdered, but does nothing to stop it, whatever the reason why. It is something she had wished and prayed for, and she is also partially responsible for the death of the youngest Shepard, she tells Karin's father that the boy took part in the rape and murder of his daughter, though he did not. Last is Morgain, the sister of King Arthur, and the mother of Arthur's demise, Mordred. She is a Creator/Destroyer because by bearing her brother's child she creates a new life, but also by bearing that same child she inadvertently destroys her brother, Avalon and Camelot.

DEVI

     My second Goddess choice was Devi, the Great Mother of All. Devi not so much a single Goddess as she is a collection of Goddess that all form one singular, all-consuming Goddess. Devi has at least fourteen different, separate unique personalities, though they are all part of the same whole. In most stories she is equal or greater than her male counterparts, commonly being able to do things and vanquish foes that they cannot. The story I have chosen for Devi is that of Devi and Mahisha.

     Mahisha was a great and terrible demon, whose primary form was that of a water buffalo or bull. After the God Indra slew the limbless dragon Kritra to release the waters of the cosmos, a great sin, Mahisha began to chase him. This chase was so great that it threatened to unravel the fabric of the world. Vishnu and Shiva learned of this, and knew that they must do something, as all the other Gods were unable to do anything to stop Mahisha. The lesser Gods gave themselves over to Vishnu and Shiva, who went to confront Mahisha. When they found him, they realized that they themselves could not defeat Mahisha.

     The two Gods opened their mouths and two steams of fire poured forth to form a giant smoke cloud. As it condensed, the Goddess Devi took shape, beautiful and terrifying, with 18 arms. Upon seeing her, the Gods all rejoiced, and paid her worship, giving to her their weapons. Using her noose, she caught the buffalo demon but he turned into a lion. Devi beheaded this incarnation, and it then became a hero with a sword. In response, Devi showered it in arrows, forcing it to change form again. Mahisha became an elephant, and Devi severed its trunk, at which point it once again took the form of a bull. At this Devi was amused, and sat back to drink the "liquor of divine life-force." As she drank, her eyes turned red and she became very calm and serene. She dashed the bull to the ground and as it attempted to become a hero again she beheaded it, and Mahisha was slain.

     This story has many similarities to the story of Kali, though Devi is much more a total sum of many parts, while Kali is mainly the sum of two opposites. This story has a similarity to Celtic myths in it, being that the Hero has extraordinary circumstances of birth. In this case, Devi is borne from fire, the product of the powers of the Gods being combined. As with Kali, the fire is a symbol of Life feeding on life, Devi is brought into existence to rid the world of Mahisha. In the birth of this Hero there is one major difference from the expected. The hero is not man, but woman. She is the sum of their powers, but she is more as well. The Gods see her, and know that she is not only more powerful than they are as individuals, but also she is more powerful than they are combined. They pay her homage, and give to her gifts of their personal possessions. Another interesting part of this story is that while Mahisha changes forms many times, Devi does not do the expected and change into opposing forms, but stays herself. She does not change forms because she does not need to. She is more than powerful enough to defeat Mahisha without altering herself to another form. She is so confident that she takes a few minutes out from the battle to drink something. This is strange as well, because the beverage that she drinks turns her eyes red, which is usually associated with rage, passion and the idea of becoming primal and uncontrollable, but in this case it is associated with serenity and calm, a clarity of mind and body. This is virtually the end of the story, immediately after she drinks the liquor she slays Mahisha, almost as though she had merely been toying with him the entire time. It seems that Mahisha is humanity, faced with imminent extinction and trying every trick in its book to prevent that fate, while Devi represents the insurmountable, undefeatable fate, amused by our efforts, but eventually just ending it. This is a cosmic game of cat and mouse, and Devi is a very self-assured cat, who knows that in the end the mouse has no chance against her.

     Devi is the Mother Goddess, and the Mother of All. She is everything and comes from nothingness. She is a creator and a destroyer, and lover and a virgin. Devi has many husbands, but is considered a virgin. Depending on which of her forms is examined, she could be any one of the archetypes. In the instance of this story though there is little to suggest one archetype over another, She is not innocent, nor is she overly creative or destructive, nor does she seduce, or display any overt characteristics. Since she is not really just a single Goddess, but a collection of Goddesses, it is difficult to choose just one archetype to depict all of them. Each of her different forms represents a different archetype. Because Devi encompasses all aspects of everything, it is impossible to choose one representation for her, though each of her forms is a distinct archetype.

     If one archetype had to be chosen to be Devi though, the chosen archetype would probably have to be the Creator/Destroyer, because in the end Devi represents, in essence, everything and nothing, all the possibilities are available through her. This is the logical choice because in the end everything boils down to the two most basic categories possible for actions: Create or Destroy. The two possibilities create a kind of circle, to encompass everything, and this is what Devi is. Still, the only similar character to Devi could be Inanna, who is two separate Goddesses in one, two distinct personalities that encompass every possibility. They are both more powerful than their male counterparts, and are both independent and dependant on their partners.

SARASVATI

     The third and last Goddess I chose for this paper is the Goddess Sarasvati, also known as Saraswathi. She is the first Goddess mentioned in the Rig Veda, an ancient Hindu religious text. She is the consort for Lord Brahma, The Creator. She is the Goddess of Education, Learning and Music, and was worshipped as a Goddess of fertility and purity. It is believed that she originated as a river Goddess, but was eventually turned into a traditional Goddess when the river that bore her name dried up. The one of the myths of Sarasvati's early life is interesting, and depicts a few different, though intertwineable, archetypes for this Goddess. Sarasvati was the creation of Brahma, though accounts of how she was created differ. The first version says that Brahma split himself in two, and one side stayed Brahma while the other side became Sarasvati. The other version is that when Brahma was creating the rivers, she was the first to be created.

     In the beginning, when Sarasvati was young, she was shy around Brahma, her consort. Sarasvati was a very beautiful Goddess, and though she did not intend to do so, her beauty and innocence captured Brahma's attention. As she walked about him, shy and innocent, her allure to him brought the concept of lust into being. The lust of Braham for Sarasvati was so very great that he could not bear to look away from her for a second, and so grew four faces so that, though she walked circles around him, he could always see her. Even when she floated above him, he grew a face on the top of his head to see her. Still, she was not his yet, and because of her innocence he could not have her without first wooing her. All of his faces began to pour forth poetry and praises for her shy beauty, and he won her over with his eloquence and gentle wooing. Sarasvati, entranced by his words, created a system of writing so that Brahma's poems, the four Vedas, could be written down and preserved for all time. Wooed and won, Brahma and Sarasvati retired into isolated seclusion for 100 divine years, during which they created everything that exists.

     This story is very strait-forward, with little to analyze, it is a very basic romance, though it does in truth represent the dance of courtship that every couple must go through before they come together. It shows the give and take of a relationship at it's most basic; Brahma must give Sarasvati sweet words and praises before she will give herself to him. In a way, this story, in modern culture, could be interpreted in a more predatory manner. That Brahma grows four extra heads so that he will never loose sight of Sarasvati could be representative of an abusive relationship, that Brahma needs to be in control of Sarasvati, and the easiest way to do that is to always be watching her. This however, would not be a terribly accurate interpretation. There is no pair of Hindu Gods and Goddesses that are not each other's perfect matches. All in all, the story has not much for meaning other than to illustrate that life is a series of giving and taking.

     Using this story as a point on which to base an archetypal interpretation, it is possible to say that the Goddess Sarasvati makes a distinct transition in archetypes. In the beginning of the story Sarasvati is the Virgin, pure, shy, and innocent, but exuding a sexuality that is blatant though she seems to be unaware of her allure. Sarasvati is very shy around Brahma, and she does not so much dance around him as skitter around him with a nervous excitement. He entices her, but she does not know why, for she does not understand his lust for her. Brahma switches tactics, and woos her with poetry, to which she responds in a very innocent manner, she wants it all written down so that she can remember it later. Once she is wooed, she and Brahma seclude themselves for 100 divine years while they create everything that exists, at which point Sarasvati becomes thee Lover/Seductress archetype. The transition is also seen in The Red Tent's Dinah, who makes almost the exact same transition. Up until the point when Dinah visits the palace and meets the prince, she is an innocent; she is becoming a woman, but is not aware of her own sexual nature yet. When she meets the prince there is a period of shyness and wooing before they become man and wife, which Dinah seems to like very much. Both Dinah and Sarasvati seem to make this transition very easily, and seem to enjoy it. Eventually, both also become the Crone/Priestess/Wise Woman Archetype, Dinah as a midwife and a respected member of her community and Sarasvati as the Goddess of Wisdom and Learning.

     In the end, though both Sarasvati and Kali are believed to be avatars of Devi, they are both very different, with many different stories unique to each of them. Devi, on the other hand, while she has a collection of stories of her own, has little to no personality. Kali is the Terrible Mother, Sarasvati is the Innocent Seductress, and Devi is the Everything and the Nothing. They are unique, but in a sense, they are simply different variations on the same tune or theme. The most intriguing part of Hindu myths and Goddesses to me is that they are not simply symbols of one aspect of life. In many cultures the Gods and Goddesses tend to be somewhat one-sided. They represent beauty, or night, or intelligence. In Hindu mythology, Gods and Goddesses are both beautiful and ugly, day and night, intelligence and blind passion. They are double sided, and they are circular, rather than linear. They are not split into more deities that are countable, but they are plentiful in nature. This is interesting to me because nothing can exist without it's equal opposite, and eventually, opposites become the same thing, when examined closely enough.

Works Cited

McCombs, Terry "Sarasvati" November 2003
      http://community-2.webtv.net/@HH!AA!52!9A42B599BC2E/TerMcC/Sarasvati/
"Saraswathi" Hinduism/Mythology Wikipedia November 2005
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati
"Devi" Hinduism/Mythology Wikipedia November 2005
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devi
Virakanath, Nandi "The Emergence of Devi as an Aspect of the Supreme Deity"
      http://www.philhine.org.uk/writings/tt_emergdevi.html
"Hindu Goddess Kali the Malevolent Form of Devi" Lotus Sculpture
      http://www.lotussculpture.com/kali.htm
"Kali" Hinduism/Mythology Wikipedia December 2005
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali
Zimmer, Henrich Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization Princeton University Press Princeton, NJ 1974 "The Goddess" 190-213

Also Refrenced:

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, 2005,
The Virgin Spring by Ingmar Bergman, 1960.
and Arthurian legends.

 

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