Sakti in the Veda

The word Sakti means ‘energy’. Power or Force is conceived as the active principle in the universe, and is personified as a goddess. From the primordial Sakti every other form of activity proceeds. Under many different names it is worshipped as Devi or the ‘Mother’. As Woodroffe says:

"God is worshipped as the Great Mother, because in this aspect God is active and produces, nourishes and maintains. But this is for worship. God is no more female than male or neuter. God is beyond sex……the Power or active aspect of God the immanent is called Sakti. In her static transcendent aspect the Mother, or Sakti, is Siva or the Good. That is, philosophically speaking, Siva is the unchanging Consciousness and Sakti is its unchanging Power appearing as mind and matter."

The concept of the Great Mother as such does not appear in the Rigveda. It is, however, ever present as an underlying motif or base. The great active power, as it were, chooses to remain in the ground and is diffused among the attributes of the gods, among which, as, Macdonell says, ‘the most prominent is power’. The gods "regulate the order of nature and vanquish the potent powers of evil. They hold sway over all creatures; no one can thwart their ordinances or live beyond the time they appoint; and the fulfillment of desires is dependent on them. They are benevolent beings who bestow prosperity on mankind the only one in whom injurious traits appear being Rudra, They are described as ‘true’ and ‘not deceitful’, being friends and protectors of the honest and righteous, but punishing sin and guilt." It is interesting to note that all these characteristics have been described together in a sukta of the Rigveda addressed to Vak, which later tradition has designated the Devi Sukta, which is used in connection with the parayana of Saptasati.

In a few hymns of the Rigveda which Western scholars classify among the later hymns, the deities Aditi and Prajapati are identified not only with all the gods but with nature as well. They partake of all the attributes characteristic of Devi. Aditi is an abstract deity whose shadow is over the whole Veda. With her rests the power of delivering from the bonds of physical suffering and moral guilt. She literally signifies ‘Liberation’ and ‘Freedom’. Her antithesis, Diti, meaning ‘bondage’, is mentioned as a goddess three times in the Rigveda. Even in the Rigveda, Aditi is spoken of as the mother of the group of deities called the Adityas. It is entirely in keeping with the spirit of the Veda that the Puranas speak of Aditi and Diti as the wives of Kasyapa, from whom respectively were born the devas and asuras. Aditi and Diti would thus seem to stand for those groups of qualities which have been described in the Bhagavadgita (Ch. XVI) as Daivi and Asuri Sampat and summed up finely as follows:

"Daivi sampad vimokshaya, nibandhayasuri mata:" "the daivi qualities lead to liberation while the asuri qualities make for bondage."

Going to the Rigveda, one of the very first references to Aditi runs as follows:

Aditir dyauraditir antariksham aditir mata sa pita sa putrah

Visvedeva aditih panca jana aditir jatam aditir janitvam.

"Aditi is heaven; Aditi is the firmament; Aditi is mother,father and son; Aditi is all the gods; Aditi is the five classes of men; Aditi is generation and birth."

Mystic and profound reference is made to Aditi in a well-known hymn of the Rigveda (X. 6. 4). The following is a sample:

"Daksha was born from Aditi, and after wards Aditi (again) from Daksha. Aditi, who was thy daughter, ODaksha, was born; after her the gods were born adorable, freed from the bonds of death."

Commenting on the verse, Roth says: "Daksha, spiritual force, is the male power which generates the gods in eternity." The mutual derivation of the gods from each other is frequently described in the Vedas and in later mythology. For a proper appreciation of this it is essential to bear in mind the explanation given in the Nirukta that all the gods have the same origin and derive their substance from one another (XI. 23). The scanty notices of Daksha, which appear in the Rigveda, have been greatly developed in the Puranas.

The other deity endowed with cosmic energy and qualities is Prajapati. He is often identified with Daksha. Thus it is stated in Satapatha Brahmana: "Prajapati alone was all this universe in the beginning. He performed sacrifice..….He himself is named Daksha." He has also been identified with Visvakarman Hiranyagarbha, Brahmanaspati, etc. The celebrated Sukta (Rigveda, X. 10. 9) containing the refrain "Kasmai devaya havisha Vidhema is a fine example of a hymn addressed to Prajapati. The, refrain has been translated by Wilson as: "Let us offer worship with an oblation to the divine Ka." A better alternative is: "To what god shall we offer oblation?"

Incidentally, reference may be made to some of the well-known cosmic hymns in the Rigveda. There is the famous Nasadiya sukta. Among others, of great interest are: the one addressed to Brahma-Jnana (Rigveda, X. 6. 3) and the sukta beginning asya vamasya (Wilson, Vol. II, page 71). This last is a very remarkable hymn containing 52 verses and is the longest in the whole of the Rigveda. It is full of cryptic utterances which, if comprehended, would supply the key to much that is puzzling and obscure in the Vedas and Puranas. Thus verse 16 has it: "What is in reality female has been called male: he who has eyes beholds; the blind seeth not……"

The case of the Gayatri is an illustration in point. Gayatri is really the name of a vedic metre of 24 syllables. But it is specially applied in ritual usage to a verse in that metre addressed to the male vedic deity: Savitri (Rigveda, III. 62. 10). The verse itself (Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat) preceded by OM and the Three sacred syllables or vyahritis (Bhuh, Bhuvah and Suvah) is considered the most sacred in the whole Veda and is often referred to as the mother of the Vedas. Yet tradition deems it as addressed to the goddess Gayatri who is described as having five faces and ten hands. She is considered to be the embodiment of the five-fold worship, or panchayatana puja, the weapons she carries in her hands being symbolic of Ganapati, Vishnu, Siva, Sakti and Surya, the five great deities of puranic worship. No foreigner, nor even a Hindu without the proper traditional ground, would ever dream of singling out this casual verse addressed to a minor deity in the Rigveda as the most sacred in all religious literature. Yet such is its importance when judged by criteria which are not visible to the eye that the Devi Bhagavata Purana makes the worship of the Gayatri the most fundamental form of Devi worship and describes its Sahasranama, Stotras, etc., at great length. The Purana itself begins with a verse which is only a classic paraphrase of the Vedic Gayatri: "Sarva caitanya rupam tam adyam vidyam ca dhimahi, budhim yo nah pracodayat."

Another case in point is that of the sukta commencing: Jatavedase (Rigveda, I. 15. 6). This happens to be the shortest hymn in the whole of the Rigveda, consisting as it does have only a single verse. It is addressed to Agni Jatavedas and may be translated as follows:

"We offer oblations of Soma to Jatavedas may he consume the wealth of those who feel enmity against us; may he transport us over all difficulties: may Agni convey us as in a boat over a river, across all wickedness."

 Puranic tradition, however, considers this as the Vedic mantra of Durga.

On the whole, goddesses do not playa very important part in the Rigveda. The most noteworthy is Ushas, goddess of the dawn, the most poetically beautiful creation of the Rigvedic hymns:

In the sky’s framework she has shone with splendor;

The goddess has cast off the robe of darkness.

Wakening up the world with ruddy horses,

Upon her well-yoked chariot Dawn is coming. (Rv. I. 113)

Macdonell is of opinion that her charm is ‘unsurpassed in the descriptive lyrics of any other literature.’ Then come the waters which are praised as goddesses in four hymns. Next comes Sarasvati who is celebrated in two whole hymns and in parts of others. As a specimen may be given the three verses which have been translated as follows: -

"May Sarasvati the purifier, the bestower of food, the re-compenser of worship with wealth, be attracted by our offered viands to our rite.

Sarasvati the inspirer of those who delight in truth, the instructress of the right-minded, has accepted our sacrifice.

Sarasvati makes manifest by her acts a mighty river, and (in her own form) enlightens all understandings."

Among other goddesses Vak has already been referred to. Then come Ratri, Prithvi and a host of minor ones including the rather vague and shadowy wives of the gods. The hymn to Ratri needs special mention, as it is used as an anga or subsidiary to the parayana of Saptasati. In this connection, the following extract from a paper by Braja Lal Mukherji on the Vedas and the Tantras will be of interest: -

"For purposes of attaining eternal bliss they worshipped Ratridevi (S. V. B., III. 8) and this Ratridevi is described as a girl growing into womanhood who bestows happiness. She has long and flowing hair, has in her hand a noose. If she is pleased, then all other Devas are pleased. She being pleased offers boons, but the worshipper must reject the same and then he will gain freedom from re-birth. This is the worship of Ratri; it requires no fasting and must be performed at night. The Mantras to be recited, is the Ratri Sukta which commences with ratri bakhyad (Rigveda, X. 127. 1) to be followed by Aratri parthivam rajas.

"The Rig-Vidhana-Brahmana (IV. 19) which follows the Sama-Vidhana-Brahmana declares that the Ratri Sukta must be recited; the worship must be performed as a Sthalipaka Yajna. Ratri is substantially the same with, but in form different from, Vagdevi; and they are sometimes worshipped as one and the same (Tait. Br., II. 4. 6. 10 et seq.). The Ratri Sukta describes her as black (Rigveda, X. 127. 2. 3). The portion of the Ratri Sukta which is included in the Khila portion of the Rigveda. (Rigveda Kh. 25) calls Ratri Devi by the name of Durga and this Mantra appears in Taittiriya Aranyaka (X. 1). The Brihaddevata also mentions that Aditi, Vak, Sarasvati and Durga are the same (II. 79)."

By combining various references like this, the author concludes: "We have the almost complete form of a Devi who is called at the present day by the name of Kali." Such a conclusion is, however, open to the criticism that the various strata of the Veda are ignored and the identifications are often forced and unconvincing.

It is unnecessary, however, to have resort to forced explanations, because it is not the name and particular form that are to be looked for, as is done by modern critical scholarship, but the substance. This substance or essence is undoubtedly in evidence throughout the Veda, and indeed forms its warp and woof. The position can best be summarised in the allegorical representation in the Saptasati which is a veritable gospel of Devi worship. It is said there:

"Nityaiva sa jaganmurtistaya sarvam idam tatam;
Tathapi tat samutpattir bahudha sruyatam mama:"

Although Devi is ever present in the very form of the Universe which is pervaded and upheld by her, yet her specific appearances can be explained in a variety of ways. And again:

"Devanam karya siddhyartham avirbhavati sa yada,
Utpanneti tada loke sa nityapi abhidhiyate."

Although she is eternal, she is spoken of as manifesting herself only when she does so on behalf of the gods. When the gods are in all their glory and receiving their due sacrifices there is no cause for the appearance of Devi. It is only when they are ousted from their proper sphere that she appears, forming for herself a body composed of the energies residing in the various gods. Her challenge to the hostile powers is:

"Trailokyam indro labhatam devassantu havirbhujah."

"Let Indra become supreme again in all the three lokas and let the devas become recipients of their due yajna bhaga." When this object is accomplished Devi or Sakti disappears again. But how? It is said in the Saptasati: "Tatraiva antaradhiyata." She merges herself in the form and nature of the several gods. This is what has happened in the Rigveda.