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Asikni (goddess)

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Asikni
The wife of Daksha
Sculpture of Daksha and his wife.
Other namesPanchajani, Virani, Virini
Devanagariअसिक्नी
GenderFemale
Genealogy
ParentsVirana or Panchajana (father)
ConsortDaksha
Children

In Hindu mythology, Asikni (Sanskrit: असिक्नी, romanized: Asiknī, lit. 'the dark one' or 'night'), also known as Panchajani and Virani, is a consort of Daksha—one of the Prajapati (agents of creation). Most scriptures mention her as the daughter of Virana or Panchajana and the mother of various children—5000 Haryasvas, 1000 Sabalasvas and 60 daughters. Asikni is sometimes equated with Daksha's other wife named Prasuti, but many texts mention them as separate goddesses.

Etymology and epithets

The Sanskit word "Asikni" means 'dark' or 'not white'.[1] The word is used in the Rigveda (c. 1500 BCE) to describe the river Chenab.[2][3] It also refers to "night" or "a girl attending woman's apartment".[1][4] Asikni is known by different names in different texts, with the patryomic "Panchajani" and "Virani" being the most prominent.[5][6] Panchajani also means "made of five elements".[7]

Birth and marriage

Asikni's story is found in many Hindu scriptures with some variations related to her parenthood. The Prajapati Daksha initially attempts creation with mind, but realizes that procreation by copulation is essential for populating the world. Therefore, he marries Asikini, the daughter of another Prajapati Virana.[5][8] The Bhagavata Purana has a similar retelling, however Daksha gains the daughter of Prajapati Panchajana – Asikni, also known by the patronymic Pachajani, as wife, by pleasing the god Vishnu with penance. Through their union, numerous children were born.[9][10] The seventh Skandha of the Devi Bhagavata Purana also mentions the birth of Asikni, where she is created by the god Brahma from his left thumb. The god Vishnu presents her to Daksha as his wife as a reward for his penance.[5]

Many scholars note that Daksha's wife appears as Prasuti (daughter of Manu) in many Puranas.[11] It is sometimes assumed that Prasuti may be an epithet of Asikni. However, according to many scriptures including the Bhagavata Purana, Padma Purana, Linga Purana, Vayu Purana and Vishnu Purana, Daksha was born twice and he married Prasuti in his first birth, and Asikni during his second birth.[12]

Children

See also: List of Daksha's daughters
Like many other deities, the sun god Surya descended from Daksha and Panchajani (Asikni).

According to most Puranic scriptures, after his marriage, Daksha produced five thousand sons through the womb of Asikni. They were collectively referred as Haryasvas. Like their father, they were also interested in increasing the species. One day, the divine wanderer sage, Narada, visited and questioned them how they could create people if they didn't know the problems of the world. Narada asked them to first discover worldly affairs. The Haryasvas left their father and never returned. Saddened by their lost, Daksha produced a thousand more sons (called Sabalasvas), but they too followed their brothers' path on Narada's advice.[5][6]

The number of Daksha's daughters are uncertain due to differences in the Puranic scriptures.[11] According to many texts including the Bhagavata Purana, Devi Bhagavata Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana and the Vishnu Purana, Daksha and Asikni had 60 daughters. They were married to different deities, becoming the progenitors of various species.[13][14][15]

However, the Brahma Purana mentions only 50 daughters.[11] The Matsya Purana, the Shiva Purana and the Kalika Upapurana add Sati as Asikni's daughter,[16][17] but other texts including the Devi-Bhagavata Purana mention Prasuti as the mother of Sati.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b Monier-Williams, Sir Monier; Leumann, Ernst; Cappeller, Carl (1899). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages. Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House. p. 120. ISBN 978-81-208-3105-6.
  2. ^ Jayantakr̥ṣṇa Harikr̥ṣṇa Dave (1991). Immortal India, Volume 4. Bharatiya Viyda Bhavan. p. 115. Asikni means black in colour and this refers to the dark waters of river Chenab . In Rigveda X75-5 , Asikni is also mentioned along with other rivers.
  3. ^ Gopalakrisna N. Bhat (1992). Vedic Nighantu: A Critical Study, the Oldest Indian Treatise on Etymology. Mangalore University. p. 60. Asikni means non-bright, non-white.
  4. ^ Gandhi, Maneka (1993). The Penguin Book of Hindu Names. Penguin Books India. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-14-012841-3.
  5. ^ a b c d Vettam Mani (1975). Puranic Encyclopedia: a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi. pp. 57.
  6. ^ a b "SB 6.5: Narada Muni Cursed by Prajapati Daksa Srimad-Bhagavatam". PrabhupadaBooks.com. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  7. ^ Vijay Kumar (2005). Baby Names for Girls. Lotus Press. p. 65.
  8. ^ Debroy, Bibek (2016-09-09). Harivamsha. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-86057-91-4.
  9. ^ Prabhupada, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (1975-12-31). Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto: Prescribed Duties for Mankind. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. ISBN 978-91-7149-639-3.
  10. ^ "SB 6.4: The Hamsa-guhya Prayers Srimad-Bhagavatam". PrabhupadaBooks.com. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  11. ^ a b c Debroy, Bibek (2005). The History of Puranas. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. p. 472, 781. ISBN 978-81-8090-062-4.
  12. ^ Purāṇam. All-India Kasiraja Trust. 2001. p. 136.
  13. ^ Kapoor, Subodh (2004). A Dictionary of Hinduism: Including Its Mythology, Religion, History, Literature, and Pantheon. Cosmo Publications. p. 97. ISBN 978-81-7755-874-6.
  14. ^ "SB 6.6: The Progeny of the Daughters of Daksa Srimad-Bhagavatam". PrabhupadaBooks.com. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  15. ^ Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An alphabetical guide. Penguin UK. p. 45, 107. ISBN 978-81-8475-396-7.
  16. ^ Kramrisch, Stella (1988). The Presence of Siva. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 342. ISBN 978-81-208-0491-3.
  17. ^ For translations, see
    • The Matsya Puranam P-I (B.D. Basu) English Translation Ch #5, Page 18
    • Matsya Purana (Sanskrit) Ch #6, Sloka 1-2
    • Matsya Purana (Sanskrit) Ch #5, Sloka 15-16
    • The Matsya Puranam P-I (B.D. Basu) English Translation Ch #5, Page 17
    • Matsya Purana (Sanskrit) Ch #5, Sloka 10-12
  18. ^ Ramaswamy, Krishnan; Banerjee, Aditi (2007). Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America. Rupa & Company. p. 500. ISBN 978-81-291-1182-1.
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