Amrita

For other uses, see Amrita (disambiguation).
For the Japanese novel by Banana Yoshimoto, see Amrita (Yoshimoto novel). For the Gujarati language novel by Raghuveer Chaudhari, see Amrita (Gujarati novel).

A stone carving of a standing woman with a pot in her left hand and lotus in right
Mohini, the female form of Vishnu, holding the pot of amrita, which she distributes amongst all the devas, leaving the asuras without it. Darasuram, Tamil Nadu, India

Amrita (Sanskrit: अमृत, IAST: amṛta), Amrit or Amata in Pali, (also called Sudha, Amiy, Ami) is a Sanskrit word that means "immortality". It is a central concept within Indian religions and is often referred to in ancient Indian texts as an elixir.[1] Its first occurrence is in the Rigveda, where it is considered one of several synonyms for soma, the drink of the devas.[2] Amrita plays a significant role in the Samudra Manthana, and is the cause of the conflict between devas and asuras competing for amrita to obtain immortality.[3]

Amrita has varying significance in different Indian religions. The word Amrit is also a common first name for Sikhs and Hindus, while its feminine form is Amritā.[4] Amrita is cognate to and shares many similarities with ambrosia; both originated from a common Proto-Indo-European source.[5][6]

  1. ^ "amrita | Hindu mythology | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  2. ^ "Soma: The Nectar of the Gods". History of Ayurveda. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  3. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (February 27, 2016). "Good deva-bad asura divide misleading". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  4. ^ "BBC - Religions - Sikhism: Amrit ceremony". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  5. ^ Walter W. Skeat, Etymological English Dictionary
  6. ^ "Ambrosia" in Chambers's Encyclopædia. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 1, p. 315.