| Ushas | |
|---|---|
 Ushas is the Vedic personification of the dawn. Above: Sunrise at Panchchuli mountains, Uttarakhand, India | |
| Devanagari | उषस् |
| Affiliation | Devi |
| Texts | Vedas |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Siblings | Ratri (sister) |
| Consort | Surya[1] |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek | Eos |
| Indo-European | H₂éwsōs |
| Roman | Aurora |
| Slavic | Zorya |
| Japanese | Ame-no-Uzume |
| Nuristani | Disani |
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Ushas (Vedic Sanskrit: उषस्, IAST: Uṣás, nominative singular उषास् IAST: Uṣās) is a Vedic goddess of dawn in Hinduism.[2][3] She repeatedly appears in the Rigvedic hymns, states David Kinsley, where she is "consistently identified with dawn, revealing herself with the daily coming of light to the world, driving away oppressive darkness, chasing away evil demons, rousing all life, setting all things in motion, sending everyone off to do their duties".[4] She is the life of all living creatures, the impeller of action and breath, the foe of chaos and confusion, the auspicious arouser of cosmic and moral order called the Ṛta in Hinduism.[4][5]
Ushas is the most exalted goddess in the Rig Veda, but not as important or central as the three male Vedic deities Agni, Soma, and Indra.[6] She is on par with other major male Vedic deities.[6] She is portrayed as a beautifully adorned young woman riding in a golden chariot or a hundred chariots, drawn by golden red horses or cows,[2] on her path across the sky, making way for the Vedic sun god Surya, who is referred either as her husband or her son.[2][4][7] Some of the most beautiful hymns in the Vedas are dedicated to her.[2][8][5] Her sister is "Nisha" or Ratri, the deity of night.[2]
- ^ "25. Goddess Uṣas". 9 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Constance Jones; James D. Ryan (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. p. 472. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
- ^ Apte, Vaman Shivram (1965), The Practical Sanskrit Dictionary (4th ed.), New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-0567-4, p. 304.
- ^ a b c David Kinsley (1988). Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. University of California Press. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-0-520-90883-3.
- ^ a b W. J. Wilkins (2003). Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Courier. pp. 48–52. ISBN 978-0-486-43156-7.
- ^ a b David Kinsley (1988). Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. University of California Press. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-520-90883-3.
- ^ Kuiper, F.B.J. (1968). Ancient Indian Cosmogony. Bombay 1983. Schmidt, H.P. Brhaspati und Indra. Wiesbaden 1968.
- ^ Peter Heehs (2002). Indian Religions: A Historical Reader of Spiritual Expression and Experience. New York University Press. pp. 44–45. ISBN 978-0-8147-3650-0.