Yogamaya

"Yogmaya" redirects here. For the temple, see Yogmaya Temple.
Yogamaya
Goddess of Illusion[1]
19th century painting by Raja Ravi Varma depicting Yogamaya (above) issuing a warning to Kamsa
Other namesMahamaya, Durga, Vindhyavasini, Narayani, Ekanamsha
AffiliationShaktism, Vaishnavism
AbodeVaikuntha, Vindhyas
TextsBhagavata Purana
FestivalsVaikuntha Ekadashi
Genealogy
Avatar birthGokulam
ParentsNanda and Yashoda (parents of her earthly manifestation)
SiblingsVishnu (ceremonial brother)[2]
DynastyYaduvamsha

Yogamaya (Sanskrit: योगमाया, lit. 'illusory potency', IAST: Yogamāyā) is a Hindu goddess who serves as the personification of Vishnu's powers of illusion.[3] In Vaishnava tradition, she is accorded the epithet Narayani—"the sister of Narayana (Vishnu)[4][5]"—and is regarded as the benevolent aspect of the goddess Durga.[6]

According to Hindu texts, Yogamaya plays the role of the facilitator of the earthly birth of Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu. She took the avatar of the daughter of Yadava cowherd Nanda and Yashoda, after which her place is swapped with Krishna to protect the latter from the tyrant ruler Kamsa. After warning Kamsa about his impending death, Yogamaya vanished and resided in the Vindhya hills, due to which she is accorded the epithet Vindhyavasini.[7]

Yogamaya is also an important goddess in Shaktism sect, and is worshipped as a form of Mahadevi.

  1. ^ The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine. Simon and Schuster. September 2000. ISBN 9781594775376.
  2. ^ Williams, George M. (27 March 2008). Handbook of Hindu Mythology. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-533261-2.
  3. ^ Beck, Guy L. (1 February 2012). Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity. State University of New York Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-7914-8341-1.
  4. ^ Sinha, Purnendu Narayana (1901). A Study of the Bhagavata Purana: Or, Esoteric Hinduism. Freeman & Company, Limited. p. 247.
  5. ^ Parthasarathy, V. R.; Parthasarathy, Indu (2009). Devi: Goddesses in Indian Art and Literature. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. p. 133. ISBN 978-81-8090-203-1.
  6. ^ "Śb 10.4.12". vedabase.io/en/. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  7. ^ Knapp, Stephen (2012). Hindu Gods & Goddesses. Jaico Publishing House. p. 32. ISBN 978-81-8495-366-4.