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Uma, Gracious-One.
UM*
[to Whom the twenty-eighth day of March, day 087, is dedicated]
Geography/Culture: Hindustani: Dravadian.
Linguistic Note: Her name may be derived from Amma, a common name for Dravidian Mother-Goddesses, see also Linguistic notes under Amba (qv Ambika). Uma also means flax or tumeric.
Description: Ascetic and Virginal Goddess of light, splendour, great beauty and wisdom; Great mountain Mother; She Who nourishes the world with life sustaining vegetables which emerge from Her body during the rains; Matron of yogic ascetisim; She with Whom many Goddesses have become identified and by Whose names She is also known.
Sometimes considered Goddess of death; Mother of demons; She Who has `hard teeth like thunderbolts with sharp tips inside the vagina'.
To Whom Sacred: flax; tumeric; cow; peaks of the Himalayas.
Male Associate: consort, Siva.
<<<>>>
Uma, Parvati and Durga
are sometimes said to be three aspects of the same Goddess
Whose consort is Siva.
<<<>>>
Titles/Variants, etc:
- Also called: Ambika, qv.
- Also called: Aparna, see below.
- Also called: Bhadrakali, see below.
- Also called: Durga, qv.
- Also called: Gauri, qv.
- Uma is one of the six varieties of Gauris, qv Gauri.
- Also called: Haimavati, see below.
- Also called: Mahakali, qv Urmya.
- Also called: Mahanidra, qv Urmya.
- Also called: Rudrani, qv Durga.
- Also called: Sakambhari, qv Ambika.
- Svaha, qv Ganga, is identified with Uma.
- Also called: Parvati, see below.
- Japanese Buddhist form of Her: Umahi, see below.
Source: Stutley HDH 311; New Larousse EM 335, 375, 358; Walker WEMS 1026.
Aparna, Without-a-Leaf.
1P1RN*
Geography/Culture: Hindustani. Originally non-Aryan. Worshipped by the Sabaras, Barbaras, Pulindas, and other tribes.
Description: Goddess of asceticism, austerity and abstinence; She Who lives on air; Great ascetic; She Who practised such extreme austerities (tapas) that She became able to exist without eating even so much as a leaf.
Male Associate: consort, Siva.
Titles/Variants, etc:
- Durga, qv, is sometimes described as Aparna `Not having even a leaf for a garment.'
- Sister: Ekaparna.
- Sister: Ekapatala.
- Eldest Daughter of Mena, see below.
- She is Siva's Sakti, qv.
- She became known as Uma, see above.
Source: Stutley HDH 16, 311.
Bhadrakali, Auspicious-Kali.
BH1DR1K*LE
Geography/Culture: Hindustani.
Titles/Variants, etc:
- It may under this benevolent form that the ferocious Kali, qv, is identified with Uma.
- Uma is sometimes so-called.
Source: Stutley HDH 311.
Haimavati, She-of-the-Himalayas.
HIM1V1TE
Alternate meanings: Daughter-of-Himavat.
Geography/Culture: Hindustani.
Description: Goddess of the Himalayas.
Titles/Variants, etc:
- Title of Uma, `Gracious-One'.
Mena,-----.
MAN*
Geography/Culture: Hindustani. She is mentioned in the Rig Vedas (I.51,13).
Linguistic Note: Is it possible that Mena is related to moon and measuring words?
Male Associates: consort Himavat, (the personified Himalya), son Mainaka.
Titles/Variants, etc:
- Mother of Aparna.
- One of the Apsaras, qv Urvasi.
- Mother of Ganga, qv.
- Perhaps related to Roman Mena, qv Phoebe.
- Also called: Menaka, MAN1K*, `---'.
- Mother of Parvati, see below.
Source: Stutley HDH 190, 174.
Parvati, She-of-the-Mountains.
P*V1TE
Alternate meanings: Lady-of-the-Mountain.
Geography/Culture: Hindustani.
Titles/Variants, etc:
- Also called: Adrija, 1DRYJ*, `Mountain-born'.
- Title: Ambika, qv.
- She (Parvati) is also called Durga, qv.
- Ganga, qv, is often identified with Parvati.
- Parvati is one of the six varieties of Gauris, qv Gauri.
- She also has the epithet Jagad-Gauri, qv Durga.
- She also has the epithet Jagad-Dhatri, qv Durga.
- Kali, qv, is also called Parvati.
- Daughter of Mena, see above.
- Sometimes sur-title for Uma.
- Also called: Sakambhari, qv Ambika.
- Title: Sati, qv Sita.
Source: Stutley HDH 222.
Umahi, ----.
UM*HE
Geography/Culture: Japanese Buddhist.
Male Associate: consort, Jizaiten (Mahesvara) who came from the forehead of Avalokiteshvara.
Titles/Variants, etc:
- A form of Hindustani Uma.
Source: New Larousse EM 358.
worked on: October, May 1995; June 1992; July, August 1991; June, July 1990.
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