Vedas are universally accepted as the oldest books of mankind. For the Hindus, they are not just ordinary books but are also the fountainhead of all knowledge whether of the material world or the spiritual world. They are 4 in number; Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda. The Vedic god is mentioned in these four Vedas. The Vedic people worshipped numerous gods. Based on the invocation available within Vedas, the subsequent Vedic gods and goddesses are vital: Varuna, Indra, Vayu, Agni, Mitra, Adityas, Vashista, Bhaga, Rta, heaven, Earth, Manyu, Soma, Ushas, Pusan, Surya, Vishnu and so on.
Ushas is referred to as the Vedic goddess of the sunrise in Hindu dharma. In the Rigveda, the goddess Ushas is continually associated with and often recognized with the dawn. She offers the existence of all of the living creatures of the universe and makes us breathe properly. She additionally gives a sound mind and a sound body.
Ushas is the most prominent goddess within Vedic literature. However, she has her own identity, and most people consider her as important as the three vital male deities named Agni, Soma, and Indra. Ushas is stated in numerous hymns of the Rigveda. Forty of its hymns are devoted to her, while her name appears in different extra hymns. She has been described in the Rig Veda as a young woman drawn riding in a golden chariot on her direction throughout the sky. Due to her color, she is often recognized with the reddish cows. Both of them are released through Indra from Vala cave at the beginning of time. It is stated that she is drawn by one hundred horses.
Goddess Usha is generally associated with light and wealth. She reveals herself with the daily coming of the light to the world. She passes forth light and is accompanied by the sun. She alone leads the Sun and discloses her excellence and fire to her world. She is honored by the worshippers for driving away oppressive darkness and chases away evil spirits. She sets all the things in motion and also sends off people from their duties after the completion of the day. She carries not just light to the sleeping mankind, but hope, happiness, riches, and all the good things. She has the magic of looking at everybody at the same time.
The ancient Vedic tradition has viewed Ushas as the harbinger of light, awareness, activity. People separated time into the form of day and night. All creation rests at night and the whole of creation is active in the day. The transformation which takes place from night today is known to be the attribute of Ushas. She is also highly popular as the pioneer of the day. As she leads the Sun into throwing his glance on the earth. Thus, reveal his immense power and warmth to the beings of the world. So, she has been regarded as the light, or the dawn of human consciousness.
Daughter of Dyaus Pita
Ushas is regarded as the daughter of Dyaus Pita, Father of the sky. She is the elder sister of Ratri, the Night. When Ushas rises, the night is dark and deep, and the sky begins to adorn her. Ushas’s sister Ratri is the cosmic energy of the night, whose darkness engulfs our consciousness. And enforces a repose which heals and revives by a temporary hibernation of mind and senses. Ushas follows Ratri as surely as spring follows winter, in an unfailing rhythm called ‘Rta’ in Sanskrit. Ushas is the cosmic energy which immediately precedes the start of each earthly day. Ushas gently steals into the atmosphere of the earth just before her consort Surya, Sun, suffusing the skies with golden-orange luminosity.
Celestial Yogini
Ushas is ranked as a divinity in her own right. She is considered as a celestial Yogini, a form of Goddess, who is held as spiritual. Ushas is also a feminine divinity who stimulates the nobility from the innermost depths of the human soul. She is the force that propels even the Gods into action. As the mother of the Ashwins, she is also worshipped as the Shakti. She has the power that can heal and bless people with immense knowledge and grace.
We can worship the goddess Ushas in the following manner.
She was praised by Sri Aurobindo and she is worshipped during the festival of Chhath Puja in India and Nepal. She can be worshiped in the dawn time by chanting her names and by praying to her in the form of Adi Shakti. If you catch the light just before the sun appears, early in the morning, be sure to greet her. Her name is Ushas, The Goddess of Dawn.
- You are the activator of all the living beings. Everyone is controlled by your great supreme power.
- During the dawn time, various pujas are conducted in the temples. Only through your grace, people are worshipping the god in the dawn time and getting benefits.
- You are interlinked with various Vedic gods. By worshipping you, we can attain their blessings also.
- You are giving the benefits of doing various types of rituals.
- By worshipping you, all the Trivedi’s will get satisfied.
- You are curing the various ailments of the people.
- You are controlling the mind and body of every living being. By worshipping you, we will get good thoughts in our minds, and bad thoughts will be permanently erased from our minds.
- After we depart from this world, kindly make us enter into the path of heaven.
Originally published at https://vedicfeed.com on June 10, 2020.
