Shakambhari
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In Hinduism, Shaakambhari is an incarnation of Ishwari, consort to Shiva. She is the divine mother, 'The Bearer of the Greens'.
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[edit] Etymology
Shaakambhari - It is said that in times of famine, Goddess Durga comes down and gives vegan food, (shaaka comes from sanskrit. means vegetables and vegan food) , to the hungry. That is why she is called 'Shaakambhari'.
[edit] Story
The Demon Durgam had acquired all the four books of total knowledge (The Veda) from Lord Brahma through penance. Lord Brahma had also given Durgam the boon of invincibility.
Durgam became very arrogant and started tormenting the whole world. As the consequence, it did not rain for one hundred years and the whole world was hit by drought.
The deities went to goddess Ishwari and narrated about their woeful tales. Goddess Ishwari was so moved by their plights that tears rolled down from her eyes for nine continuous days and nights. The tears took the form of a river, as the result of which the drought came to an end. Ishwari is also known as Shakambhari as she had created river by her tears and saved the lives of People.
The deities then requested that she recover The Veda, which were in possession of Durgam. They then went back to their abode. When Durgam saw that people were living happily, he attacked with a large army of Rakshasa. At that very moment, Parvati, the Durga manifested herself on Earth and fought a tremendous battle with Durgam. From her body manifested the ten most powerful power who never been in universe Dashamahaavidya and many other goddesses. At last goddess Ishwari killed Durgam with her trident and recovered The Veda from his possession. She then handed over The Veda to the deities. Ishwari also knowns as Durga as she had killed the demon Durgam.
[edit] Worship practices
There is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Shakambhari in Nagewadi, Maharashtra. There is also a temple in Badami, Karnataka ,there is also a temple of goddess Shakambhari at Kumbhoj village near Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.There is also a temple of the Goddess in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.There is also a Temple of Shakambhari/ Shakambari in Rajasthan. For the photo of deities and her history you can visit the website www.shakambari.com This temple is more than 200 years old.
Shaakambhari as protector of life is thanked for helping devotees tide over long periods of disease and drought. As she is also Bhuumi, Mother Earth, the goddess of vegetation. She is also Goddess Shakambhari, the goddess of agriculture. The soil is prepared for the cultivation of the new crop. In some homes the ritual of sowing and sprouting of barley in small pots is observed.
[edit] Further reading
- Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by David Kinsley
| Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Itihasa |  |
|---|---|
| Female Deities: Gayatri | Saraswati | Lakshmi | Dakshayani | Parvati | Durga | Shakti | Kali | Sita | Devi | Radha | Mahavidya | more... | |
| Male Deities: Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Kartikeya | Hanuman | Lakshmana | Indra | Surya | more... | |
| Texts: Vedas | Upanishads | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata | |
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