Back بهومي Arabic ভূদেৱী Assamese Bhumi BCL ভূমি (দেবী) Bengali/Bangla Bhudevi German Bhūmi French ભૂમિ (દેવી) Gujarati भूमि (देवी) Hindi Bhūmi Croatian ព្រះនាងភូមិ Cambodian

Bhumi (goddess)

Bhumi
Goddess of the Earth[1]
Idol (murti) of Bhumi at a temple in Tamil Nadu
Other namesBhudevi, Varahi, Vasundhara, Prithvi, Bharat Mata
AffiliationDevi, Prithvi, Lakshmi
AbodeBhuloka, Dyuloka, Vaikuntha
Genealogy
ConsortVaraha (Vishnu)
ChildrenNarakasura, Mangala, Sita
Equivalents
GreekGaia
Indo-EuropeanDʰéǵʰōm
RomanTerra
ChineseHoutu[2]

Bhumi (Sanskrit: भुमि, romanized: Bhūmi), also known as Bhudevi, Dharani, and Vasundhara, is a significant goddess in Hinduism, personifying the Earth. Her earliest form is reflected in the Vedic goddess Prithvi, though their roles and depictions are drastically different.[3]

Bhumi features prominently in the Mahabharata and various Puranas. In Hindu mythology, Bhumi's narrative is closely linked with the god Vishnu’s third avatar, Varaha, who rescues her from the demon Hiranyaksha. After this rescue, Varaha marries Bhumi, and they have a son named Mangala. Bhumi also bears Narakasura, an asura, due to Hiranyaksha's influence. In the epic Ramayana, she is mentioned as the mother of Sita, the epic's female protagonist.[4]

Bhumi is described to be born as Satyabhama, the consort of Krishna, to assist in slaying Narakasura. The Alvar saint Andal is also considered an avatar of Bhudevi. In certain Vaishnava traditions, Bhumi is regarded as Vishnu's secondary consort alongside Lakshmi, with some sects, such as Sri Vaishnavism, even viewing her as an aspect of Lakshmi.[5]

Iconographically, Bhumi is depicted holding a blue lotus and is often shown alongside Vishnu and Lakshmi or with Varaha. She is especially revered in South India.[6]

  1. ^ "Bhumi, Bhūmi, Bhūmī: 41 definitions". Wisdom Library. 11 April 2009. Earth (भूमि, bhūmi) is one of the five primary elements (pañcabhūta)
  2. ^ Shaw, Miranda Eberle (2006). Buddhist Goddesses of India. Princeton University Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-691-12758-3.
  3. ^ Dalal, Roshen (2014-04-18). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
  4. ^ Mani, Vettam (2015-01-01). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 142. ISBN 978-81-208-0597-2.
  5. ^ Duffy, Michelle; Mair, Judith (2017-08-07). "Social inclusion, social exclusion and encounter". Festival Encounters. Routledge. pp. 83–93. doi:10.4324/9781315644097-8. ISBN 9781315644097.
  6. ^ Dalal, Roshen (2014-04-18). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.

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