Ratri

Hindu/Vedic goddess of night From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ratri (Sanskrit: रात्री, romanized: Rātrī, lit.'Night'; also referred to as Nakt), is a Vedic goddess in Hinduism.[2] She is the personification of the night.[3] The majority of references to Ratri are found in Rigveda and she is described as the sister of Ushas, the personification of dawn. Together with Ushas, she is referred to as a powerful mother and strengthener of vital power. She represents cyclic rhythmic patterns of the cosmos. Her physical appearance isn't explicitly mentioned, but she is described as a beautiful maiden.[4]

AffiliationDevi
Parents
SiblingsUshas (sister)[1]Indra (brother)
Quick facts Affiliation, Texts ...
Ratri
Personification of the night
Ratri is the Vedic personification of the night. Above: Night sky at Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
AffiliationDevi
TextsVedas
Genealogy
Parents
SiblingsUshas (sister)[1]Indra (brother)
Equivalents
GreekNyx
NorseNótt
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One hymn in the Rigveda and five hymns in the Atharvaveda are dedicated to her. In later Tantric texts she occupies an important position. She is associated with Ushas, Indra, Rta, Satya in Rigveda, whereas in Atharvaveda she is associated with Surya. The Brahmanas and the Sutra literature often mention Ratri.[5]

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