Wednesday 22 May 2024

Why did not Bhagavad Gita mention any female deity?



In the 10th Chapter of Gita, Shri Krishna mentions about HIS various manifestations in different living and non-living things.

Starting with the 21st Shloka of Gita in the 10th Chapter, he narrates in brief, his various manifestations.

  • आदित्यानामहं विष्णु - Of the sons of Aditi, I am Visnu
  • देवानामस्मि वासवः - of the gods, I am Vasava (Indra)
  • सरसामस्मि सागरः - of the water reservoirs, I am the ocean.
  • महर्षीणां भृगुरहं - Of the great seers, I am Bhrgu
  • अश्वत्थः सर्ववृक्षाणां - Among all trees (I am) the Asvatha (peepul)
  • उच्चैःश्रवसमश्वानां - Among horses, know Me to be Uccaihsravas, born of nectar;
  • आयुधानामहं वज्रं - Among weapons I am the thunderbolt
  • गायत्री छन्दसामहम् - of the metres, I am the Gayatri;

and so on. 

And, finally he says,

नान्तोऽस्ति मम दिव्यानां विभूतीनां परंतप।

एष तूद्देशतः प्रोक्तो विभूतेर्विस्तरो मया।।10.40।।

O destroyer of enemies, there is no limit to My divine manifestations. This description of (My) manifestations, however, has been stated by Me by way illustration.

It indicates that whatever he said above are only illustrations but not the exhaustive list.

However, still a doubt may linger as to why not a single female was mentioned in the above list.

As far as I understood, Bhagavad Gita is an interpolated episode added subsequently to the Jaya Samhita, the original version of Mahabharata, containing only 8,800 shlokas in contradiction to the extended version of 1,00,000 shlokas of Mahabharata.

The Rig Veda, where the deities like Aditi, Saraswati, etc, indicating feminine energy of the BRAHMAN, apart from Agni, Indra, Vishnu, etc, representing the Masculine energy of BRAHMAN, were also mentioned.

The Bhagavad Gita might have been taken from the concepts of Upanishads. We have to remember that unlike Rig Veda, there is a shift in focusing on Masculine energy of BRAHMAN in the Upanishads.

In Taittiriya Upanishad 2.71, it was stated as follows:

asadvā idamagra āsīt . tato vai sadajāyata

tadātmāna svayamakuruta . tasmāttatsukṛtamucyata iti

yadvai tat sukṛtam . raso vai saḥ .

In the beginning all this was but the Unmanifested (Brahman). From that emerged the manifested. That Brahman created Itself by Itself. Therefore It is called the self-creator. That which is known as the self-creator; He himself is rasa;

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Please note raso vai saḥ - He himself is rasa

The meaning of the word saH - सः, is HE.

—-

This might be a reason for not mentioning any female deity in Bhagavad Gita.

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