Bhumi (goddess)

Bhumi
Goddess of the Earth
Idol of goddess Bhumi at a temple in Tamil Nadu
Other names	Bhudevi, Prithvi, Varahi, Puhumi, Vasundhara, Vasumati, Basumati
Affiliation	Vaishnavism Lakshmi
Abode	Bhuloka and Dyuloka
Mantra	Om Bhumyai Namah
Mount	Elephant
Personal information
Consort	Varaha (Vishnu),
Children	Narakasura, Mangala, Sita
Equivalents
Greek equivalent	Gaia
Roman equivalent	Terra

Bhumi (Sanskrit: भूमि, romanized: Bhūmi), also known as Bhudevi and Vasundhara, is a Hindu goddess who is the personification of the Earth. She is Fellow-wife of Lakshmi. The consort of Varaha, Lord Varaha Saved her from Hiranyaksha later married her. She is mentioned as the mother of Narakasura, Mangala, and Sita.

Etymology and iconography

The name "Bhumi" derives from the Sanskrit word 'Puhumi' - the original name of the goddess. She is known by various names such as Bhuvati, Bhuvani, Bhuvaneshwari, Avni, Prithvi, Varahi, Dharti, Dhaatri, Dharani, Vasudha, Vasundhara, Vaishnavi, Kashyapi, Urvi, Ira, Mahi, Ela, Vasumati, Dhanshika, Vasumati, Hema, and Hiranmaya.

Bhudevi is depicted as seated on a platform that rests on the back of four elephants, representing the four cardinal directions. She is usually portrayed with four arms, holding a pomegranate, a water vessel, a bowl containing healing herbs, and another bowl containing vegetables, respectively. She is also sometimes depicted with two hands, the right hand holding a blue lotus known as Kumuda or Utpala, the night lotus, while the left hand may indicate the pose of Abhayamudra, the fearlessness or the Lolahasta Mudra, which is an aesthetic pose meant to mimic the tail of a horse.

Consort and children

Bhudevi seated on Varaha's lap.

Bhudevi is the consort of the anthropomorphic Varaha, an avatar of Vishnu. In the Satya Yuga, the demon Hiranyaksha kidnapped her and hid her in the primordial waters, and Vishnu appeared as Varaha to rescue her. Varaha slew the demon and retrieved the Earth from the depths of the ocean, lifting it on his tusks. He restored Bhudevi to her rightful place in the universe, and proceeded to marry her. Narakasura was the son of Varaha and Bhumi.

Narakasura was the first born of Bhudevi. There are two stories about Narakasura's birth. In the first one, he was the first son of Bhumi and Varaha. He was born when Bhumi requested Varaha for a son. Narakasura later performed a penance to receive a boon that only his mother would be able to kill him. In the second one, Narakasura's father was Hiranyaksha and was born when Hiranyaksha's horns touched Bhumi. Narakasura is believed to have been the founder of the legendary Bhauma dynasty among the Boro people.

Sita, the wife of Rama, emerged from the earth, and thus Bhumi is considered to be her spiritual mother. The tale goes that there was once a drought in Mithila, the hometown of Sita. Janaka, the future father of Sita, was ploughing the ground. Under his plough, he found a baby girl (Sita). Rain showered upon the earth and Janaka and his wife, Sunaina, decided to adopt the girl. As Sita was born from the earth, she was also known as Bhumija.

Temples where Bhudevi is worshipped include-

• Bhoomidevi temple chendia-karnataka
• Sri Bhu Sametha -Venkateswaraswamy temple
• Bhu Varaha Swamy temple, Srimushnam
• Bhu Varahaswamy Temple , Tirumala
• Bhumidevi sametha Sri Uppiliappan Perumal , Thirunageswaram, Tamil Nadu
• Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple, palakkad

Sita entering the Earth with her mother Bhumi after a feud with her husband Rama.

Satyabhama avatar

Main article: Satyabhama

After receiving his desired boon, Narakasura grew arrogant and drunk with his power. He started capturing women and forcefully made them his wives. He captured nearly 16,000 women. He wrested control of heaven from Indra and no deity was able to defeat him because of his boon. Narakasura even took the earrings of Indra's mother, Aditi, and gave them to his mother, Bhumi. Bhudevi was requested by the devas to slay her son. She manifested herself upon the earth as Satyabhama, the daughter of Satrajit. Satyabhama married Krishna, and the couple waged war on Narakasura. She finally beheaded the latter with her husband's Sudarshana Chakra, thus fulfilling the prophecy that the asura could only be killed by his mother.