Understanding Hindu Goddesses and their Representations in Vyasa’s Mahabharata

Abstract

The paper is a humble attempt to analyze the values and attributes of an array of Hindu Goddesses and how each finds a representation and manifestation in the two Sanskrit Epics. It delves into a range of Hindu Goddesses such as Vac, Durga, Kali, the Matrekaya and Shri scrutinizing how each finds a portrayal in characters such as Draupadi, Kunti, Gandhari, Sulabha, and Shakuntala. Expanding majorly on the Mahabharata, the paper would highlight how these women exhibit traits of resilience, verbal potency, growth, physical and cosmic power thereby becoming prototypes for contemporary women. The Hindu thought and culture arguably has more female centric modes of worship showcased through an array of female goddesses that eventually matures into a larger idea of a great goddess. This stands in stark contrast to the Western conceptions of worship where the divine is largely male centric. The paper is a humble attempt to analyse the values and attributes of several Hindu Goddesses and how each finds a representation and manifestation in the two Sanskrit Epics. It delves into the characteristics of a range of Hindu Goddeses from Vac , Durga, Kali, to the Matrekaya and Shri and equating it to female representations such as in Draupadi , Kunti , Gandhari, Sulabha, and Shakuntala. Expanding majorly on the Mahabharata, the paper would highlight how the traits of resilience, strong speech, growth, physical and cosmic power in the Goddesses and the women of the epics become prototypes and frameworks for the contemporary women to adopt. The paper is significant in analysing what a goddess can be, what a feminine can be and therefore what a woman can be.