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International Journal of Management (IJM) Volume 12, Issue 2, February 2021, pp. 952-955, Article ID: IJM_12_02_092 Available online at http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJM?Volume=12&Issue=2 ISSN Print: 0976-6502 and ISSN Online: 0976-6510 DOI: 10.34218/IJM.12.2.2021.092

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GODDESS : ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

Meghali Saikia Research Scholar, Department of English, KKHSOU,

Debasmita Medhi Research Scholar, Department of Assamese, Gauhati University, India

ABSTRACT In the pre-historic ages, human beings had to encounter different wild animals. They had often engaged in conflicts. It created fear and concerns among the humans. The people then naturally began to worship the animals as the incarnation of gods. They also worshipped a -goddess which was known by different names in different places and culture. This paper analyses the origin of snake-goddess Manasa and practices revolving around her. Key words: Origin, Manasa, human being, wild animal. Cite this Article: Meghali Saikia and Debasmita Medhi, Goddess Manasa: Origin and Development, International Journal of Management (IJM), 12(2), 2021, pp. 952-955. http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJM?Volume=12&Issue=2

1. INTRODUCTION The occupied a place of importance in the practices and rituals of early human civilizations. The people in the ancient times imbibed divine qualities on snakes because of its venom which lead to the death of humans, its capability to go invisible suddenly, the brightness of eyes, its ability to change layer of skin and the capacity of the snakes to remain in the holes for a long time. The scholars are of different opinions on the origin of the worship. Besides India, the use of totem symbols of snakes by the kings in China, West Africa, Peru, Babylon, Syria, Greece, Egypt and Europe was also present. Therefore, the serpent worship in these countries cannot be ruled out. But among them, currently, India occupies a predominant role in terms of . James Fergusson, in his book titled ‘Tree and Serpent Worship’ mentioned about the origin of snake or serpent worship. He claimed that serpent worship was prevalent among the Turanian people. They started serpent worship in India much before the emergence of Aryan civilization. Eliot Smith opined that serpent worship came to India from Egypt. Later, it prevailed in pacific islands also.

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On the other hand, some other scholars claimed India as the birthplace of serpent worship. The geography and environment of the country are conducive for the survival of different species of snakes. Therefore, the people in the ancient times might have worshipped the snakes to get rid of their attacks. Though the Vedic Aryans were not familiar with the serpent worship, they later started to practice it and serpent worship gained a Vedic form.

2. ORIGIN OF THE NAME ‘MANASA’ The serpent worship originated thanks to the human fear for snake’s venom. But, the imaginative minds of the humans turned venomous snakes into a goddess with beauty. Thus they started to worship the goddess. This goddess was named as ‘Manasa’. Manasa is also known as ‘Jaguli’. A theory suggests that Jaguli may have influenced by the Kirata girl (‘the conqueror of all poisons’) of the . ‘Sadhanamala’, the Buddhist Tantric text describes Goddess Jaguli as fair skinned, having four hands and one face with white snake and Veena. The goddess has altar on an animal. This description resembles with the present form of Manasa as worshipped in Assam and West . So, it is believed that Goddess Manasa derived from Goddess Jaguli of . According to some scholars, the serpent worship in form of human was influenced by the concept of village gods. Henry Whitehead claimed that most of the village gods of South India are females1. The village gods are associated with the well beings and beliefs of the local people. While Manasa is a goddess, she is also associated with the peace and well-being of the people. Therefore, the impacts of village gods on the worship of Manasa cannot be denied. Many scholars believe that the name of Goddess Manasa derived from South Indian snake- goddess ‘Manchamma’. A snake-goddess named Manchamma, Mudamma or Nagamma is worshipped in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and . While, the lower part of this goddess is of snake, the upper part is human. She holds two snakes on both the hands. A section of scholars is of the view that the kings of Sena dynasty brought Manchamma to Bengal to replace Jaguli in 11-12th centuries. Later, Manchamma was identified as Manasa. The introduction of Manasa was was found in Vaivarta Purana and Devi- Bhagavata Purana, written after the 10th century. These scriptures consider Manasa as the daughter (Manas Kanya) of Sage . The Sage Kashyapa created Manasa out of his mind (mana). Therefore, she is called Manasa. According to , Manasa is a devotee of and inclined towards . She gained the status of goddess after Krishna was satisfied with her devotion and worship. Later, she was also worshipped by Shiva and Kashyapa. According to folklores and Padma Purana, Manasa was the daughter of Shiva. These stories claim that Manasa was created by from Shiva’s sperm as he had ejaculated seeing some fruits similar to the breasts of . Since, she was born out of the desire of Shiva’s mind (Mana), so she was named as Manasa. We can consider that the ideas of Manasa and Janguli existed since the times of . The snake-goddess attained this present form after accumulating various Non- Aryan elements.

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3. VARIOUS IDENTITIES OF MANASA Manasa is known in different names in various cultures. These are: Padmā or Padmavati: In many places of Assam and West Bengal, Goddess Manasa is also known as Padmavati. The word Padmavati derived from Padmā. As she was born on Padma (Lotus) leaves, so Manasa is identified as Padmavati. The name ‘Padmavati’ signifies good fortune associated with the snakes, though they are mostly known for ferocity. Narayandeva wrote: “Padma patrebhoila Padmavatinaamthoila” (You were born on lotus leaves, thus you were given the name of Padmavati) Bishahari: Bishahari is the ancient name of Manasa. This name suggests that the goddess can save people from the venom of the snakes. The knowledge of getting rid of snake’s poison is called Bishahari in the Mahabharata. : As Jaratkaru married Manasa, so she is also called Jaratkaru. According to the tales in Brahma Vaivarta Purana and Devi Bhagavata Purana, Krishna named Manasa as Jaratkaru as her body became fragile and elderly because of severe asceticism. Jaratkaru signifies a thin, meagre emaciated person. Jaguli: Bipradas in Bengal called Manasa as Jaguli in Manasa Mangal Kabya. Jaguli dervied from Janguli which means the knowledge of venom. Sadhanamala also described Jaguli or Janguli as one who can vanish the venom. Ashutosh Bhattacharya opined that Janguli, the goddess of Buddhists turned into Goddess Manasa during the heyday of Hindusim. Kani: Another name of Manasa is Kani. Kani means blind woman. According to Manasa Bijaya Kabya, Manasa who was created by Vasuki was accepted and taken home as daughter by Shiva. Sandi, the wife of Shiva assumed her as second wife of Shiva. So, she attacked her with bangles which made Manasa blind. Jagad-Gauri: In West Bengal, Manasa is also known as Jagati or Jagad-Gauri. Its origin may be credited to the word ‘Jagriti’. Jagirti means one who is awake or alert. Jagad-Gauri has also been mentioned in Brahma Vaivarta Purana and Devi Bhagavata Purana. While meaning of Jagat is the universe, Gauri means white, shining and brilliant. Nagmata: Manasa Devi is called Nagmata in some parts of Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh. Manasa is regarded as Nagmata as she was the mother of , the sage who saved the snakes. On the other hand, as she was created from Shiva’s sperm by the Nagas, therefore, she is called Nagmata. Totola: Manasa is also known as Totola in many parts of Assam, North Bengal, and Bangladesh. Goddess Tara in Mahayana Buddhism is also identified as Tuntara. It is believed that the name ‘Totola’ derived from ‘Tuntara’. Manakar, the poet from Assam mentioned Totola in place of Manasa in ‘Manasa Kabya’. “Totolar charane bandi gai Manakar.” (Manakar sings the song of praise on Totola’s feet). Brahmani: Brahmani is another name of Manasa. This name reflects the attempts to relate Manasa with the Vedic rituals. Bahura: Bahura is a popular name of Goddess Manasa in Bengal. Bahura is derived from Bidhura which means abandoned woman or widow. According to the scriptures and various folktales, Manasa was also an abandoned woman. The husband abandoned her on the first night

http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJM 954 [email protected] Goddess Manasa: Origin and Development of marriage. It is believed that, she was named Bidhura to signify that and thus she became known as Bahura. Thus, this snake-goddess has gained different names in different places. These names were influenced by Vedic, epic and Vedic Tantric practices. This snake-goddess is worshipped by both Aryans and Non-Aryans in Eastern India. It has not been yet ascertained about the origin of Manasa worship as the snake-goddess. But it has been confirmed that worship of Manasa didn’t begin before the 9-10th centuries. The sculptures found in Assam and West Bengal corroborate this point. These scultures date back to 12-13th centuries. Therefore, it is believed that worship of Manasa began before a few years when these sculptures were created. The worship of Manasa was more predominant among the tribal people. She as given the status of a goddess by Brahma Vaivarta Purana and Devi Bhagavata. Following that, the worship of Manasa according to the rituals of Shahstras began in the 14th century. But the scholars are yet to reach in a conclusion about the origin of Manasa worship. According to some scholars, the serpent worship prevailed among the Garos and Khasias. Then this tradition was infused with Hindu and Buddhist practices. Later, it reached Bengal. Some other scholars opine that Muslim invaders from Bengal brought the tradition of Mansa worship to Assam. Birinchi Kumar Barua and Satyendranath Sarma argued that worship of Manasa or Manasa Puja was first brought to Assam’s in Kamrup and Goalpara from North Bengal by the Muslims. Dr. Nabin Sarma2 opined that this tradition of worshiping snake-goddess reached Assam from Bengal through cultural assimilation and migration.

4. CONCLUSION The relics of ancient Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa civilizations bring forth the evidences of prevalence of the serpent worship in the early ages. Such worshipping was also dominant during the times of Alexander’s invasion. Such ancient traditions are still found in many parts of Punjab, Garowal, Varanasi, Allahabad and South India. Therefore, we can conclude that snakes and snake-goddess has been occupying a dominant place in the beliefs and rituals of various societies in India and some other neighboring countries.

REFERENCES [1] H. Whitehead: Village Gods of South India, p-17-18 [2] Sarma, Nabin Chandra: Purani Asomiya Sahityar Aalok Rekha, p-54 [3] Barman, Sibnath (Editor), Asomiya Sahityar Buranji (Second part), 1997 [4] Sarma, Dr. Nabin Chandra: Manasa Kabya, 2012 [5] Sarma, Dr. Nabin Chandra: Devi Mahadevi, Jyoti Prakashan, 2015 [6] Sarma, Dr. Nabin Chandra: Purani Asomiya Sahityar Aalok Rekha, Bina Library [7] Sarma, Sashi: Kabi Mankar Birachita Manasa Kabya, Journal Emporium, 1991, Nalbari [8] Sarma Doloi, Dr. Harinath: Asomot Sakti Sadhana aaru Sakti sahitya, Joyshree Offset Press, Nalbari

[9] Sarma Doloi, Dr. Harinath: Asomiya Sahityar Ek Dish: Manasa Sakha, Press, Nalbari, 2013

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