When people think of forgotten Vedic goddesses today, names like Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Parvati instantly come to mind. But long before these deities became central to Hindu worship, the Rig Veda — the world’s oldest known religious text (c. 1500–1200 BCE) — sang praises to other divine feminine powers.
These Vedic goddesses represented dawn, speech, forests, infinite space, and even misfortune itself. Once celebrated in poetic hymns, they’ve faded from popular memory.
Let’s journey back to the Vedic age and meet five forgotten goddesses — Ushas, Aranyani, Vāk, Nirṛti, and Aditi — with verses from the Rig Veda that still echo their glory.
1. Ushas – The Forgotten Vedic Goddess of Dawn
Ushas (Uṣas) is the radiant Vedic goddess of dawn, often hailed as the oldest goddess in Hindu mythology. The Rig Veda devotes around 20 hymns to her, describing her as a youthful maiden draped in red, riding a golden chariot drawn by swift horses or cows, chasing away the darkness.
She is called the “Daughter of Heaven” (Dyaus Pita) and sometimes even the “Mother of the Gods”, for without dawn, the divine and human worlds cannot begin their daily work.
One beautiful verse from Rig Veda 6.64 praises her:
“The shining Dawns have arisen for splendor, glistening like the waves of the waters… You reveal your breast as you go in beauty, goddess Dawn, shining with all your might.”
Ushas doesn’t just bring light — she awakens all life, inspires thought, and symbolizes hope, renewal, and spiritual awakening.
2. Aranyani – The Enchantress of the Forest
Aranyani is the mysterious goddess of forests. She appears in Rig Veda 10.146 — one of the few hymns devoted to the wild.
The Vedic poets describe her as a carefree spirit who roams far from villages yet feels no fear. Her presence is sensed in the sounds of the jungle — the rustle of leaves, the distant call of birds, the jingling of anklets at dusk.
In the hymn, she is asked: “Why do you not seek the village? Are you not afraid?” But Aranyani only laughs in the music of the forest. She nourishes all creatures without cultivation:
“She tills not, but hath stores of food… Mother of all wild things.”
Today, Aranyani’s worship is rare, but she survives in the spirit of sacred groves and the Indian tradition of seeing forests as divine.
3. Vāk – The Sacred Voice, Goddess of Speech
Vāk is the Vedic goddess of speech and divine inspiration. In Rig Veda 10.125, known as the Devī Sūkta, she speaks directly through the voice of a female sage — one of the earliest examples of women as spiritual seers.
She boldly declares:
“I am the Queen, the gatherer of treasures, most thoughtful, first of those who merit worship… I make the man I love a sage, a seer.”
Vāk moves among gods like Indra, Varuṇa, and Agni, sustaining them with her power. She is the life force of sacred hymns, the medium through which wisdom flows.
In later tradition, she merges with Saraswati, but in the Vedic age, she stood as a cosmic principle — the very voice of creation.
4. Nirṛti – The Goddess of Misfortune and Decay
While many goddesses bring blessings, Nirṛti personifies death, decay, and misfortune. She appears in several Rig Vedic hymns, often in prayers to send her far away.
In Rig Veda 10.59, priests chant almost like an exorcism:
“Let Nirṛti depart to distant places.”
She represents the opposite of ṛta (cosmic order) — the forces of chaos and destruction. By acknowledging her and respectfully asking her to depart, the Vedic people sought to protect themselves from disease, poverty, and bad luck.
In later Hindu cosmology, Nirṛti became a guardian of the southwest direction, but in the Rig Veda, she is the feared Lady of Ruin — a reminder that even the ancients personified misfortune.
5. Aditi – The Boundless Mother of the Gods
Aditi means “boundless” — she is infinite space, the universal mother. The Rig Veda calls her Devamātā (Mother of the Gods) and says she birthed the Ādityas — celestial gods like Mitra and Varuṇa.
A famous verse from Rig Veda 1.89.10 captures her essence:
“Aditi is Heaven; Aditi is the sky;
Aditi is the mother, the father, and the son;
Aditi is all the gods and all that has been born;
Aditi is all that shall be born.”
Aditi symbolizes limitless compassion, protection, and unity. She is not just a deity but the very fabric of existence. In later mythology, she becomes the mother of Indra and even Vishnu’s incarnation, but in the Vedas, she is pure cosmic infinity.
These five forgotten Vedic goddesses — Ushas, Aranyani, Vāk, Nirṛti, and Aditi — reveal the diversity of divine femininity in ancient Hindu thought. They show that the Vedic mind saw divinity in dawn’s first light, the whisper of forests, the power of speech, the shadow of misfortune, and the infinite sky.
By remembering them, we connect to a worldview that honored both nurturing and destructive forces, seeing all as part of the eternal cycle.
Sources:
Rig Veda – Hymn to Ushas (RV 6.64)
Rig Veda – Hymn to Aranyani (RV 10.146)
Rig Veda – Devi Sukta to Vāk (RV 10.125)
