Sri Bhudevi

Manifestation

The formless Supreme Being (Brahman) has eternally manifested as a triad of three couples, of which Vishnu represents the Divine role as the Lord, Preserver, Sustainer of the bounteous creation which is represented by His consort Lakshmi. The word ‘laksha’ literally means ‘lady owner of a hundred thousand’ and figuratively means ‘owner of infinite riches’. Therefore, ‘Lakshmi’ means mother nature or the universe which has infinite riches. A special part of the universe is our own Mother Earth (Bhūdevī), on which we are born, where we live, and where we eventually die. Therefore, Hindus worship Bhūdevī separately as a Deity to express our gratitude towards the Lord and His creation. The living Deity Bhūdevī can in turn incarnate in various forms, the most famous of which is the saint Āṇdāḷ. 

Physical Attributes/Symbolism

• Bhūdevī is depicted as a woman sitting on or lifted by the tusks of Varāha, the Wild Boar incarnation of Vishṇu.

• In times of crisis, the Spiritual Essence of Bhūdevī assumes the form of a cow, and she often approaches Vishṇu, or righteous rulers, to protect her from evil and exploitation. A story related to King Prithu below illustrates this.

• Bhūdevī is believed to have incarnated as Saint Āṇdāḷ in the late 7th cent. CE in Tamil Nadu (India) where she was declared as one of the greatest saints. 

Qualities/Symbolism

Humans exploit Mother Earth in many ways, some of which inflict violence on her. These activities include mining, agriculture and construction of our homes. And yet, rarely does Mother Earth retaliate. Like a mother, she patiently bears the excesses of Her children, and continues to bless them with Her riches. For this reason, Bhūdevī is taken as an embodiment of forgiveness and giving without reserve in the Hindu tradition.

Ways of Worship and Types of Devotees

• In the Atharva Veda, one of the four revealed Hindu scriptures, Mother Earth is extolled in the beautiful ‘Bhūmisūktaṃ’ hymn comprising of 63 verses. A verse says that we are all children of the mother earth. Another verse reads: “People speaking many languages and practicing many different Dharmas (Duties or Faiths) reside on this earth as if living within the same house”, Atharva Veda 12.1.45 

• At the start of the cropping season, Hindu farmers ceremoniously worship Bhūdevī with offerings to bless them with a plentiful harvest. Likewise, a ‘Bhūmipoojan’ (worship of Mother Earth) is offered before digging the foundation of any building. To atone for the inadvertent killing of bugs, rodents, reptiles etc., involved in construction activities, offerings are made to them ceremoniously as well.

• In South Indian states, the worship of Āṇdāḷ as a wife of Vishṇu is very popular, and the Saint is represented by an image of a well-attired and bejeweled lady, as in our own temple. In the winter month of Margazhi, her composition Thiruppavai in the Maṇpravalā language (nouns from Sanskrit and verbs from Tamil language) are sung every day by the devout to commemorate her pure and intense love for Lord Vishṇu.

Avatars of/Related to

Bhūdevī incarnates as Āṇdāḷ - In the 7th cent. CE, a childless saint Vishnuchittar who was devoted to Lord Vishṇu, one day found an infant girl under a bush of the Tulsi plant in his garden. Overjoyed, he adopted and raised the girl and named her ‘Āṇdāḷ’ or ‘Godā’ (the gift of Mother Earth). As the girl grew, she displayed immense devotion and love towards Krishna, an incarnation of Vishṇu. She wrote two compositions, the Thiruppavai and the Nachiar Tirumozhi in which she portrays herself as a ‘Gopī’, the cowherd women who loved Krishna during his incarnation. One day, Vishṇu appeared to Vishnuchittar in a dream and said that he would like to wear only those garlands that had been first worn by Godā, a sacrilege for the orthodox. On a chosen day, Āṇdāḷ went in a wedding procession to the local Vishṇu temple where she transformed into a beam of light that merged with the sacred image of the Lord, implying her merger with Vishṇu. Her writings were incorporated into the sacred Divyaprabandham literature of Shrivaishnava Hindus, she was regarded as one of their two greatest saints, and she was declared to be an incarnation of Lakshmi/Bhūdevī.

Regions most worshiped

Shrines dedicated to Āṇdāḷ are scattered all over South India, and she is also worshipped in our own temple. As explained above, Hindu farmers and owners of homes and other buildings everywhere perform Her worship during the ground-breaking ceremony.

Well-Known Stories

• These occur in scriptures like the Vishnu Purāṇa, Bhāgavata Purāṇa, as well as in the literature of the Shrivaishnava Hindu tradition.

• Vishṇu appears as Varāha to save Mother Earth: In ancient times, a demon named Hiraṇyāksha drowned earth in the cosmic ocean. Vishṇu incarnated as a wild boar and uplifted her with His tusks. The demon represents ‘Godless materialism’. The story teaches us that worship of the Lord and His power can save our planet, not wanton exploitation of natural resources for greed. 

• Bhūdevī becomes the daughter of King Prithu: In ancient times, tired of being abused by human activities, Bhūdevī withheld her bounties and started running away in the form of a cow till the noble King Prithu chased her and caught her. Bhūdevī relented, provided King Prithu promised that humans will not use her resources purely for selfish needs, but will share them with others, with the gods in heaven, with other creatures and use them for worship, that they will henceforth treat food as a Divine gift, and will not waste it. King Prithu mobilized his subjects to level earth and create irrigation systems which helped them produce food more efficiently.

• Fascinating Facts: Several ancient texts of Hindu astronomy predating Newton by more than 1000 years declared that the earth is a sphere that revolves around the sun and is a not flat piece of land around which the sun revolves, as was commonly believed by many till recently.  

Other Popular Names

• Prithvī: Daughter of King Prithu, or ‘earth that has a great expanse for all creatures’. 

• Vasudhā: The bearer of all treasures.

• Dharā: That which supports or bears all creatures.

Popular/Well-known Prayers

Other than the compositions of Āṇdāḷ that are chanted by Shrivaishnava Hindus, the following verse is chanted by many Hindus before placing their feet on the ground after waking up in the morning. This verse indicates the reverence we hold our Mother Earth in, and Her eternal protection by Lord Vishṇu.