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Vedic Literature

            
            
             The text that will be critiqued is "Hindu Goddesses", written by David Kinsley in 1988. It seems to me to be an essay trying to prove the importance of female deities in the ancient Hindu texts as well as the modern Hindu culture. The sub-title, "Visions of the Divine Feminine in Hindu Religious Traditions" seems to suggest the same theme. The author notices the importance of the male deities in the Rig-Vedas, but he also notices that the minor roles the female deities play.
             " although there are many female deities they do not, either individually or collectively represent the "center" of Rig-Vedic religion." .
             Kinsley goes on to describe a few major goddesses and a few minor goddesses who seem to either play a role in hand with a male deity or just seem to represent an important element of the Vedic religion. For example, Usas, the dawn is described as being the mother of all gods and is associated with the breath of life. Another example is Prithivi, whom is said to always be associated with the male deity Dyaus. Prithivi is the earth and her "complementary relationship" with Dyaus are said to be the "universal parents who created the world and the gods."1 As Kinsley describes the features and roles that the goddesses play in the Rig-Vedas, he seems to always present the underlying tone that the female deities are much deeper and important than they at first seem. He concludes by saying that some of the Vedic goddesses have survived in form, and maybe under a different name in later Hindu tradition.
             I feel that this text was written to give the reader a broader sense of the Rig-Vedas. In a mainly male-dominated religion, it is important to point out the female aspect of things. Kinsley takes it upon himself to point out the goddesses, and how some have survived throughout the millenniums and how they are still important. The impact of realizing that the goddesses have still survived seems to be that they hold much more importance to the core of the religion than originally thought.


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