View source for Ratri

{{short description|Hindu/Vedic goddess of night}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| devanagari = रात्रि
| affiliation = [[Devi]]
| texts = [[Vedas]]
| father = [[Dyaus]]
| mother = [[Prithvi]]
| siblings = [[Ushas]] (sister)<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aqDC5bwx4_wC&dq=ratri+goddess&pg=PA264 | isbn=9781438109855 | title=Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses | date=14 May 2014 | publisher=Infobase }}</ref>[[Indra]] (brother)
| deity_of = Personification of the night
| greek_equivalent = [[Nyx]]
| norse_equivalent = [[Nótt]]
| image            = Rishikesh Astrophotography (crop).jpg
| caption          = Ratri is the Hindu personification of the night. Above: Night sky at [[Rishikesh]], [[Uttarakhand]], India
}}
{{Hindu scriptures}}
'''Ratri''' ({{langx|sa|रात्रि|lit=night}}, {{IAST3|Rātri}}; also referred to as '''Nisha'''), is a [[Vedic]] goddess in [[Hinduism]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2016-04-12 |title=Ratri, Rātrī, Rātri: 19 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/ratri |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref> She is the personification of the night.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jordan |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aqDC5bwx4_wC&dq=ratri+goddess&pg=PA264 |title=Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses |date=2014-05-14 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-1-4381-0985-5 |pages=264 |language=en}}</ref> The majority of references to Ratri are found in [[Rigveda]] and she is described as the sister of [[Ushas]], the personification of dawn. Together with Ushas, she is referred to as a powerful mother and strengthener of vital power. She represents cyclic rhythmic patterns of the cosmos. Her physical appearance isn't explicitly mentioned, but she is described as a beautiful maiden.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition|last=Kinsley|first=David|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|year=2005|isbn=81-208-0394-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesvi0000kins/page/14 14]}}</ref> 

One hymn in the [[Rigveda]] and five hymns in the [[Atharvaveda]] are dedicated to her. In later Tantric texts she occupies an important position. She is associated with Ushas, [[Indra]], [[Rta]], [[Satya]] in Rigveda, whereas in Atharvaveda she is associated with [[Surya]]. The [[Brahmanas]] and the [[Sutra]] literature often mention Ratri.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pandit N.R. Bhatt, Felicitation Volume Iib: Philosophy Series|last=Mishra|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|year=1994|isbn=9788120811836|pages=39–49}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Dewi Ratih]]
*[[Ushas]]
*[[Aditi]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category:Hindu goddesses]]
[[Category:Night goddesses]]
[[Category:Rigvedic deities]]

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