CHAPTER VII.

UMA.

UMa is the name by which the consort of Siva is first known. In the sacred books she appears in many forms, and is known by many names; but as there are legends giving the circumstances connected with the names and forms more generally known, these will be given as far as possible in chronological order.

When Devi (the goddess) appears as Uma, she is said to be the daughter of Daksha, a son of Brahma. Her father was at first very unwilling that his daughter should marry a mendicant, but his scruples were overcome by the persuasion of Brahma. As Siva is styled Mahadeva, Uma is frequently called simply Devi. At this period of her existence she is also called Sati, in allusion to the fact that when her father slighted her husband by not inviting him to the great sacrifice he made, she voluntarily entered the sacrificial fire and was burned to death in the presence of the gods and Brahmans; or, according to another account, was, under the same circumstances, consumed by her own glory. The name Sati means "the true, or virtuous woman," and is given to those widows who ascend the funeral pile of their husbands, and undergo a voluntary death by being burned with his corpse. Ambika, another name of Uma, in one of the earliest books, is said to be the sister of

[paragraph continues] Rudra; and yet in the later ones she is declared to be his wife.

"The earliest work, so far as I am aware, in which the name of Uma appears, is the Talavakara, or Kena Upanishad. In the third section of that treatise it is mentioned that on one occasion Brahma gained a victory for the gods. As, however, they were disposed to ascribe the credit of their success to themselves, Brahma appeared for the purpose of disabusing them of their mistake. The gods did not know him, and commissioned first Agni and then Vayu, to ascertain what this apparition was. When, in answer to Brahma's inquiry, these two gods represented themselves, the one as having power to burn, and the other to blow away anything whatever, he desired them respectively to burn and blow away a blade of grass; but they were unable to do this, and returned without ascertaining who he was. Indra was then commissioned to ascertain who this apparition was. 'So be it,' he replied, and approached that being, who vanished from him. In the sky he came to a woman, who was very resplendent, Uma Haimavati. To her he said: 'What is this apparition?' She said, It is Brahma; in this victory of Brahma exult.' By this he knew that it was Brahma. The commentators on this passage declare that Uma means 'knowledge,' and speak of Uma as the impersonation of 'divine knowledge.'" [**]