Vaishnavi is one of the Sapta Matrikas, the seven mother goddesses of Hindu tradition, embodying the shakti or divine power of Vishnu. She rides his own mount, the eagle bodied Garuda, and carries his weapons, the conch, the discus, the mace and the lotus. The Devi Mahatmya recounts the Matrikas springing from the bodies of the gods to fight beside the goddess Durga against the demon armies, each taking her parent god's own form and arms. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Attributions
Mythic AssociationIn the Metropolitan Museum's Pahari painting of the Devi Mahatmya battle scene she is shown mounted on Garuda, flying above the field alongside the other Matrikas around Durga and the emaciated Chamunda. 2 Identity
GenderSourced to the subject's own account Function
Domain / FunctionSourced to the subject's own accountProtection and guardianship 1 Belief
TheologySourced to the subject's own account Attestation
Veneration TodaySourced to the subject's own accountActively venerated in a living tradition 1 HistoricitySourced to the subject's own accountNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1 Origins
Origin of the NameSourced to the subject's own accountVaishnavi is the feminine form of Vaishnava, of Vishnu, naming her directly as his shakti rather than as an independently rooted theonym. 1 Cult
Attributes and IconographySourced to the subject's own accountShown riding Garuda, Vishnu's own mount, and carrying his four attributes, the conch, the discus, the mace and the lotus, the standard canon for the Matrika who is his shakti. 1 Correspondences & Relations
Connections
Associated With
This source names Vaishnavi directly: "manifestations of the Hindu pantheon: Vaishnavi on Garuda, Kaumari on a peacock and Brahmani on a swan flying above, with Indrani on an elephant and Maheswari on a bull."
Source Battle Scene from a Devi Mahatmya, Object Record (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Durga, Deities This source names Durga directly: "the gods to fight beside the goddess Durga against the demon armies, each taking her parent god's own form and arms."
Source Matrikas (Wikipedia)
This source names Garuda directly: "She rides his own mount, the eagle bodied Garuda, and carries his weapons, the conch, the discus, the mace and the lotus."
Source Matrikas (Wikipedia)
This source names Vaishnavi directly: "male deity: Brahmani of Brahma, Vaishnavi of Vishnu, Maheshvari of Shiva, Kaumari of Kartikeya, Varahi of Varaha, Indrani of Indra and Chamunda of Chandi or Parvati, each riding her parent god's own..."
Source Matrikas (Wikipedia)
This source names Shakti directly: "of Hindu tradition, embodying the shakti or divine power of Vishnu."
Source Matrikas (Wikipedia)
Attested In
Source Matrikas (Wikipedia)
Depicted In
Source Battle Scene from a Devi Mahatmya, Object Record (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Member Of
Source Matrikas (Wikipedia)
Worshipped In
Source Matrikas (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Matrikas (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead paragraph, list of Matrika-Shakti pairingsQuote, lead paragraph, list of Matrika-Shakti pairings
Brahmani emerged from Brahma, Vaishnavi from Vishnu, Maheshwari from Shiva, Indrani from Indra, Kaumari from Kartikeya, Varahi from Varaha, Narasimhi from Narasimha, and Chamunda from Chandi.
2. Battle Scene from a Devi Mahatmya, Object Record (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
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