Ashokasundari (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: अशोकसुन्दरी, ) is a

Hindu goddess Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, even agnostic, atheistic, or humanist. Julius J. Lip ...

. She is the daughter of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

, and the consort of

Nahusha Nahusha (, ) is a king of the Chandravamsha (Lunar dynasty) in Hindu Puranas and Mahabharata. He is described to be the son of Āyus, the eldest son of Pururavas, and Prabha, the daughter of Svarbhānu. Literature Nahusha is mentioned ofte ...

. Barring the ''

Padma Purana The ''Padma Purana'' (, or ) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedic ...

'', she is not found in any major

Hindu scriptures Hindu texts or Hindu scriptures are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. Some of the major Hindu texts include the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Itihasa. Scholars ...

Etymology

Ashokasundari was created from the wish-fulfilling tree

Kalpavriksha Kalpavriksha (, Kalpavṛkṣa) is a wish-fulfilling divine tree in religions like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. In Buddhism, another term, ''ratnavṛkṣa'' (jeweled tree)'','' is also common''.'' Its earliest descriptions are mentione ...

when Parvati wished for a daughter to reduce her loneliness. The words in her name are derived from her creation. ''Ashoka'' refers to the easing of Parvati's ''shoka'', which means "sorrow", while ''sundari'' means "beautiful girl".

Legend

The birth of Ashokasundari is recorded in the ''

''. In one of the variants of the tale of

, Parvati once requested Shiva to take her to the most beautiful garden in the world. As per her wishes, Shiva took her to Nandanvana, where Parvati saw a tree known as

which could fulfill any wish. Since Kartikeya, the son of Parvati, had grown up and left Kailash, as a mother it caused immense grief and loneliness to her. She asked for a daughter from the wish-fulfilling tree to end her loneliness. Her wish was granted and Ashokasundari was born. Parvati prophesied that Ashokasundari would marry

of the lunar dynasty, who would be equal to

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

, the king of heaven. Once, Ashokasundari was roaming in Nandanvana with her maids, a

rakshasa Rākshasa (, , ; ; "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as ...

(demon) called Hunda saw her and fell in love with her. However, the goddess rejected the advances of the demon and informed him about her destiny to marry Nahusha. Hunda disguised himself as a widow, whose husband was killed by him, and asked Ashokasundari to accompany her to her hermitage. The goddess went with the disguised demon and reached his palace. She discovered his treachery and cursed him to be killed by Nahusha and escaped to her parents' abode,

Mount Kailash Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; ; ; , ) is a mountain in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part ...

. Hunda kidnaps the infant Nahusha from his palace, however, he is rescued by a maid of Hunda and given under the sage

Vashistha Vasishtha (, ) is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigv ...

's care. After a few years, Nahusha grows up and understands about his destiny to kill Hunda. Hunda abducts Ashokasundari and tells her that he had killed Nahusha. The goddess was consoled by a

Kinnara A kinnara (Sanskrit: Kiṃnara) is a creature from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They are described as part human and part bird, and have a strong association with music and love. Believed to come from the Himalayas, they often watch ove ...

couple who informed her of Nahusha's wellbeing and prophesied that she would mother a powerful son called

Yayati Yayati () is an emperor in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas. According to the Harivamsa, Yayati is the son of King Nahusha, and ...

and a hundred beautiful daughters. Nahusha fought Hunda and defeated him after a fierce battle and rescued Ashokasundari, whom he married. Over course of time, in absence of Indra, Nahusha was temporarily made the regent of heaven.

In popular culture

Ashokasundari does not appear in any significant

, barring in the ''Padma Purana''. Her appearance in the television series '' Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev'', on the life of Shiva brought her to the notice of many. She has been portrayed by: *

Ahsaas Channa Ahsaas Channa (born 5 August 1999) is an Indian actress who works in the Hindi film and TV industry. As a child actress, she worked in '' Vaastu Shastra'', '' Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'', '' My Friend Ganesha'', '' Phoonk'', among others, and as a ...

and

Ashnoor Kaur Ashnoor Kaur (born 3 May 2004) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi television. Kaur made her acting debut in 2009 with '' Jhansi Ki Rani''. She is best known for her portrayal of Navika Vyas Bhatnagar in '' Na Bole Tum Na Maine ...

in ''Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev''. * Zeel Thakkar in ''

Vighnaharta Ganesh Sony Entertainment Television (abbreviated as SET) is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel that was launched in 1995 and is owned by Culver Max Entertainment, a division of Sony Pictures. History This channel ...

''. * Muskan Kalyani in ''

Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyaag Tandav ''Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyaag Tandav'' is an Indian Hindi-language television drama series that premiered on 19 June 2023 on Colors TV and JioHotstar. The show traced the first love story of the universe with exploring the journey of Shiva and ...

Etymology

Legend

In popular culture

References

Bibliography

External links