Encyclopedia for Epics of Ancient India

A - B - C - D - E - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - P - R - S - T - U - V - Y


Sanjna

SANJNA. [Source: Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology] 'Conscience.' According to the Puranas, she was daughter of Viswakarma and wife of the sun. She had three children by him, the Manu Vaivaswata, Yama, and Yami (goddess of the Yamuna river). "Unable to endure the fervours of her lord, Sanjna gave him Chhaya (shade) as his handmaid, and repaired to the forests to practice devout exercises." The sun beheld her engaged in austerities in the form of a mare, and he approached her as a horse. Hence sprang the two Aswins and Revanta. Surya then took Sanjna back to his own dwelling, but his effulgence was still so overpowering, that her father, Viswakarma, placed the sun upon his lathe, and cut away an eighth part of his brilliancy. She is also called Dyumayi, 'the brilliant,' and Mahavirya, 'the very powerful.'


Modern Languages MLLL-4993. Indian Epics. Laura Gibbs, Ph.D. The textual material made available at this website is licensed under a Creative Commons License. You must give the original author credit. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one. No claims are made regarding the status of images used at this website; if you own the copyright privileges to any of these images and believe your copyright privileges have been violated, please contact the webmaster. Page last updated: October 16, 2007 12:22 PM