Usha, Mother Goddess, Goddess of Dawn

In the Rig Veda, the goddess Usha is consistently associated with and often identified with the dawn. She reveals herself in the daily coming of light to the world. She has been described in the Rig Veda as a young maiden drawn by one hundred horses. She brings forth light and is followed by the sun who urges her onwards. She is praised for driving away or is petitioned to drive away, the oppressive darkness. She is asked to chase away evil demons. As the dawn she is said to rouse all life, to set all things in motion, and to send people off to do their duties. She sends the curled-up sleepers on their way to offer their sacrifices and thus render service to the other gods.

Usha gives strength and fame. She is that which impels life and is associated with the breath and life of all living creatures. She is associated with or moves with cosmic, social and moral order. As the regularly recurring dawn she reveals and participates in cosmic order and is the foe of chaotic forces that threaten the world. Usha is generally held as an auspicious goddess associated with light and wealth, and is often likened to a cow.

In the Rig Veda, she is also called 'the mother of cows' and like a cow that yields its udder for the benefit of people, so Usha bares her breasts to bring light for the benefit of humankind. Although she is usually described as a young and beautiful maiden, she is also called 'the mother of the gods and the Ashwin. Considered as mother by her petitioners she tends to all things like a good matron and goddess of the earth. She is said to be 'the eye of the gods' and is referred to as 'she who sees all', but is rarely invoked to forgive human transgressions. It is more typical to invoke her in times of need to drive away or punish one's enemies.

Usha is known as the goddess, reality, or presence that bears away youth. She is described as 'a skilled huntress who wastes away the lives of people. In accordance with the ways of Rita she wakes all living things but does not disturb the person who sleeps in death. As the recurring dawn, Usha is not only celebrated for bringing light from darkness, she is also petitioned to grant long life, as she is a constant reminder of peoples' limited time on earth. She is the mistress or marker of time.

The ancient Vedic tradition has viewed Usha as the harbinger of light, awareness, activity. People divided time into the form of day and night. At night all creation rests and in the day the whole of creation is active. The transformation which takes place from night to day is known to be the attribute of Usha, the awareness that stirs up the activity of creation, the light that gives sight to the eyes, that gives power to the senses, that gives power to the mind and intellect, Usha has been regarded as the light, or the dawn of human consciousness.

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Usha, the daughter of king Bana-asura.

Usha is also the name of a daitya princess who fell in love with Aniruddha, a prince she saw in her dream. Aniruddha is a tale taken from the Bhagawat: Aniruddha was the son of Pradyumna and grandson of Krishna. Usha, the daughter of an Asura named Bana, saw him in a dream and became anxious to know if there was such a person. Her friend Chitralekha drew the portraits of many gods and men. At last when she drew the portrait of Aniruddha, the grandson of Krishna, Usha recognized him. Chitralekha, by magical powers, set out to bring Aniruddha to Usha and a series of adventures then ensued. At last Aniruddha was kept captive by Banasura who was binding him with serpent bonds. After a fight, Krishna rescued Aniruddha and took him and his wife Usha to Dwaraka.