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Also known as Rātrī

Ratri (; also referred to as Nakt), is a Vedic goddess in Hinduism. She is the personification of the night. The majority of references to Ratri are found in Rigveda and she is described as the sister of Ushas, the personification of dawn. Together with Ushas, she is referred to as a powerful mother and strengthener of vital power. She represents cyclic rhythmic patterns of the cosmos. Her physical appearance isn't explicitly mentioned, but she is described as a beautiful maiden.

Key facts

Deity.type
Hindu
Deity.affiliation
Devi
Deity.texts
Vedas
Deity.father
Dyaus
Deity.mother
Prithvi
Deity.siblings
Ushas (sister)Indra (brother)
Deity.deity_of
Personification of the night
Deity.greek_equivalent
Nyx
Deity.norse_equivalent
Nótt
Deity.image
Rishikesh Astrophotography (crop).jpg
Deity.caption
Ratri is the Vedic personification of the night. Above: Night sky at Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

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Wikidata facts

Show 4 more facts
native label
Ratri
Soundex
R360
Cologne phonetics
727
Caverphone
RTR111
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Ratri (; also referred to as Nakt), is a Vedic goddess in Hinduism. She is the personification of the night. The majority of references to Ratri are found in Rigveda and she is described as the sister of Ushas, the personification of dawn. Together with Ushas, she is referred to as a powerful mother and strengthener of vital power. She represents cyclic rhythmic patterns of the cosmos. Her physical appearance isn't explicitly mentioned, but she is described as a beautiful maiden.

One hymn in the Rigveda and five hymns in the Atharvaveda are dedicated to her. In later Tantric texts she occupies an important position. She is associated with Ushas, Indra, Rta, Satya in Rigveda, whereas in Atharvaveda she is associated with Surya. The Brahmanas and the Sutra literature often mention Ratri.

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