Nirṛti
Nirṛti is a Hindu deity personifying death, decay, and sorrow. In early Hindu scriptures, Nirṛti is a goddess who lives in the kingdom of the dead. In later Hinduism, Nirṛti and Nirṛta is also a male god, who is regarded as a dikpala ("guardian of the directions") of the southwest.
↻ synthesized from 5 sources
When
- First attested
- 1500 BCE
- Attested period
- -1500 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Vedic period
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Enma-O, Ishana, Chandra, Nirṛta, Mṛṣā, Aditi, Savitr, Prajapati, Ratri, Raka, Vāc, Aranyani, Dinsana, Puramdhi, Parendi, Bharati, Mahi, Sri, Sambhu, Sangkara, Mahesora, Isana, Alakshmi, Sūrya, Yama, Prithvi, Soma, Vishnu, Deva, devi, Saraswati, Rudra, Agni, Indra, Varuna, Kubera, Brahma, Vayu, Śiva, Surya Majapahit, Īśvara, Mahādeva, Uṣas, Lakshmi, Ashura
- consort of
- Adharma
- sibling of
- Arita
Mentioned by
and 8 more
Sources
Source passages
“According to some scholars and authors, the goddess Nirṛti transformed into a male in later Hindu mythology and became a dikpala. Nirṛti is regarded as the guardian of the southwest direction.”
#12940 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“The Vedas describes a number of significant Devis such as Ushas (dawn), Prithvi (earth), Aditi (cosmic moral order), Saraswati (river, knowledge), Vāc (sound), Nirṛti (destruction), Ratri (night), Aranyani (forest), and bounty goddesses such as Dinsana, Raka, Puramdhi, Parendi, Bharati, Mahi, among others, mentioned in the Rigveda.”
#22175 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Eight other deities are located at the outer rim of the sun, symbolized by eight shining sun rays: Southwest: Nirṛti”
#22487 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“She is not mentioned by name in the Vedic, Upanishadic or early Puranic literature, but all aspects of Alakshmi match those of the Rig Vedic goddess Nirṛti.”
#29928 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001