Lesson plan
Varuni
Varuni ( ) is the goddess-personification of alcoholic beverages and intoxication in Hinduism. The drink named Varuni is generally described as a fragrant wine made from date palm, but the goddess Varuni is associated with all intoxicating beverages. Commonly described as the daughter of Varuna (the god of water) and his wife Jyeshtha, Varuni emerges during the Samudra Manthana (churning of the ocean), bringing the drink with herself and chooses the companionship of either the Devas or the Asuras, depending on the text. In the Vaishnava tradition, Varuni as the intoxication-goddess is depicted offering wine to the deity Balarama. The term Varuni is also sometimes used to denote to Varuna's wife. When both a wife and a daughter of Varuna are attested in a text, they are distinguished by naming conventions: when the daughter—who is the goddess of wine—is referred to as Varuni, the wife is called Varunani; and when the wife is named Varuni, the daughter is called by the common term for liquor—Surā. In the goddess orient Shakta sect of Hinduism, Varuni is also the name of a Matrika—personification of Varuna's energy.
Article summary
Varuni ( ) is the goddess-personification of alcoholic beverages and intoxication in Hinduism. The drink named Varuni is generally described as a fragrant wine made from date palm, but the goddess Varuni is associated with all intoxicating beverages. Commonly described as the daughter of Varuna (the god of water) and his wife Jyeshtha, Varuni emerges during the Samudra Manthana (churning of the ocean), bringing the drink with herself and chooses the companionship of either the Devas or the Asuras, depending on the text. In the Vaishnava tradition, Varuni as the intoxication-goddess is depicted offering wine to the deity Balarama. The term Varuni is also sometimes used to denote to Varuna's wife. When both a wife and a daughter of Varuna are attested in a text, they are distinguished by naming conventions: when the daughter—who is the goddess of wine—is referred to as Varuni, the wife is called Varunani; and when the wife is named Varuni, the daughter is called by the common term for liquor—Surā. In the goddess orient Shakta sect of Hinduism, Varuni is also the name of a Matrika—personification of Varuna's energy.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.