Dakṣa-Sarga: The Daughters of Dakṣa
Dakṣa-sarga means “the creation through Dakṣa”. Dakṣa is one of the Prajāpatis, the great fathers of beings, and his daughters became the mothers of many different kinds of beings. Chapter 2 of the Madhyama Bhāga of the Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa records the famous list of these daughters.
Twenty-seven (or twenty-eight) of the daughters were given to Soma (the moon) as the nakṣatras, the “lunar mansions” or star-groups through which the moon passes each month. Sixteen daughters were given to Kaśyapa Prajāpati: Aditi, Diti, Danu, Kāṣṭhā, Ariṣṭā, Surasā, Ilā, Muni, Krodhā, Tāmrā, Surabhi, Saramā, Timi, Khagā, Vinatā and Kadrū. Through these sixteen mothers the whole variety of devas, semi-divine beings and asuras (beings opposed to the devas) in the created world was born.
Dakṣa’s Role in Creation
Dakṣa is one of the fourteen Prajāpatis, and one of the most important in the family tree of the universe. He was a son of Brahmā, born from Brahmā’s right thumb according to some accounts, or from his mind (mānasa-sṛṣṭi) according to others. Dakṣa was given a special task: to produce the mothers from whom all the celestial races would be born. So his daughters hold a founding place in the Purāṇas. They are the mothers of the universe, and through their unions with Kaśyapa every class of being between the devas and the asuras was born.
The Twenty-Seven Daughters Given to Soma
Dakṣa gave twenty-seven (in some accounts twenty-eight) of his daughters to Soma (the moon) as his wives. These daughters are the lunar nakṣatras, the twenty-seven or twenty-eight star-mansions through which the moon travels each month. Each nakṣatra stands for a particular power or quality, linked with its presiding devatā and its place in the sky. Because the moon is joined with all twenty-seven nakṣatras, it can reflect the full range of these powers in its monthly cycle, growing and waning through each one in turn.
The Sixteen Daughters Given to Kaśyapa
The sixteen daughters given to Kaśyapa Prajāpati are the mothers of the main races of devas, semi-divine beings and asuras. The Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa gives their names and the beings born from each:
| Dakṣa’s daughter | Beings born from her |
|---|---|
| Aditi | The twelve Ādityas (devas) |
| Diti | The daityas (asuras), including Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa; later the forty-nine Maruts |
| Danu | The dānavas, led by Vipracitti |
| Kāṣṭhā | Horses and mules |
| Ariṣṭā | Gandharvas (heavenly musicians) |
| Surasā | Rākṣasas (one line) and nāgas (serpent beings) |
| Ilā | Trees and creepers |
| Muni | Apsarās (heavenly dancers) |
| Krodhā | Piśācas and other wrathful beings |
| Tāmrā | Birds (including Garuḍa’s line through Vinatā, and various birds of prey) |
| Surabhi | Cattle and buffalo |
| Saramā | Dogs and animals of prey |
| Timi | Water beings and fish |
| Khagā | Birds of the sky |
| Vinatā | Garuḍa and Aruṇa (she is the mother of the divine eagle and of the charioteer of the sun) |
| Kadrū | The nāgas, serpent beings, including Śeṣa, Vāsuki and Takṣaka |
Aditi’s Twelve Sons: The Ādityas
Aditi, the foremost of Dakṣa’s daughters given to Kaśyapa, is the mother of the twelve Ādityas. They are the twelve solar devas who are the chief devas of the Vaivasvata Manvantara (the present age of Manu). These twelve are Indra, Viṣṇu, Aryamā, Varuṇa, Mitra, Dhātā, Parjanya, Pūṣā, Tvaṣṭā, Bhaga, Vivasvān and Aṃśa. They govern the order of the universe in the present manvantara. By recording Aditi’s sons, the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa ties its section on the pitṛs (the Pitṛkalpa) to the family tree of the universe: the devas who rule the manvantara are themselves children of a particular mother and a particular father.
What This Teaches
The story of Dakṣa’s daughters shows a deep oneness beneath the great variety of beings. All the great races, devas, asuras, nāgas, gandharvas, apsarās, birds and beasts, come from a shared group of mothers and one father (Kaśyapa), and all the mothers are daughters of one father (Dakṣa). This shared family is the basis, in story form, for the teaching of the Upaniṣads that all beings are one: the variety of creation comes from one source and in the end returns to it. The Purāṇa makes this teaching concrete by telling it as a family history rather than as an abstract idea.
Sources
- Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 2