Yamuna

Goddess Yamuna personifies the sacred Yamuna River, one of the seven holy rivers of India. According to the Rigveda (10.75.5), the Yamuna is praised as a mighty river flowing from the Himalayas. In the Puranas, she is described as the daughter of Surya, the sun god, and sister of Yama, the god of death, as stated in the Vishnu Purana (2.10.1-3). Her name 'Yamuna' means 'twin' or 'sister of Yama', and she is also called Kālindī, born from the Kalinda mountain. The Bhagavata Purana (10.30.24-30) narrates her deep association with Krishna's childhood pastimes in Vrindavan, where she is the beloved river that witnessed his divine sports.

She is often depicted as dark-complexioned (Śyāmā), symbolizing her connection to Krishna's dark hue, seated on a tortoise (her vahana), holding a lotus and a water vessel. Her iconography emphasizes purity, love, and devotion. The Skanda Purana (Ayodhya Khanda) recounts the myth of her descent to earth to purify the world and her marriage to Krishna, as per the Harivamsa Purana (2.16.1-10). In regional worship, especially in the Braj region of North India, she is venerated as a mother goddess who grants liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The Yamuna is considered the most sacred river in Vaishnavism, and bathing in her waters is believed to cleanse sins and bestow devotion to Krishna.

Festivals like Yamuna Jayanti (her birth anniversary) and Yamuna Chhath are celebrated with great fervor. In Hindu cosmology, she is one of the seven sacred rivers that flow from heaven to earth, and her waters are used in all major rituals. The Devi Mahatmya (11.49) also extols her purifying power. Her mantras, such as 'Om Yamunāyai namaḥ', are chanted for spiritual purification and to invoke her blessings. The Yamuna Stotram, found in the Padma Purana, praises her as the consort of Krishna and the remover of all impurities.

Dark-complexioned, seated on tortoise. Holds lotus and water vessel. Often depicted alongside Krishna.