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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Hindu goddess}}<br />
{{for|the ancient town|Sambhar, Rajasthan}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2016}}<br />
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{{Infobox deity<!--Bharatpedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology--><br />
| image = Shakambari.jpg<br />
| type = Hindu<br />
| name = Shakambhari<br />
| Devanagari = शाकम्भरी<br />
| festivals = [[Navaratri]], [[Durga Puja]], [[Durga Ashtami]]<br />
| deity_of = Goddess of Nourishment<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8LkMAAAAIAAJ&dq=shakambhari+goddess+nourishment&pg=PA439 | title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency | year=1884 | publisher=Printed at the Government Central Press }}</ref><br />
| venerated_in = [[Hinduism]]<br />
| caption = Artistic depiction of Shakambhari<br />
| affiliation = [[Mahadevi]], [[Parvati]]<br />
}}<br />
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'''Shakambhari''' ([[Sanskrit]]: शाकम्भरी, [[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]]: Śākambharī), also referred to as '''Shatakshi''', is the goddess of nourishment. She is regarded as a form of [[Mahadevi]], and identified with [[Durga]] in [[Hinduism]].<ref>SINHA, N. (1991). A STUDY OF THE ORIGIN MYTHS: SITUATING THE GUHILAS IN THE HISTORY OF MEWAR (A.D. SEVENTH TO THIRTEENTH CENTURIES). Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 52, 63–71. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44142569</ref> After the malevolent [[asura]] [[Durgasur|Durgamasura]] deprived the earth of nourishment by causing the sages to forget the [[Vedas]], the goddess appeared to offer human beings and [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]] sufficient fruits and vegetables to restore their strength.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2018-05-22 |title=Shakambhari, Śākambharī, Śākaṃbharī: 12 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/shakambhari |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref><br />
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{{Saktism}}<br />
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== Etymology ==<br />
The word ''śākaṃbharī'' means 'she who bears vegetables'. The word is derived from two words- ''śāka'' (Sanskrit: शाक) which means 'vegetable/vegan food' and ''bharī'' (Sanskrit: भरी) which means 'holder/bearer/wearer' which is ultimately derived from the root word ''bhṛ'' (Sanskrit: भृ) which means 'to bear/to wear/to nourish'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thirugnanam |url=http://archive.org/details/DeviMahatmyamEnglishTransiteration |title=Devi Mahatmyam English Transliteration |access-date=2022-09-18 |date=December 2012}}</ref><br />
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== Legend ==<br />
[[File:Shakambari Mata.jpg|thumb|Shakambhari Mata Temple in Sambhar, Rajasthan]]After the asura [[Durgasur|Durgamasura]] sought to plunge the earth in drought and scarcity, a century of suffering endured on earth, when the sages finally remembered the goddess [[Parvati]] after the asura had made them forget about the Vedas, she appeared upon the worlds in a dark-hued blue form, casting her hundred eyes on the sages. When the sages extolled and chanted the hymns of [[Ishvari]], the [[Chaturbhuja|four-handed]] goddess appeared bearing a lotus, arrows, a great bow, and vegetables, fruits, flower, and roots. According to the [[Devi-Bhagavata Purana|Devi Bhagavata Purana]], seeing the misery of the people, she showered incessant tears from her eyes, streaming into rivers, and offering medicines.<br />
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The Uma Samhita of Shiva Purana identifies Devi Satakshi and Shakambari as manifestations of Goddess Parvati. A parallel account is also found in the Skanda Purana and Devi Bhagvatam, where Parvati is said to have slain the demon Durgamasura.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2018-11-04 |title=The incarnation of Śatākṣī etc. [Chapter 50] |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc226610.html |access-date=2025-09-25 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2013-05-15 |title=On the glory of the Śatakṣi Devī [Chapter 28] |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/devi-bhagavata-purana/d/doc57285.html |access-date=2025-09-25 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref><br />
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== Temple ==<br />
There are several temples dedicated to Shakambhari. One temple is located in [[Saharanpur]], Uttar Pradesh.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Shakumbhari Devi Temple {{!}} District Saharanpur, Government of Uttar Pradesh {{!}} India |url=https://saharanpur.nic.in/tourist-place/shakumbhari-devi-temple/ |access-date=2025-09-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> Another major temple is in Rajasthan near [[Sambhar Salt Lake|Sambhar Lake]], and a third is located in located in Badami.<ref name=":0" /> <br />
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== Further reading ==<br />
* [[Annapurna (goddess)|Annapurna]]<br />
* [[Inanna|Ishtar]]<br />
* [[Ceres (mythology)|Ceres]] <br />
* [[Demeter]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
{{Hindu Culture and Epics}}<br />
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[[Category:Hindu goddesses]]<br />
[[Category:Forms of Lakshmi]]<br />
[[Category:Forms of Parvati]]<br />
[[Category:Folk deities of Rajasthan]]</div>SureshAcharya