Ekanamsha (; ) is a Hindu goddess. She is primarily identified with the illusory power of Vishnu as Yogmaya.
The goddess is believed to have been worshipped by the .[Bhattacharji, Sukumari (2000). The Indian Theogony: Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, New Delhi: Penguin, , p.173] Many "kinship triads", depicting Vasudeva Krishna, Balarama, and their sister Ekanamsha have been found in the Mathura region, which are stylistically dated to the early centuries of the Common era.
Etymology
In Sanskrit, Ekanamsha means "the single, portionless one", and is a name of the new moon.
[Hawley, John Stratton and Donna Marie Wolf (1986) (ed.) The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India, Boston: Beacon Press, , p.372] Another interpretation of her name is that the goddess Yogamaya came to be known as Ekanaṃsha because she was born of one part (
aṃśa) of Vishnu himself.
Literature
Harivamsa
According to S. C. Mukherji, a modern scholar, in the
Harivamsa, Ekanamsha is identified as a
shakti of Vishnu as the goddess of
Ekadasi, having descended as the daughter of Nanda to protect the baby
Krishna from
Kamsa.
[Hudson, Dennis (1986) Piņņai, Krishna's Cowherd Wife in John Stratton Hawley and Donna Marie Wolf ed. The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India, Boston: Beacon Press, , p.256] In the Harivamsa, she is represented as sister of
Vishnu, due to which she is offered the epithets Vimala Devi and Yogamaya.
Vishnudharmottara Purana
The Vishnudharmottara Purana describes the deity as Gandhari (the power of illusion pertaining to Vishnu), and this Gandhari represents the deities Dhrti, Kirti, Pusti, Sraddha,
Saraswati,
Gayatri, and
Kalaratri.
Brahmavaivarta Purana
According to the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Ekanamsha is described as the avatar of
Durga, who became the daughter of Nanda and
Yashoda, who was taken away by Vasudeva. When Kamsa tried to kill her, she transformed into the goddess Yogamaya, & berated Kamsa for his attempt to commit infanticide. Though in other versions the baby girl is carried to the Vindhya mountains, in this text, she stays with Vasudeva and Devaki. Later, when
Krishna marries his chief consort,
Rukmini, she is sent with
Durvasa to protect and help him.
