Ghosha
Hindu Sage and Philosopher
title: "Ghosha" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ancient-indian-writers", "hindu-philosophers-and-theologians", "year-of-birth-unknown", "year-of-death-unknown", "indian-women-philosophers", "ancient-indian-women-writers", "women-mystics", "8th-century-bc-indian-philosophers", "8th-century-bc-hindus"] description: "Hindu Sage and Philosopher" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosha" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Hindu Sage and Philosopher ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox religious biography"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Ghosha |
| birth_place | India |
| religion | Hinduism |
| other_names | Brahmavadini, Proclaimer of Brahmana |
| occupation | Religious Philosopher |
| known_for | Poetry |
| notable_works | Two hymns in Rigveda in praise of Ashvini Kumars |
| :: |
| name = Ghosha | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = India | death_date = | death_place = | religion = Hinduism | other_names = Brahmavadini, Proclaimer of Brahmana | spouse = | occupation = Religious Philosopher | known_for = Poetry | notable_works = Two hymns in Rigveda in praise of Ashvini Kumars
Ghosha () was an ancient Vedic period Indian philosopher and seer. From a young age, she suffered from a disfiguring skin ailment. According to legend, Ashvini Kumars cured her and restored her youthfulness, health and beauty. Consequently, she got married and had a son. She was proficient in the Vedas and had even scripted two hymns in the Rigveda. She was called as mantradrika, meaning well versed in mantras. She was also known as a Brahmavadini, a speaker or proclaimer of Brahmana, and led a purposeful spiritual life.
Biography
Ghosha was born during the Vedic period in India. Her father was Kakshivat and grandfather was Dīrghatamas, both of them having written hymns in the Rigveda. She suffered from a skin ailment and was confined to the house, attending to her father. According to a hymn, she suffered from leprosy, which had disfigured her. She was thus celibate for a long period. She fervently prayed to Ashvins, the divine physician twins of the time, who were proficient in rejuvenation. According to myth, they taught her Madhu Vidhya, knowledge to restore youth and acquire immense knowledge, to cure her skin ailment. Thus, allegedly, she was cured, and then married. She had a son, Suhstya, who also composed a hymn in the Rigveda.
Ghosha composed two hymns in praise of the Ashvini Kumars which are contained in two suktas (hymns) of the tenth Mandala (book) of Rigveda, chapter X hymns 39 and 40, each containing 14 verses. The first hymn praises the Ashvins. The second hymn is more intimate, expressing her intimate feelings and desires for married life. The two hymns are:
References
Bibliography
References
- "Ghosha". Indian Scripture.com.
- Mahendra Kulasrestha. (2006). "The Golden Book of Rigveda". Lotus Press.
- "Women In Ancient India". Indic Studies Foundation.
- "The Rig Veda".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::