("the mother who
satisfies") is a Japanese word that means "the mother who
satisfies." Goddess who is one of the most fascinating Hindu deities, and
whose recent meteoric rise in popularity exemplifies both the Hindu pantheon's
flexibility and the way Hindu religion reflects and responds to changes in
Indian society.
Santoshi Ma's success was largely fueled by the 1975 film
Jai Santoshi Ma ("Victory to Santoshi Ma").
The film begins with Santoshi Ma's birth as the goddess
Ganesh's daughter, but then shifts to one of her devotees (bhakta), Satyavati,
and her earthly problems.
Satyavati is a newlywed who is having trouble adjusting to
her new home, owing to tensions with her wicked sisters-in-law.
Satyavati's problems are solved by the end of the film,
thanks to her unwavering devotion to Santoshi Ma.
Although it was largely responsible for spreading Santoshi
Ma's worship, this film did not invent her.
The prescrip tions for Santoshi Ma’s religious vow (vrat)
had existed before the film was made, and both the rite’s charter myth and the
film focus on the problems of a new bride and their eventual resolution through
her steadfast devotion to Santoshi Ma.
Santoshi Ma’s ultimate source is a mystery, but her
iconography suggests that she is an amalgam of other female deities.
She is seated on the lotus, a feature associated with the
goddess Lakshmi; she wields the sword associated with the goddesses Kali and
Durga, as well as the trident associated with the god Shiva.
She shows the attributes associated with both married and
unmarried goddesses: Like the married goddesses, she is nurturing and caring to
her devotees, playing the role of the benevolent Indian mother, and like the
independent unmarried goddesses, she is powerful and and potentially danger
ous—one of the film’s climactic scenes shows her utterly destroying a temple
after Satyavati’s sister-in-law intention ally ruined the sanctified food (prasad)
meant for her devotees.
Yet she is also believed to have the power to grant her
devotees’ requests, no matter how large.
Through her nurturing, benevolent character coupled with
power, she crosses the usual boundaries associated with Hindu goddesses.
Part of the popularity of Santoshi Ma’s vrat comes from its
simplicity, cheapness, and promise of benefits.
The observance is usually kept by women with the aim of
attaining concrete goals for themselves and their families: get ting a job,
passing an exam, conceiving a child, or arranging a marriage.
The rite involves weekly fasting (upavasa) and worship.
One of the social factors cited in Santoshi Ma’s explosive
popularity is the steadily growing uncertainty in Indian (and South Asian)
life, which makes very ordinary things difficult to attain and necessitates the
use of all possible resources.
In this context, an inexpensive rite that promises concrete
benefits for assiduous devotion is an attractive option.
See also Santoshi Ma Vrat.
