Namaste,
Apparently, in the Shri Atharva-Veda, NirRti is described as having "golden locks" - the ["malicious"] one with blond hair (A.V.5.7.9
?). In the Shri Rg-Veda, there are a few Rca-s that stress a notion that the
agnitra seeks protection
from her, that she is to be driven away for she brings with her mystical, spiritual, and physical pain or agony; and, if she approaches the yajna, inauspiciousness is brought forth and subsequently the yajna is thus voided (R.V.10.59). While Shri Rudra, a few times invoked in the Veda-s as the God of Gods, is eulogized as "nir-Rta" ("uncontrollable", "lawless", "unconquerable"), NirRti, on the other hand, is maligned as "nir-Rti" - and in the latter sense, this is implying "without order", "one who does not hold to the Rta [or the order of things] nor the yajna-dharma", rather than the praise of "uncontrollable" eulogizing Shri Rudra, the "howler" - he that dispenses those that come to destroy the yajna-dharma.
Namaste,
I guess today's notions of "Shaktism" can arbitrarily be posited as "proto-Shaktism" when it comes to finding it within the Vedic corpus (I presume you are talking about the Veda-s, BrAhmaNa-s, ĀraNyaka-s, & the Upanishad-s). While a full blown "Shaktic" theology is not vehemently vivid, it's also not as vapid as previously believed. In fact, Shri Devi Aditi is, often numerously, described as the Universal Mother, the Mother of the Shri Gods. This is pretty much as "Shaktic" as one can get. More importantly, numerous Rca-s extolling Shri Devi Aditi can be found even in the Shri Rig Veda -- an important Hindu scripture often previously [and probably still] held as being man-centric -- dispelling past notions of "a scripture written entirely by men", which is observably incorrect since many Rishikā-s are listed in the anukramani-s.
Unbeknownst to many Hindus, Shri Devi Ushā, another important Hindu Goddess, is the only Shri God that is invoked with "satya-mantra" - or "true prayer".
"They indeed were Comrades of the Gods, Possessed of Truth, the Poets of Old: the Fathers found the Hidden Light and with True Prayer brought forth the Dawn (Shri Devi Ushā)." (R.V.7.76.4)
Whereas other Deva-s and Devi-s are "brought forth" through mantra-s, Shri Devi Ushā, on the other hand, is "brought forth" with "
true prayer". In other words, she's
heck-a-lot important.
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