ratri

Ratri is a Sanskrit term meaning night and is used across many Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and Nepali, with the same basic meaning. In everyday use, ratri denotes the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise, and is commonly found in poetry, literature, and spoken language to refer to nighttime.

In Hindu mythology and Vedic literature, Ratri also appears as a personified goddess representing night. As a divine figure, she embodies the feminine aspect of the night and is associated with the cycle of day and night, often mentioned in hymns alongside Ushas, the goddess of the dawn. The concept of Ratri fits within the broader Vedic idea of cosmic order (rita), where night is a natural and orderly part of the universe. While she is recognized as a divine figure in certain texts, she is not typically described as a major goddess with a large, centralized cult, but rather as part of a larger pantheon of personified forces governing natural phenomena.

Beyond religious texts, the word ratri remains an everyday linguistic term. It is used in literature, music, and cultural expression to convey the atmosphere, rhythms, and activities associated with nighttime. In modern usage, ratri appears in phrases describing night-time events, nocturnal life, or night shifts, reflecting its continued relevance in contemporary language.

See also: Night (time of day); Ushas (Dawn); Hindu cosmology.