Asikni (goddess)

Asikni (), also known as Panchajani and Virani, is a consort of Daksha, one of the "Prajapati" (agents of creation). Most legends describe her as the daughter of Virana or Panchajana and the mother of various children 5000 Haryasvas, 1000 Sabalasvas and 60 daughters. Asikni is sometimes equated with Daksha's other wife named Prasuti, but many texts mention them as separate goddesses.
Etymology.
The word "Asikni" means "dark" or "not white". The word is used in the "Rigveda" (c. 1500 BCE) to describe the river Chenab. It also refers to "night" or "a girl attending woman's appartment". Asikni is known by different names in different texts, with "Panchajani" and "Virani" being the most prominent. Both of these names are derived from her father's names. Panchajani also means "made of five elements".
Birth and Marriage.
Asikni's story is found in many Hindu scriptures with some variations related to her parenthood. The "Prajapati" Daksha initially attempts creation with mind, but realizes that procreation by copulation was essential for populating the world. Therefore, he marries Asikini, the daughter of another "Prajapati" Virana. The "Bhagavata Purana" has a similar retelling, however Daksha gains the daughter of "Prajapati" Panchajana - Asikni, also known as the patronymic Pachajani, as wife, by pleasing the god Vishnu by penance. Through their union, numerous children were born. The seventh "Skandha" of the "Devi Bhagavata Purana" also mentions the birth of Asikni, where she is created by the god Brahma from his left thumb. The god Vishnu presents her to Daksha as his wife as a reward of his penance.
Many scholars note that Daksha's wife appears as Prasuti (daughter of Manu) in many Puranas. It is sometimes assumed that Prasuti may be an epithet of Asikni. However, according to many scriptures including the "Bhagavata Purana, Padma Purana, Linga Purana, Vayu Purana" and "Vishnu Purana", Daksha was born twice and he married Prasuti in his first birth, and Asikni during his second birth.
Children.
According to the most Puranic scriptures, after his marriage, Daksha produced five thousand sons through the womb of Asikni. They were collectively referred as Haryasvas. Like their father, they were also interested in increasing the species. One day, the divine wanderer sage, Narada, visited and questioned them how they could create people if they didn't knew the problems of the world. Narada asked them to first discover the worldly affairs. The Haryasvas left their father and never returned. Saddened by their lost, Daksha produced a thousand more sons (called Sabalasvas), but they too followed their brothers' path on Narada's advise.
The number of Daksha's daughters are uncertain due to differences in the Puranic scriptures. According to many texts including the "Bhagavata Purana", "Devi Bhagavata Purana", "Brahma Vaivarta Purana" and the "Vishnu Purana", Daksha and Asikni had 60 daughters. They were married to different deities, becoming the progenitors of various species.
However, the "Brahma Purana" mentions only 50 daughters. The Matsya Purana, the Shiva Purana and the Kalika Upapurana add Sati as her daughter, but other texts including Devi-Bhagavata Purana mention Prasuti as mother of Sati.