The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c19.s9.8

v1.c19.s9.8

There is another group of goddesses of whom it can safely be said that in the later Saṁhitās they are the deities of natural objects, though the Rigveda leaves their character wholly uncertain and unexplained. These are Rākā, who twice appears in the Rigveda¹ as a rich and bountiful goddess, with which her name, probably containing the root *rā*, ‘give’, accords; and Sinīvālī, described as a sister of the gods, with broad hips, fair arms and fingers, who is begged to give children. She is invoked with Rākā, Sarasvatī, and with Guṅgū, who only occurs in this place.² These later Saṁhitās, however, have a scheme under which Rākā is the full moon day, Anumati the day before full moon, Kuhū new moon, and Sinīvālī the day before new moon. Sinīvālī is also said by the Atharvaveda³ to be the wife of Viṣṇu. While it is true that the explanations are not given in the Rigveda and that, in the case of Anumati, the position given seems to be secondary, it is difficult to be certain as to the others, with whom may be connected the otherwise unknown Guṅgū.⁴