The Vedas: An Exploration

Gods of the Vedas

LAKSHMI DEVNATH (Continued from previous issue...)

सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः। सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात्। The Purusha Sukta, A Vedic hymn extols the preeminence of the Purusha who is unanimously identified as Narayana. Purusha Sukta along with other hymns in the Vedas promulgates the pantheistic view of creation. An analysis of the Vedic hymns reveals that Lord Vishnu, is in reality the sum and substance of the verses. They clearly establish the supremacy of Vishnu. In fact, he is extolled as the highest God par excellence in the Rig Veda – an adjective applied to none other than Vishnu. A sampling of the verses given below reveal the veracity of this statement.

‘Three of these worlds Vishnu strode; thrice did he plant his foot’; ‘The whole of this universe was gathered in the dust of His footsteps’; ‘Vishnu, the Guardian of all, he whom none can deceive, made three strides and henceforth established the Dharma (an obvious reference to the Trivikrama)’; ‘As the eyes spread out as it were in the sky so do the wise ones see the supreme state of Vishnu’; ‘The ever prayerful and awakened wise realised that Supreme state of Vishnu.’ Yaska, the master of etymology, explains the literal meaning of the word Vishnu as immanent and the all-pervasive Principle who spreads over all the planes of existence.

The rishis of the Vedas perceived the universe in three different stratas or planes of existence: Dyuloka or Swarga– the celestial sphere which is the topmost plane, Antariksha or Bhuvarloka – the intermediary space, and Bhuloka – the terrestrial sphere. The presiding deities of these spheres are Savitr or Surya, Indra or Vayu and Agni or fire. These three Gods again got multiplied into 33 and divided as 11 for each sphere. Numerous passages in the Rig Veda as well as in the other Vedas indicate the existence of these 33 gods. The Satapatha Brahmana throws some more light on the subject when it elucidates that the 33 gods consist of the eighth Vasu-s, the 11 Rudras-s, the 12 Aditya-s, Dyu and Prithvi. The 8 Vasu-s are Dhava, Dhruva, Soma, Apa, Anila, Anaala, Pratyusha and Prabhasa. The 12 Aditya-s are Vishnu, Dhatr, Mitra, Aryaman, Tudra, Varuna, Surya, Bhaga, Vivasvat, Pusan, Savitr, and Tvastr. The names of the 11 Rudras are not clearly mentioned in the Vedas, but they have been variously referred to in the Yajurveda and Taittriya Aranyaka. These 33 Gods were further augmented into three thousand three hundred and thirty-nine Gods. (R. V. 111.9.99)

The most mentioned God in the Rig Veda is Indra. Of the gods belonging to the Ethereal region, Vayu is the most prominent and Agni is described as the greatest of the Terrestrial gods. He perhaps next to Indra gets the largest number of prayers from the Vedic Rishis. Besides these principal deities there is also mention of many minor gods and goddesses in the Rig Veda. Some of the most sublime hymns of the Rigveda are dedicated to Mitra and Varuna revealing yet another facet of our Rishis

as master poets. Mitra symbolises light and was considered to be the God of day and Varuna, the deity of the deep blue sky. The root meaning of the word Varuna is ‘one that covers’. Here are a few specimens of the beautiful hymns addressed to these two deities – ‘O Mitra and Varuna, you are mighty ones and increase the might of the devotees. You hold the three celestial regions, the three shining worlds and the three terrestrial worlds. O Mitra and Varuna, it is under your command that the cows give milk, the rivers give sweet waters and the three shining Gods – Agni, Vayu and Aditya exist while carrying and raining waters.’ The god next in importance among the Aditya-s is Savitr or Sun. He is often described as golden handed and seated in a chariot to which are yoked seven horses. The hymns describe him as the great giver of life, wealth and energy. The Rig Veda mentions the names of only 6 Aditya-s – Mitra, Varuna, Bhaga, Savitr, Vishnu and Indra. However, in the other Vedas sometimes different names are given to these Sun gods.

It is not easy to decide the exact nature of the gods in the Vedas. They are represented as human in form. Some of their attributes relate them to various natural phenomena. The Maruts are the storm gods, Ushas is the dawn, Vishnu, Savitr, Surya and Mitra also represent the dawn. The Vedic religion reveals an attempt by the Rishi to interpret the true nature of their direct experience of inner power in terms of the objective nature known to ordinary man. Even an ordinary man can invoke the gods through the mantra composed by the Rishis. In fact, communion between gods and men forms the most essential feature of the Vedic religion. The gods are the friends of man; their most obvious quality is benevolence and they are invoked for favours.

Frequent allusion to the birth of the gods can also be gleaned from the Vedic hymns. Some of the hymns go thus – ‘Indra was without a foe from his birth.’ ‘The Rbhu-s were the sons of Sudhanvan who belonged to the Angiras family.’ The Maruts were originally men who later became Immortal. There is a mention of the birth of the Asvin-s. Most of the gods are the sons of the goddess Aditi. The root meaning of the word Aditi is unbroken, indivisible or infinite. There are not many hymns in the Rig Veda dedicated to this ‘mother of gods’; still the names Aditi and Aditya-s are often met with in all the Vedic texts.

Thus while there is a description of a host of gods and some goddesses in the Vedic hymns, one also comes across a very telling statement, एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति ‘Truth is one, the learned call it by many names.’ Thus while religion and spirituality formed an intrinsic part of the Vedic society, a cursory reading of the societal descriptions of the times reveal a very vibrant society. People of the Vedic age seem to have enjoyed a very high degree of material comfort. There was plenty and luxury and most importantly the Vedic Rishis did not have a pessimistic view of life. To them, this world was a stepping stone to a higher life into other regions. In the next issue, we will close this series on the Vedas with a glimpse of the day-to-day life of the people of the Vedic age. (To be continued. . .)