with Hindus offering prayers.
Samhitas and Brahmanas protecting Buddha, by
Tani Bunchō. The Hindu Devas were adopted by Japanese Buddhists in the first millennium as
Jūni-ten The
Samhitas, which are the oldest layer of text in
Vedas enumerate 33 devas, either 11 each for the three worlds, or as 12 Adityas, 11 Rudras, 8 Vasus and 2 Asvins in the
Brahmanas layer of Vedic texts. O ye eleven deities whose home is heaven, O ye eleven who make earth your dwelling, Ye who with might, eleven, live in waters, accept this sacrifice, O deities, with pleasure. – Translated by
Ralph T. H. Griffith Deities who are eleven in heaven; who are eleven on earth; and who are eleven dwelling with glory in mid-air; may ye be pleased with this our sacrifice. – Translated by HH Wilson Some devas represent the forces of nature and some represent moral values (such as the
Adityas,
Varuna, and
Mitra), each symbolizing the epitome of a specialized knowledge, creative energy, exalted and magical powers (
Siddhis). The most referred to Devas in the
Rig Veda are
Indra,
Agni (fire) and
Soma, with "fire deity" called the friend of all humanity, it and Soma being the two celebrated in a
yajna fire ritual that marks major Hindu ceremonies.
Savitr,
Vishnu,
Rudra, and
Prajapati (later
Brahma) are gods and hence Devas.
Parvati (power and love) and
Durga (victory) are some
Devis or goddesses. Many of the deities taken together are worshiped as the
Vishvedevas.
Important Devas •
Brahma the deity of creation •
Vishnu the deity of preservation •
Shiva the deity of destruction and
time; associated with fertility and regeneration •
Ganesha the deity of new beginnings, wisdom, and luck •
Hanuman the deity associated to courage, reverence and strength/avatar of
Shiva •
Kartikeya the deity of victory and
war •
Dhanvantari the deity of doctors and Ayurveda/avatar of
Vishnu •
Vishwakarma the deity of architecture •
Dyaus the deity of the
aether (or
sky) •
Vayu the deity of
air,
wind and
breath •
Varuna the deity of
water and
rain •
Agni the deity of
fire •
Yama the deity of
death and
justice •
Samudra the deity of the
seas/form of
Varuna •
Kubera the deity of opulence and wealth •
Kamadeva the deity of
love •
Indra the deity of
weather,
storms and
sky •
Ashwini Kumara the deity of health and medicine •
Surya the deity of the
sun,
light and
day •
Chandra the deity of the
moon and
night •
Mangala the deity of
Mars and Aggression •
Budha the deity of
Mercury and
Nature •
Brihaspati the deity of
Jupiter and teacher of the
Devas •
Shukra the deity of
Venus and worship (bhakti) and teacher of the
Asuras •
Shani the deity of
Saturn and deeds (karma)
Henotheism In Vedic literature,
Deva is not a monotheistic God; rather a "supernatural, divine" concept manifesting in various ideas and knowledge, in a form that combines excellence in some aspects, wrestling with weakness and questions in other aspects, heroic in their outlook and actions, yet tied up with emotions and desires.
Max Muller states that the Vedic hymns are remarkable in calling every one of the different devas as "the only one, the supreme, the greatest".
Characteristics of Devas in the Vedic literature Ananda Coomaraswamy states that Devas and Asuras in the Vedic lore are similar to the
Olympian gods and
Titans of Greek mythology. Both are powerful but have different orientations and inclinations, with the Devas representing the powers of Light and the Asuras representing the powers of Darkness in Hindu texts According to Coomaraswamy's interpretation of Devas and Asuras, both these natures exist in each human being, both the tyrant and the angel. The best and the worst within each person struggles before choices and one's own nature, and the Hindu formulation of Devas and Asuras is an eternal dance between these within each person. {{Blockquote| The Devas and Asuras, Angels and Titans, powers of Light and powers of Darkness in Rigveda, although distinct and opposite in operation, are in essence consubstantial, their distinction being a matter not of essence but of orientation, revolution or transformation. In this case, the Titan is potentially an Angel, the Angel still by nature a Titan; the Darkness in
actu is Light, the Light in
potentia Darkness; whence the designations Asura and Deva may be applied to one and the same Person according to the mode of operation, as in Rigveda 1.163.3, "Trita art thou (Agni) by interior operation". All-powerful beings, good or evil, are called Devas They are born from the same father, Prajapati, the primordial progenitor; his sons are envisioned as the Asuras and Devas. They all share the same residence (
Loka), eat together the same food and drinks (
Soma), and have innate potential, knowledge and special powers in Hindu mythology; the only thing that distinguishes "Asuras who become Devas" from "Asuras who remain Asuras" is intent, action and choices they make in their mythic lives. ==Upanishads==