What are Devas?

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

There are many views of the devatā-s. Devotee is quite accurate in his definition as deva is rooted in div, to shine, be bright.
This is the 2nd derivative of div. The 3rd derivative of deva is heavenly , divine (also said of terrestrial things of high excellence).

Now my teacher described them as the creative impulses found in nature. This by default is various permutations of śakti.
Svāmī lakṣman-jū , from a kaśmir śaivism point of view suggests the deva-s are also part of us, our senses. That is why they can rejoice
in us, as they are part of us.

The first devatā that is in us is agni, he is called the 1st born - 1st born in us. He is also called jātavedas. A most beautiful word defined
as 'knowing all created beings' ; also ' having whatever is born or created as his property ' , ' all-possessor'.

This agni is found in the very first hymn of the ṛg ved�. His greatness is in the 1st letter a. This is Supreme. The wise say this 1st sound a or ā
is the subject for the rest of the ṛg ved or 10,554 hymns.

More on agni can be found here : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=4743

There is much more to this yet will leave it here for now.


praṇām

reference


agnim īḷe purohitam
yaj�asys devam rtvijam |
hotāram ratna dhātamam ||

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

I was just thinking - some may read the post above and say, oh yes, I know this agni, it is fire.

That may be yet it is important to note that we need to be mindful of the devatā-s and for that matter the śāstra-s can be viewed on 3 levels:

• ādhytmika - the spiritual or psychological level; pertaining to the Supreme, anuttara, the soul-Self, etc.
• ādhiyaj�ika - the ritualistic level which pertains to the performance or works, pūjā.
• ādhidaivika - The naturalistic or cosmological level. Here we think of natural science and the laws of nature.

So, with agni He is on the spiritual level and this is outlined in the ṛg ved and I have alluded to with the letter a. On the ritual level or yaj�a , he is considered the entry point , the mouth that delivers the offerings to the other devatā-s. He is that fire we find in pūjā. On the natural level or cosmic level he is the furnace, the engine of energy.

We see the same with the other devatā-s. Such is the magnificence of the knowledge.

... thought that would help.

praṇām

[rainycity]

Wasn't that Abhinavagupta? I don't know.

It may be Abhinavagupta who originally expressed the ideas Swami Lakshmanjoo is discussing in this video (he is reading from a Kashmiri recension of the Gita) but Sankara also describes the senses and the organs as devas in one of his discources. I saw it in the film Adi Shankara which is on youtube, but I can't remember which part it is in. Specifically I remember him refering to "the devas in the eyes" receiving the oblation of light, in a discourse comparing natural processes to yajna ritual.

Vannakkam: Yes, that is my understanding as well. But I see 'being' as different from 'beings'. Certainly consciousness is in and through all form. God is all pervasive in this manner, even in inanimate mass. But a being is a more confined or contracted collection of this same energy. I'll end it by saying this is just what I personally believe, not necessarily in alignment with how other Hindus view it.

One could put it as a rock is alive, but a human or deva is 'more alive'.

Aum Namasivaya

rocks and other inert objects (there is no such thing as inanimate mass) don't have nervous systems so if consciousness is in and through everything, a rock or a table cannot be conscious of itself as a rock or a table, those objects are a part of our consciousness. But does that mean that there is no differentiation at all throughout the consciousness pervading nature?

Namaste rainycity,

The word Deva has come from the root "div" meaning shining or emitting light. They are special beings who take care of this world performing their assigned tasks. Some of the devas or gods are :

a) Surya/Aditya : The Sun giving life and warmth to all beings
b) Agni : The god of light and heat
c) Vayu : The god of air/wind
d) Varuna : The god of water
e) Indra : The chief of gods who rules over Deva-loka (the world of devas), also the rain god
f) Brahmaa* : The creator of this world
g) Vishnu* : The nourisher/sustainer
h) Shiva/Rudra/Shankar* : The destroyer

Note : Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva though clubbed with the devas above enjoy special status among the devas. Vishnu and Shiva are individually worshipped as God Himself (Father form).

i) Devis e.g. IndraaNi (the wife of Indra), Paarvati (the wife of Shiva), Laxmi (wife of Vishnu), Saraswati (the goddess of learning), Durga, Kaali etc. are also female beings in the loka. Out of those, again, Ma Saraswati, Ma Laxmi, Durga, Kaali enjoy special status and are worshipped as female version of God (Mother form). In some instances, they have been depicted as wielding more powers even as compared to Lord Vishnu and Shiva.

OM

yes I already know this but thanks for your post.

[kd gupta]

I was thinking over the non disputed deva , who with vedic reference were present from treta dwapar to comming kaliyug .
Suddenly the point hinted by Yajvanji came to my mind and I thought about adhyatma ramayan .
The great Hanumanji is our Deva . He is loved by every god and you will find his idol everywhere and if not in main portion of temple then in the wall .

यद् पाद पद्म युगलो तुलसी दलाद्यो संपूज्य विष्णु पदवी तुलम प्रयान्ति .....रामें वायुतानायः......
बोलो हनुमानजी की जय

[rainycity]

is there some reason why the discussion isn't continuing here?