The religious belief that the Aryans brought to India, which formed the foundation of Hinduism, was starkly different from what Hindu’s practise. Just as the word 'Hindu' cannot be found in any of the Aryan scriptures, the gods and goddesses venerated in Hinduism are absent in the religious literature of their ancestors. "THE FORGOTTEN DEITIES OF RIG VEDA" tells you how different the Aryan religion was from Hinduism as we know it today.
Arpita Mukherjee is a distinguished author and scholar whose passion for Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta, in particular, has led her on a profound journey of exploration and understanding. With a deep reverence for the ancient wisdom and spiritual insights of this ancient religion, Arpita has devoted her life to unraveling the intricacies of Indian philosophy, practices, and culture through the written word.
The different forces of nature comprised the Aryan pantheon. The elemental gods of the predecessors of modern Hindus were tangible or semi-tangible. Almost every natural phenomenon was a divinity for the Aryans. In a discourse between sage Yajnavalkya and Vidagdha in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the number of Vedic gods is discussed in detail. Here we get a complete profile of the Vedic pantheon.
'How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?' Vidagdha asks the sage. Yajnavalkya answers, 'Three hundred and three, and three thousand and three.'
'How many gods exactly are there?' Vidagdha asks again. 'Thirty-three,' says the sage. Vidagdha repeats the same question. The number of gods becomes six. The same question is repeated three more times, and Yajnavalkya's answers are, respectively, two, one and a half, and finally one.
Who are these three hundred and three and three thousand and three gods? These are the manifestations of the thirty-three gods.
Thereafter, Yajnavalkya discloses the identity of the gods.
Who are the thirty-three gods? They are Indra, Prajapati, the twelve Adityas, the eight Vasus, and the eleven Rudras. The eight Vasus are the fire, the earth, the air, the sky, the sun, the heaven, the moon, and the stars. As the entire universe is placed in them, they are known as Vasus. The five sensory organs and the five motor organs of the human body and the mind comprise the eleven Rudras. When they depart from the body, the relatives of the deceased cry. The name Rudrās is derived from the root verb 'rud meaning to weep. The twelve months in a year are the twelve Adityas. As they rotate, they take away a person's longevity and results of his work with them. Hence, they are called Adityas, derived from the root verb ādā, meaning to take. Indra is the cloud. The cloud is thunder. Prajapati is sacrifice. Sacrifice denotes the sacrificial animals.
Who are the six gods? The fire, earth, air, sky, sun, and heaven-that is, the six Vasus-are the six gods. The thirty-three gods comprise these six.
Who are the three gods? The three worlds - the earth, the sky, and the heaven are the three gods because all the gods are composed of these three.
Who are the two gods? Matter and vital force (prana) are the two gods.
Which are the one-and-a-half gods? Air that blows is one and a half. But how can air be one and a half when it is experienced as one substance? Yajnavalkya explains that, because of the existence of air, everything in the universe attains glory.
Vedas (1201)
Upanishads (501)
Puranas (633)
Ramayana (747)
Mahabharata (363)
Dharmasastras (167)
Goddess (505)
Bhakti (244)
Saints (1518)
Gods (1295)
Shiva (379)
Journal (184)
Fiction (61)
Vedanta (367)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist