Vedic Deities

In Vedic period, the people felt the presence of Supreme Being (Omniscient, Omnipresent & Omnipotent) presiding over the forces of nature existed in the three realms of universe and connected with the almighty by worshiping these visible forces. The importance these deities continued three yugas (Satya, Treta & Dwapar). In Dwapar yug, Kunti, wife of Pandu, conceived her sons’ using mantras of Vedic deities - Karna from Surya, Yudhishtra from Yamraja, Bhima from Vayu, Arjuna from Indra, Nakul & Sehdev from Ashvins. Even today, the worship of Vedic deities brings not only material prosperity but also spiritual enlightenment.
Internal Relevance of Vedic Deities:
Sri Aurobindo, modern philosopher highlighted the relevance of each deity in the human body and the hymns dedicated to the deities (devatas). The human body is similar to the body of the Cosmic Self, Purusha, who manifested in creation as the Lord of the Universe. The Vedic deities preside over the various attributes of human body.
 

1. Indra is the God of Prana or the awakened life-force.
2. Agni is the God of consciousness, awareness and mindfulness. His symbol is the sacred fire.
3. Soma is the mystic plant that yields the nectar of immortality. He is also the Moon and the lord of the waters. He symbolizes bliss, Ananda.
4. Surya is the Sun which is the visible face and presence of the Deity. He symbolizes the enlightened mind and creative intelligence. He is the Divine creator and transformer.  
5. Varuna, the lord of the cosmic ocean and the Divine judge;
6. Mitra the Divine friend and lord of compassion and
7. Savitar, the Sun God of creative intelligence.
8. Usha, the Goddess of the Dawn or spiritual aspiration;
9. Sarasvati, the Goddess of the Divine Word, of wisdom and inspiration;
10. Aditi the Goddess of Infinite Oneness and Wholeness;
11. Apas, the Cosmic Waters.
12. Brahma, the creator, is Brihaspati, also called Brahmanaspati, the priest of the Gods.
13. Vishnu, the maintainer, is an important form of the Sun God and later all forms of the Sun God were merged into him.
14. Shiva, the destroyer, is present as Rudra, the seldom invoked but very much respected and feared father of all the Gods.

Vedic Deities of the three realms:
The cosmic manifestation is grossly divided into three worlds, the upper, lower and middle regions. In Rig Veda (Mandala 3.62.10), the highly revered mantra i.e., Gayatri Mantra is mentioned. Its recitation is traditionally preceded by Om and the formula bhur bhuvaḥ svaḥ. Om - Primeval sound; Bhur - Earth, Physical realm, Human Body; Bhuva - Antariksha, Intermediate Space, Consciousness, Prana, Vital energies; Suvah - Sky, Heaven, Soul, Spiritual realm, bliss.
The Vedic Deities are classified into these three realms:
 

1. Terrestrial Gods – Prithvi - Earth; Agni - Fire; Soma – a type of plant; Apas - the waters;
2. Atmospheric (mid-region) Gods – Indra - the God of Thunder and Rain; Vayu or Vata - Air; Maruts - the Wind Gods; Parjanya - the God of rain and water
3. Heavenly Gods – Varuna - the all-comprehending sky; Ashwins - representing the morning and evening stars; Surya – Sun as source of light, Savita & fertility; Savitri – solar deity before sunrise; Mitra - as beneficent energy; Usha – the dawn; Dyaus Pita - the shining sky, Father Heaven; Pushan - as source of plant life and agriculture; Vishnu - as the swift moving Sun; Adityas – the gods of light & rays;

 
Based upon the number of invocations available in the Vedas, two other categories of the following Vedic deities were worshipped:

1. Abstract Gods – Shraddha – faith; Manyu – anger; Dhatr – Creator; Vidhata, Ordainer; Vishwa & Arma - Creator of cosmos; Prajapati - Lord of creatures; Hiranyagarbha - the Implicit; Brahmanaspati - Lord of prayer; Viratpurusa - Over soul
2. Minor Gods – Ribhus - celestial elves, artists who formed the horses of Indra; Apsaras - water nymphs; Gandharvas, celestial spirits

 
Characteristics of Prominent Vedic Deities:

1. Indra (God of thunder and storm): Indra is the king of all Devas in Rigveda. Dyou is Indra’s father. Agni and Pusha are his brothers and Indraani (Shachi Devi) is his wife. According to Rig Veda, Indra is endowed with three special characteristics –
   1. The master of unparalleled might. His most famous achievement was slaying of Vratasura,
   2. The vanquisher of the Asuraas. Indra’s favourite weapon is the thunderbolt – Vajra. Twashta designed this deadly weapon for Indra.
   3. He rides a white elephant called Airavata,

(Elaborate details in separate article)
 
According to the Kena Upanishad, he is the only god to have gone nearest to Brahman and was to know Him as Brahman. Humans worshipped Lord Indra as the strength until the completion of the first three ages. Till the completion of the third age (Dwapar yug), the idea of Supreme Being had been established in peoples’ minds. Lord Krishna had stopped the trend of Indra worship in his childhood and humans started a trend of worshipping Krishna in the name of Gowardhana.
 

1. Agni (God of fire): Agni is the second most important deity in Rigveda. No religious activity is possible without Agni. (Elaborate details in separate article)

 

1. Varuna (God of sky): After Indra and Agni, Varuna enjoys the third place. He is depicted as the rider of a chariot drawn by seven swans, with four hands and an umbrella over his head. In some images the swans are replace by a crocodile, suggestive of his lordship over the aquatic life. He is the ruler and administrator of the world. He makes people follow the law. Born to Aditi, and friend and brother of Mitra, Varuna is the protector, "the Holy One, helper of all mankind. He causes the rains to come down and the sun to travel. He makes the rivers flow.

 

1. Maruts: Maruts is a group of deities and therefore they are always addressed in plural. They are known as the sons of Rudra and Prushni. Maruts are powerful and destructive storm gods. When they inundate the earth they spread forth darkness even in day time, with the water filled rain clouds. The Maruts give strength to the worshippers to make them invincible in battle, bring wealth to the people, increase their progeny and prolong life.

 

1. Vishnu: Though a minor deity in Rigveda, Vishnu attained great importance later. Actually, Vishnu means the Sun. He is a lover and protector of devotees.

 

1. Surya (sun god): Physical Sun itself is Surya Deva. He rides the skies in his golden chariot, drawn by seven bay horses. He is also depicted as provider of good health, who removes the heart disease and takes away the yellow hue (jaundice) to be given to the parrots, starlings and haritala trees. In the Vedic symbolism, Surya symbolizes Brahman.

 

1. Savitr: A solar deity, he is regarded as the sun before sun rise. Savitr is considered to be the goal, the purpose and the object of meditation. When he descends into the consciousness, a golden disc with bright pointed rays, the inner world is lit up with the splendour of God and indescribable beauty. He is an upholder of law and forgiver of penitent sinner. The Gayatri mantra is addressed to Savitr of adorable splendour for the enlightenment of human consciousness.

 

1. Pushan: Pushan is a pastoral god. Pushan is described as the lord of all animate and inanimate living beings and the protector of the paths. He protects people from wild animals and makes their paths in solitary places pleasant to tread. Pushan is the guardian of cattle. Pusan stirs our thoughts, drives away the enemies, and inspires the miserly to make generous donations.

 

1. Mitra: Mitra is a close friend of Varuna. Together they uphold the law, cause the cows to stream, the plants to flourish, and, "scattering swift drops, send down the rain-flood". In course of time, Mitra came to be associated with morning light, while Varuna with night sky.

 

1. Usha (goddess of dawn): Usha is dawn, lady of the light, who rouses all life. She is the presiding deity of beauty, grace and charm. She brings not just light to the sleeping mankind, but hope, happiness, riches and all the good things.

 

1. Soma (God of drink): Soma (Ephedra) plant with yellow stalks is used as the drink of longevity. Soma is the god of inspiration. It stirs the minds, lures the gods and brings them to the place of worship. He brings joy into the lives of people, cures them from diseases and leads them to the worlds of bliss and immortality.

 

1. Ashvins: Ashvins are swift-footed lords of bliss, are riders on the horse (the Ashwa), effectual in action, powers of movement, fierce-moving in their paths. Their common character is that they are god of enjoyment, seekers of honey; they are physicians, they bring back youth to the old, health to the sick, wholeness to the damaged. The twin deities descend to earth thrice a day to help the mankind with their restorative and curative powers. The Ashvins are considered to be the brothers of Usha, the goddess of dawn and may actually represent twilight, when darkness and light appear intertwined on the horizon just before dawn as well as before dusk.

 

1. Brihaspati (Brahmanaspati): Brihaspati, the healer of disease, protector of bodies, gives wisdom & wealth, increases the agricultural produce and protects the heroes in the battle field from enemy heroes. He is the priest of heaven who makes the oblation prosper. He promotes the course of sacrifice. Without Brahmanaspati, no sacrifice is complete. He is the leader of the songs and also the Law maker, whom both gods and mortals listen. He inspires the heroes with his gifts and his blessings.

 

1. Bhaga: He is a giver and supporter and bestower of bliss.

 

1. Rta: Rta is the rhythmic pattern of the universe. It determines the usual paths by which the heavenly objects, the sun, the moon, the stars, the nine planets, conduct themselves. Rta is responsible for the manner in which the seasons (ritus) come and go, the way the rains fall upon the earth, the way the crops are harvested, the way the people live and die, and the cattle yield wealth through milk and progeny.

 

1. Rbhus: The Rbhus are wise and skilful craftsmen, dexterous-handed, deft in work and gracious, who are said to be the sons of Sudhavan. Rbhus bring prosperity. 

 

1. Vaata: Vaata is the deity of air. He is considered as the inspirer and soul of Vaayu. Vaata is the respiration of the Devas like Rudra, Vaata cures diseases and enhances the life span. He is only heard and cannot be seen.

 

1. Vaastoshpati: He bears similarity to soma in characteristics. The Vaastoshpati sukta is employed during house-warming ceremony. According to Rigveda the blessings of Vaastoshpati should be sought by householders seeking the entire necessary objects essential to run a household.

 

1. Vaak: The Rigveda describes Vaak as the presiding deity of speech. Through here brilliance she transforms her devotees into Rishis, Brahmana and erudite. One should recite the Vaak sukta to attain great oratory skills.

 

1. Vayu: He is swift as mind, the thousand-eyed and the Lords of thought. He is praised in the hymns as the Intelligence, who illumines the earth and heaven and makes the Dawn to shine. In the post Vedic period, Vayu became the lord of the north western quarters and father of Hanuman and Bhima, symbols of immense strength, loyalty and brotherhood, which were the original qualities of Vayu as a trusted friend of Indra and protector of people. Blue in colour, he is depicted with four hands. He holds a fan and a flag in two hands while the other two are held in abhaya and varada mudras (postures).

 

1. Rudra: Rudra is described as the father and master of the Marutas, with fear-inspiring abilities. He is the most powerful. Rudra is known as Aadi Deva; the first deity. Rudra is the deity of health and medicinal plants as well. The Rudra of the Rigveda is a militant god of storms and lightening and a "provider of medicines". Rudra is also believed to be an early form of Lord Shiva, the lord of destruction.

 

1. Yama (god of death): The word Yama is derived from the root `Yam’ and means the controller of all beings. The suktas related to Yama are recited during the last rites of a man - burning the dead body on/in a pyre. Yama is shown as riding a He-buffalo, carrying a mace as his weapon and holding a noose. He uses the noose to drag the deceased beings to the hells. Sitting on a throne he reviews the deeds of men and accords punishment.

 

1. Prajanya: Prajanya is a rain god. He is the slayer of demons, who sends the rains down. He made the desert places fit for travel probably by bringing the rains. When Parjanya fills the sky with rain-cloud, the winds burst forth, the lightning flashes, the plants shoot up, food springs abundantly for all creatures and earth bows low before him. Prajanya is also upholder of law who punishes the sinners and protect the people.

 

1. Sarasvati: She is depicted as a river goddess. She is the giver of opulence, strength and wealth. Sarasvati subsequently became a goddess of learning and consort of Brahma. But in the Rigveda, she is a river goddess with seven sisters, who helps the gods, destroys their enemies and provides waters to the five tribes. There is no association with either Brahma or with learning.

 
Hymns of Vedic deities in Rigveda:
Each hymn in Rigveda is given to a certain deity (devata) and that particular Deva is worshipped through hymns in his praise. The main deities are Indra, Agni, Soma and Surya. Each of the Gods has his consort, like Indra and Indrani, Varuna and Varunani. There are 33 Devas in Rigveda. The prominent deities are:
The number of hymns in Rigveda are dedicated the Vedic deities are mentioned in bracket witnessing their importance - Indra (250), Agni (200), Soma (123), Ashvins (56), Varuna (46), Maruts (38), Mitra (28), Ushas (21), Vayu (12), Savitr (11), Rbhus (11), Pushan (10), Apris (9), Birhaspati (8), Surya (8), Dyauṣ Pitr and Pṛithvi Matr (Heaven and Earth) 6, plus 5.84 dedicated to Earth alone; Apas (6), Adityas (6), Vishnu (4 plus 2 paired hymns 1.155 dedicated to Vishnu-Indra & hymn 6.69 dedicated to Indra-Vishnu, total of 5 i.e. 4+1/2+1/2), Brahmanaspati (6), Rudra (4 plus a paired hymn 6.74 dedicated to both Soma-Rudra. A total of 41/2 i.e. 4+1/2), Dadhikras (4), Yama (4), Sarasvati (3), Parjanya (3), Vac (2), Vastospati (2), Vishvakarman (2), Manyu (2), Kapinjala (the Heathcock, a form of Indra - 2) and minor deities (one single or no dedicated hymn).
Some dedications are to paired deities, such as Indra-Agni, Mitra-Varuna, and Soma-Rudra, here counted double. Visvedevas (all gods together) have been invoked 70 times.
Reference:

1. The Secrets of Rig Veda, by Sri Aurobindo
2. Hinduwebsite.com