Rigveda Devatas (ऋग्वेदे देवताविचारः)

Devata (Samskrit: देवता) or Deva (देवः) refers to a supernatural entity having the capability to grant desired boons to other beings, such as humans. They are all-powerful superior beings who are invoked and praised with stutis. The concept of Devas has been present since the earliest times. However, since the earliest texts, namely Rigveda to the Upanishads, Puranas and Itihasas, their characteristics, importance and legends have undergone various changes.

In the present context, we discuss the features and nature of deities with reference to Rigveda.

Important Aspects of Devatas in Rigveda

The phenomenon of nature were the objects of worship for the human being in the earliest times. Some characteristics about Rigvedic deities include

1. Personification of Nature: Natural phenomena, the Sun, Moon, Rain etc., inspired sense of reverence in man giving rise to the concept of "presiding deities" in them. Nature stood as a never ending perplexity to them due to its power and sublimity. Various aspects of nature stimulated their aesthetic consciousness and gave rise to personification of the powers of nature into devatas. With sense of awe and wonder they worshiped the hostile forces of nature. Hence, all the phenomena of nature were the objects of reverence and became devas and devis.
2. Presence of supernatural Powers: The seers identified that different powers had exceptional capacity to grant specific wishes. The Rigveda deals with a number of nature gods of varying importance based on their supernatural powers, such as, Agni, Indra, Surya, Rudra, Visnu, Pusan, the Asvins, the Maruts, Savitr, Varuna, Usas, Parjanya etc. Praised for their mighty deeds, their greatness and beneficence extoled in mantras, the deities, in turn, helped their worshippers with their sustenance, wealth, offspring, prosperity, long life, victory, cattle, so on and so forth.
3. Number of devatas: A belief in many devatas (Bahudevatavada or polytheism) was very common. We find many devatas having supernatural powers being amply praised. Next we find the concept of worshipping one devata (Ekadevatavada or monotheism). According to them there is only one devata, Agni whose abode is on the earth, Vayu or Indra whose place is in the air and Surya, whose place is in the sky. एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति। (Rig. Veda. 1.1.64.46) which And the many devatas mentioned are different manifestations or descriptions of one Supreme. They emphasized that all natural phenomena were the various facets of one all-pervading Supreme being. Hiranyagarbha, the primordial "golden" germ or Prajapati, the creator is an example of such Supreme being from where the whole creation sprang forth. Gradually, the seers realized the underlying all-pervading divine principle, The Infinite, from which arose and into which the nature and universe, their individual attributes are absorbed and dissolved.
4. Every Devata is Supreme: The important characteristic of worship is that every devata was regarded as the Supreme. Mantras in a particular extol the greatness of that particular deity as if that deity was the greatest of all devatas.
5. Identification of devatas: One devata is identified with another as well as with all other devatas in the Veda. The first sukta of the second mandala gives the identification of Agni with all gods, viz. Dyaus, Indra, Visnu, Brahma, Brahmanaspati, Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Rudra, Bhaga, Tvastr, and so on and so forth. Yaska also supports this view.
6. Dual devatas: Some particular deities, who shared certain functions in common, were joined in the form of a special kind of dual compound typically seen in the Rigveda. The most important of these paired devatas are - Asvini devatas, Dyava-prithvi, Agnisoma, Indravayu, Indragni, Indrapusana, Indrabrhaspati, Indra-varuna, Indravisnu, Indrasoma, Somarudra, Rodasi etc. Some of them Indramarutah, Agniparjanya are praised in a small number of mantras. Due to close similarity, sometimes one of the two names with a dual termination became indicative of the two. Thus, it is seen that Varuna indicates Mitravaruna.
7. Group of devatas (plural): We find that the seers eulogized a number of groups of devatas who formed a set and are mentioned only in plural. They are the Maruts (group of 49 devatas), Adityas (12), Rudras (11) Visvedevas (13). Thus, a group of thirteen devatas are collectively called as Vishvedevas.

Devata of a Mantra

With respect to devatas, Rigveda has a some unique perspectives. Each richa or mantra in the Rigveda has a devata who is the subject of that mantra.

Mantras devatas are determined by four characteristics, viz., name, relationship, activity, and physical appearance. For example, in the mantras where Indra, Agni etc are mentioned by their name, physical appearance or referenced by their relationship with other deities, or praised for their activities, those deities are determined to be the devata for that particular mantra. However, in certain mantras, none of the four characteristics are used to describe a devata. In such cases the devata for that mantra is determined by the Yajna mentioned. Yaska clarifies

यद्देवतः स यज्ञो वा यज्ञाङ्गं वा, तद्देवता भवति। तद् येऽनादिष्टदेवता मन्त्रास्तेषु देवतोपपरीक्षा (Nirukta 7.1.4)

The yajna-devata becomes the devata for those mantras where the devata is not indicated (अनादिष्ट-देवताक मन्त्र). For example, in Agnistoma Yajna, Agni is the primary deity. The deity for the अनादिष्ट-देवताक मन्त्र used in this yajna is determined as Agni. Based on the context the deity is determined.

प्रकरणाद्धि संदिग्धदेवतेषु देवता नियमः (Explanation of Nirukta 7.1.4)

Based on the timing (kala namely pratah, madhyana, sayam) of the yajna (Yajna-anga) the deity is said to be Agni, Indra and Aditya respectively. In some scholarly opinions the deity for the अनादिष्ट-देवताक मन्त्र is Prajapati as per प्राजापत्या इति याज्ञिका: (Nirukta 7.1.4). Some others opine that it is Vishnu or Agni based on the reference यज्ञो वै विष्णुः। Agni is said to represent all devatas, all devas reside in him. Yaska further mentions, अपि वा सा कामदेवता स्यात्। as an other option, where the deity can be decided as per the wish of the yajmana.

Characteristics of Devata in Rigveda

The characteristic quality of each deva/devi depends on his/her innate nature. Some deities are human-like (manava-vat) in their activities, example, Indra, Varuna, Marut etc. Their physical description is also given in many texts, more distinctly in the Agamas at a later stage. Yaska mentions that some devatas are similar to humans and they are worshipped as though they are animate beings. Some other deities are not similar to the humans, such as Agni, Vayu, Surya, Chandra, Prthvi etc. Their worship includes an inanimate aspect.

पुरुषविधाः स्युः, इत्येकम् । चेतनावद् हि स्तुतयो भवन्ति । अपुरुषविधाः स्युः, इत्यपरम् । (Nirukta. 7.6 and 7)

They are described as having a certain special abode in the various regions of this universe. They play a significant role in yajnas, being specially invited and as recipients of havishya, they help in fulfilling the yajamana's wishes.

Classification of Rigvedic Deities

Yaska, the author of Nirukta, classified Indra, Agni and other devatas based on four aspects as below

1. आध्यात्मिक - proceeding from bodily and mental causes within one's self (carnal agencies)
2. आधिदैविक - proceeding from the influence of the atmosphere or planets (supernatural agencies)
3. आधिभौतिक - derived or produced from the elements (bhutas), and environment (natural agencies)
4. अधियज्ञ - produced by the agency of yajna

Yaska has further classified all devatas or deities based on their abode. He classified their residence in three regions, namely

अग्निः पृथिवीस्थानः । वायुर्वा इन्द्रो वा अन्तरिक्षस्थानः । सूर्यो द्युस्थानः । निरुक्त ७.५ (Nirukta. 7.5)

1. Prthvi-sthana devatas i.e. terrestrial deities
2. Antariksha-sthana-devatas i.e. atmospheric deities
3. Dyu-sthana-devatas i.e. celestial deities

Sthana	Prthvi	Antariksha	Dyu
Place	Terrestrial	Atmospheric	Celestial
Predominant Devata	Agni	Indra or Vayu	Surya
Devatas	Agni, Ap, Prithvi, and Soma	Indra, Vayu, Rudra, Marut, and Parjanya	Surya, Mitra, Varuna, Dyuh, Pusan, Savita, Aditya, Ashvins, Usas and Ratri

Only one devata is predominant among all devatas of each and every region while the rest are personifications of that devata. Each devata has a number of activities and each name has a reference to one such activity. Yaskha uses additional interpretation criteria such as

1. इतिहासपरक - Itihasa perspective
2. आख्यानपरक - Akhyana presentation
3. प्राकृतिक पदार्थ - Perspective of nature
4. निर्वचनात्मक - Etymological sense

The above criteria are understood from the akhyana (legend) of Indra and Vrtra discussed in the perspectives of Itihasa (historical), as an Akhyana (anecdote), in the perspective of nature (Vrtra is said to be whirlwind), along with the etymological explanation. Indra is thus, a raja (the ruler of Swarga), his characteristics explained in various anecdotes, as vidyut (lightning) the natural perspective among many other meanings.

Number of Devatas

In the Vedas, the number of devatas is said to range from one to six thousand. In Rigveda, the famous mantra emphasizes the unity of devatas, different forms of the same all-powerful Ishvara manifesting as Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni etc.

इन्द्रं॑ मि॒त्रं वरु॑णम॒ग्निमा॑हु॒रथो॑ दि॒व्यः स सु॑प॒र्णो ग॒रुत्मा॑न् । एकं॒ सद् विप्रा॑ बहु॒धा व॑दन्त्य॒ग्निं य॒मं मा॑त॒रिश्वा॑नमाहुः ॥४॥६॥ (Rig. Veda. 1.164.46)

The same aspect is explained in Nirukta and Brhaddevata.

तासामियं विभूतिर्हि नामानि यदनेकशः । आहुस्तासां तु मन्त्रेषु कवयोऽन्योन्ययोनिताम् ।। ७१ ।। (Brhd. Deva. 1.171)

In the Rigveda, we find a mention of three devatas as prominent devatas; Agni in the terrestrial region, Indra or Vayu in the atmospheric region and Surya in the celestial region.

सूर्यो नो दिवस्पातु वातो अन्तरिक्षाद् अग्निर्नः पार्थिवेभ्यः। (Rig. Veda. 10.15.1)

Yaska based his classification based on the Rigvedic mantra.

तिस्र एव देवता इति नैरुक्ताः । (Nirukta. 7.5)

Elsewhere in Rigveda we find a mention of thirty-three devatas.

ये दे॑वासो दि॒व्येका॑दश॒ स्थ पृ॑थि॒व्यामध्येका॑दश॒ स्थ । अ॒प्सु॒क्षितो॑ महि॒नैका॑दश॒ स्थ ते दे॑वासो य॒ज्ञमि॒मं जु॑षध्वम् ॥११॥ (Rig. Veda. 1.139.11)

They are eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, Dyus and Prthvi (or Indra and Prajapati).