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The term deva is used in the Vedas for the divine concept. The term is well defined by S膩ya峁嚹乧膩rya, in his commentary of the 峁欢惫别诲补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 as 诲腻苍腻诲颈驳耻峁嘺测耻办迟补,^[1] i.e. one, that is endowed with the qualities of making gifts, etc.

Besides this, in the commentary of the same text, he has used the term 诲墨辫测补尘腻苍补岣�,^[2] 诲测辞迟补尘腻苍补岣�,^[3] etc., to convey the meaning the shining one.

Y膩sk膩c膩rya, in the Nirukta, gives the etymological meaning of the term deva as:

devo 诲腻n膩dv膩 诲墨辫补苍腻诲惫腻 诲测辞迟补苍腻诲惫腻 dyusth膩no bhavat墨tiv腻/^[4]

According to him, deva is called so as because of making gifts to the earthly beings or for being brilliant or radiant, or because he belongs primarily to the heavenly sphere.^[5] The etymological meaning holds the term deva can be derived from the root 诲腻, 诲墨辫 or dyut. 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈, the great grammarian, has derived the term deva from root div, to shine. Those, who shine with the heavenly qualities and deeds of supremacy, are regarded as deities.^[6]

Deva or god is called 诲别惫补迟腻 also:

yo 诲别惫补岣� 蝉腻 devat腻/^[7]

Almost all the great scholars like Max M眉ller, Keith, Macdonell, Winternitz, Griswold, etc., have unanimously accepted that the gods are nothing but the defied and personified phenomena of nature. Y膩sk膩c膩rya has etymologized the term on the basis of such natural observation. The great commentator S膩ya峁嚹乧膩rya, Skandasw膩mi, etc., have followed and made extensive use of naturalistic interpretations of Y膩sk膩c膩rya and show their awareness towards it. Both Y膩sk膩c膩rya and S膩ya峁嚹乧arya have pointed out the myth of Indra鈥檚 fight against 痴峁泃谤补, which is, in reality, a depiction of natural phenomena, i.e. the thunder and the cloud.

痴峁泃谤补 represents here the cloud:

tat ko 惫峁泃谤补岣�? megha iti nairukt膩岣�, 迟惫腻峁ａ弓谤辞使sura 颈迟测补颈迟颈丑腻蝉颈办腻岣� 补辫腻峁� ca jyoti峁�a艣ca mi艣r墨bh膩vakarm膩峁噊 var峁�akarma j膩yate, tatropam膩rthena yuddhavar峁嚹� bhavanti/^[8]

As a result of the fight of Indra and 痴峁泃谤补, the rain befalls.

The term deva is used in the sense of bright that is derived from root div, to shine and all the shining phenomena of nature are called deva.^[9] All the divine powers of nature are called by the term deva.^[10] In this stage, the etymological meaning of the term degraded. Finally, the concept of the term deva has become expanded and in a more liberal sense the term was applied to other natural phenomena like earth,^[11] wind^[12] water,^[13] night,^[14] etc.

The gods are mentioned as arisen from the non-existence in the Vedas.^[15] In the 狈腻蝉补诲墨测补蝉奴办迟补 of the 峁欢惫别诲补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, they are cited as born after the creation of the universe.^[16] They are mentioned as daivyajana, i.e. the divine clan.^[17] They reside in the Heaven. They are said to be the children of Heaven and Earth, i.e. devaputre^[18] that means they, whose sons are the gods. In a number of hymns, the deities are stated to have been born from the Heaven and Earth.^[19] The terms 辫颈迟补谤腻, 尘腻迟补谤腻, etc., are used in the Vedas to distinguish their universal parenthood.^[20] They are cited as p奴rvaje pitr膩 and 辫颈迟补谤腻 辫奴谤惫补箩腻 means the primeval parents.^[21] Thus, being the descendants of Dyaus, the divinities are called as divine and all the natural phenomena within the sphere of heaven and earth are regarded as their children.^[22] These divinities possess equal naturalness and equal powers.

The term deva or 诲别惫补迟腻 includes in it all kinds of divinities, viz. the higher gods with great functional importance and the abstract deities with lesser power or prowess. The Rgvedasamhita and other Vedic texts contain the worship of the higher gods such as 厂奴谤测补, Agni, Indra, 痴腻测耻, Rudra, U峁�as, 膧诲颈迟测补蝉, Maruts, the 础艣惫颈苍蝉, etc., the deities, comparatively of lesser importance, such as Vivasvat, Trita 膧ptya, etc., the semi-divine deities 痴腻蝉迟辞蝉辫补迟颈, 惭腻迟补谤颈艣惫补苍 etc. Besides these, the abstract ideas, like faith, i.e. 艣谤补诲诲丑腻, charity, i.e. 诲补办峁�i峁嚹�, anger, i.e. manyu, knowledge, i.e. 箩帽腻苍补, speech, i.e. 惫腻办 etc. have occupied places of worship as deities in the Vedas. In this way, under the sphere of the term deva, both the concrete and abstract ideas have come. Different diseases, medicinal plants and creepers, different human organs, etc., have also found a place of worship occupying the form of god in the Vedic pantheon. Thus in the Vedas, both the truly divine as well as the non-divine objects like dundubhi,^[23] dyuta,^[24] etc., have occupied the places of importance as deities and worshipped by the common people.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Ibid., 1.1.1

[2]:

Ibid., 19.6

[3]:

Ibid, 2.38.1

[4]:

Nirukta,7.15

[5]:

Sarup, L. (ed.), The Nighantu and the Nirukta, part II, p. 121

[6]:

cf., diverai艣varyakarma峁噊 诲别惫补岣�/ 惭补丑腻产丑腻峁�y补 5.1.59

[7]:

Nirukta, 7.15

[8]:

cf., Nirukta, 2.16

[9]:

cf., yo n膩kasy膩dhi rocane divi 诲别惫腻sa 膩sate/ marudbhiragna 膩 gahi// 峁欢惫别诲补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, 1.19.6 udu 峁�ya 诲别惫补岣� 蝉补惫颈迟腻 sav膩ya// Ibid., 2.38.1

[10]:

Ibid., 1.1.2

[11]:

cf., 诲别惫墨 devebhiryajate yajatrairaminat墨 tasyaturuk峁�am膩峁噀/ 峁泃膩var墨 adguh膩 devaputre yaj帽asya netr墨 艣ucayadbhirarkai岣�// Ibid., 4.56.2

[12]:

cf., ye maho rajaso vidurvi艣ve 诲别惫腻so adguha岣�/ Ibid., 1.19.3

[13]:

cf., 艣a峁� no 诲别惫墨rabhi峁ａ弓aya 膩po bhavantu p墨taye/ 艣a峁� yorabhisravantu na岣�// Ibid.,10.9.4

[14]:

cf., 谤腻迟谤墨 vyakhya诲腻yat墨 purutr膩 devyak峁�abhi岣�/ 惫颈艣惫腻 adhi 艣riyo鈥檇hita岣�// Ibid.,10.127.1

[15]:

cf., b峁沨anto 苍腻尘补 te 诲别惫腻 测别鈥�蝉补迟补岣� pari jaj帽ire/eka峁� tada峁単a峁� skambhasy膩sa诲腻hu岣� puro 箩补苍腻岣�// Atharvavedasa峁僪it膩, 10.7.25

[16]:

cf., ko 补诲诲丑腻 veda ka iha pra vocatkuta 膩j膩t膩 kuta iya峁� vis峁涐梗峁璱岣�/arv膩g诲别惫腻 asya visarjanen膩th膩 ko veda yata 膩babh奴va// 峁欢惫别诲补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, 10.129.6

[17]:

Ibid.,7.53.2

[18]:

cf., atapyam膩ne ava蝉腻vant墨 anu 峁�y膩ma 谤辞诲补蝉墨 devaputre/ ubhe 诲别惫腻n膩mubhayebhirahn膩峁� 诲测腻惫腻 谤补办峁�a迟补峁� 辫峁泃丑颈惫墨 no abhv膩t// Ibid., 1.185.4

[19]:

Ibid., 1.159, 1.160,1.185;4.56; 6.70; 7.53

[20]:

cf., te s奴nava岣� svapasa岣� suda峁僺aso 尘补丑墨 jaj帽ur尘腻迟补谤腻 p奴rvacittaye/ Ibid.,1.159.3

[21]:

cf., Ibid.

[22]:

Griswold, H.D., Religion of the 峁欢惫别诲补, pp. 101-102

[23]:

峁欢惫别诲补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, 6.47.29,30

[24]:

Ibid., 10.34