Rigvedic deities are deities mentioned in the sacred texts of Rigveda, the principal text of the historical Vedic religion of the Vedic period (1500–500 BCE).
There are 1,028 hymns (sūkta) in the Rigveda. Most of these hymns are dedicated to specific deities.
The most prominent deity is Indra; Agni the sacrificial fire and messenger of the gods; and Soma, the ritual drink dedicated to Indra, are additional principal deities.[1][2]
Deities by prominence
editList of Rigvedic deities by a number of dedicated hymns, after Griffith.[3] Some dedications are to paired deities, such as Indra-Agni, Mitra-Varuna, Soma-Rudra, here counted double. Visvedevas (all gods and goddesses together) have been invoked 70 times.
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Minor deities (one single or no dedicated hymn)
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Vedic religion". Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- ^ Flood 1996, p. 21-22.
- ^ Griffith 1888.
- ^ Seth, Noel (2010). "Man's Relation to God in the Varuna Hymns". In Menachery, George (ed.). St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India. Vol. III. pp. 4 ff.
Sources
edit- Sri Aurobindo (1998), The Secret of Veda (PDF), The Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo, vol. 15, Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press
- Flood, Gavin D. (1996), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-43878-0
- Griffith, Ralph T.H. (1888). Hymns of the Rigveda.
External links
editMedia related to Rigvedic deities at Wikimedia Commons