--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > cardemaister wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@> wrote: > > > > > > > >>> > >>> > >> A little Sanskrit 101 here: deva if masculine so devatas refers to the > >> male deities and if you notice Maharishi only mentions male deities. > >> OTOH, devi is feminine so devitas refers to the female deities and > >> > > if he > > > >> had been asked about the "devitas" he would have only mentioned female > >> deities. So for complete knowledge on the subject one would want to > >> > > ask > > > >> about both. ;-) > >> > >> > > > > :D > > > > Well, seriously, according to A. A. Macdonell, under "Secondary > > nominal suffixes", "tâ: forms abstract f.[feminine -- CM] substantives > > with the sense conveyed by the English suffixes /-ship/ and /-ness/; > > e. g. bandhu-tâ /relationship/, vasu-tâ /wealthiness/; > > deva-tâ /divinity/, puruSa-tâ /human nature/." > > > > > > > The correction came from my guru. I was discussing "Ishta Devatas" and > he corrected me to say it is "Ishta Devi" and "Ishta Deva". Of course > my point was that MMY took the word "devata" literally and spoke only of > the male deities. >
Of course, in English use, the plural of both men and women is masculine...
