--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard J. Williams"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> bob_brigante wrote:
> > 'So in the common terminology he saw Rishi, he
> > saw Devata value...
> >
> There's no mention of any "Devata" in the Vedas, Bob.
> Or any Yakshis dwelling in a Kadamba tree.
>
> The idea of Devata came much later with the rise of the
> Bhakti sects. There are no 'devatas' in the Vedas, that
> is, there are no household or sylvan deities, apart from
> or in addition to the supernal devas such as Surya, Indra
> or Vishnu.
>
> Devatas belong to earth and do not share in the
> charateristics of Devas. Devatas are all minor mind-made
> demi-gods such as Shiva and Durga. Devatas are just
> potencies, instruments, or in some cases, deified heros
> such as Vasudeva, Krishna, or Ramchandra. The names
> Krishna, Balarama, Vasudeva, and Rama do not occur in
> the Rig Veda.
>
> On the other hand, a Deva is a 'celestial' power, the
> deification or personification of natural forces and
> phenomena, distiguised by name and attributes in the
> Rig Veda and the Zend Avesta. Devas are believed to be
> auspicious if propitiated, such as Surya, Agni, Usas,
> or Saraswati, all derived from Prajapati.
>
> According to the Rig Veda (I.139,11), they number
> thirty-three.
>
Well, whadya know! That seems to be *true*!
ye de\'vaaso di\`vy ekaa\'dasha\` stha pR^i\'thi\`vyaam adhy
ekaa\'dasha\` stha |\\
a\`psu\`kShito\' mahi\`naikaa\'dasha\` stha te de\'vaaso ya\`j~nam
i\`maM ju\'Shadhvam || \EN{1}{139}{11} \\
11 + 11 + 11 (ekaadasha divi, pRthivyaam and apsu)...
