The period when the Four Vedas were in very active usage,about 5000 years back,there was a highly developed system of Philosophical thought.
For the date of the Vedas and their Philosophy. please check my posts under
Hinduism,History,Indian Philosophy.Astrophysics.
Broadly speaking the worship was in the following categories.
1.Para Brahman The Reality without Attributes.
2.Personal Gods.Goddesses with attributes.
These personal Goddesses were worshiped under different ways, the style of description on the Gods.
a) Polytheism.
Worshiping Many Gods.
b) Henotheism, where one God is praised to the exclusion of everything else.
c)Monotheism, worship of One God, or Nature in the form of a God.
I am not going into the Para Brahman, The Reality aspect as it is not within the scope of this essay.
I am posting a list of Gods and goddesses worshiped during the Vedic period.
Of this lot, Purusha, the Cosmic Male, Narayana, the Cosmic Prospector,Vishnu, Cosmic Sustainer,Sri, Of Wealth and Durga, of valour occur in the worship as Para Brahman , Saguna, with Attribute.
in common language they are of a Higher order, though technically this description is incorrect.
The List of Vedic Hindu Gods and Goddesses
Adityas.
Mitra, the patron god of oaths and of friendship,
Varuṇa, the patron god of water and the oceans,
Śakra, also called Indra, the king of gods, and the god of rains
Dakṣa,
Aṃśa,
Aryaman,
Bhaga, god of wealth
Vivasvat, also called Ravi or Savitṛ,
Tvāṣṭṛ, the smith among the gods,
Pūṣan, patron god of travellers and herdsmen, god of roads,
,
Dhātṛ, god of health and magic, also called Dhūti,
Yama, god of Dharma (moral ethics), of death and of justice.
Vasus,
Assistants of Indra and of Vishnu,
Agni the “Fire” god, also called Anala or “living”,
Vāyu the “Wind”, the air god, also called Anila (“wind”)
Dyauṣ the “Sky” god, also called Dyeus and Prabhāsa or the “shining dawn”
Pṛthivī the “Earth” god, also called Dharā or “support”
Sūrya the “Sun” god, also called Pratyūsha, (“break of dawn”, but often used to mean simply “light”), the Saura sectary worshipped Sūrya as their chief deity.
Soma the “Moon” god, also called Chandra
Aha (“pervading”) or Āpa (‘water’ or ether), also called Antarikṣa the “Atmosphere” or “Space” god,
Dhruva (“motionless”) the Polestar, also called Nakṣatra the god of the “Stars”,
Rudras
They are the 11 personifications of god Rudra and have various names.
Ashvins
The Ashvins (also called the Nāsatyas) were twin gods. Nasatya is also the name of one twin, while the other is called Dasra.
There is a general perception among other religions that Hindus believe in 330 million Devas and Devis so Hinduism is essentially a pluralistic religion based on Dharma. This is a wrong perception because the 330 million figure refers to “Deities” which are the manifestations of One Supreme Being-Ishwar of Parambrahamn.
In the Vedas, Thirty-three Deities are listed.
Another view contends that 330 million is a figure symbolizing infinity, indicating infinite forms of God.
Shatpatha Brahmana states,
“Yasya Trayastrinshad Devaa Ange Sarve Samaahitaa, Skamma Tam Bruhi Katamah Swideva Sah”. ~(Atharva Veda 10-7-13)
With God’s influence, these thirty-three (supporting devta) sustain the world.”
Yajnavalkya says that there are three hundred and three and three thousand and three gods. When the question is repeated?
He says, thirty three.
When the question is again repeated he says, six. Finally, after several repetitions he says ONE. (Chapter I, hymn 9, verse 1)
Bruhataranyaka Upanishad.
The number 33 comes from the number of Vedic gods explained by Yajnavalkya in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad – the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the
twelve Adityas, Indra and Prajapati.
They are: 8-Vasu, 11-Rudra, and 12-Aaditya, 1-Indra and 1-Prajaapati.
8. Vasus are: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Moon, Sun, and Star. They are called Vasus, because they are abode of all that lives, moves or exists. (also mentioned in Mahabharat, 1/66/18)
11. Rudras: The ten Pranas (Praana, Apaana, Vyaana, Samaana, Udaana, Naag, Kurma, Krikal, Devadutta and Dhananjaya) i.e. nervauric forces which
live in the human body. The eleventh is the human soul. These are called ‘Rudras’ because when they desert the body, it becomes dead and the
relations of the deceased, consequently, begin to weep. Rudra means one who makes a person to weep. { also mentioned in Harivansha 13/51-52})
12. Adityaas —the twelve months of a year called Adityaas, they cause the lapse of the term of existence of each object or being. { also mentioned in
Mahabharat 1/65/15-16})
1. Indra which is also known as the (all-pervading) electricity, as it is productive of great force.
Citations.
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