| Other Gods and Demigods | |||
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In Hindu mythology, there are myriads of lesser gods. Some of them were important during the pre-Aryan times. There are also various aspects pf nature that have been ascribed divine powers. Besides the gods and goddesses, there are enigmatic spirits who guard the bounty of Nature and celebrate its beauty. They are the demigods.
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| Dyaus | Adityas | Gandharvas | |
| Rudra | Vayu | Maruts | |
| Mitra | Prithvi | Yakshas | |
| Varun | Apsaras | ||
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Dyaus
or Dyaus Pita was the Sky Father of Indian myth. His counterpart was Prthivi,
the Earth Goddess, and the two of them were originally one entity called Dyavaprthivi.
He was the father of Indra.
In one form, he is seen as a bull, reddish in color, and whose bellowing
is the thunder. He is also seen as a black steed covered in pearls. In the
latter representation he is the night, with the pearls as the stars. Dyaus, like his Greek counterpart Cronus, is slain by his own son. Indra grabs him by the foot and pulls him out of the sky to fall to his death.
Rudra
In
ancient Vedic myth, Rudra ("howler") is the malignant god of
storm and wind, and is also considered to have been the god of death. He
is the personification of the uncultured nature. Rudra fires arrows of
sickness at gods, men and animals. He is the father of the Maruts,
who are occasionally called Rudras. His appearance and nature changes largely with the emerging of Hinduism. Rudra became a beneficent and beautiful god, the lord of the animals and the patron of hunters. His name changed into Shiva, and is since then one of the most prominent deities of Hinduism
Mitra
is a Vedic god who stood for the sun, and was, with his brother Varun,
the guardian of the cosmic order. He was the god of friendships and
contracts, and watched over the daytime hours. He was good-natured and on
far better terms with humanity than was his brother. He is seen as a
mediator between the gods and man. In pre-Vedic times Mitra was probably far more important, but his prominence faded with the coming of the Indo-Aryans to India. In the Rig Veda, he is always presented with Varun, who is said to be his twin, and like his brother he is one of the Adityas. This god fared far better in Persia under the name of Mithra, from whence his cult spread all the way to Rome where he was called Mithras.
Though he only has about a dozen hymns addressed to him in the Rig Veda, Varuna seems to be one of the most important of the Vedic gods. In pre-Vedic times, he was the supreme lord of the cosmos, the keeper of divine order, the bringer of rain, the enforcer of contracts. He is called omnipotent and omniscient; he is responsible for the sun to move in the sky, for day and night to stay separate, and for the earth to keep its form; he watches the flight of every bird, is present at every gathering, and knows every thought. The Adityas are, in Hindu myth, a group of sun gods and the sons of Aditi and Kashyapa. Originally, there were seven or eight of them, but their number was expanded to twelve in the Vedic period. As the twelve sun gods they represent the twelve months of the year. The Adityas protect against various diseases, and belong to the Devas, a generic term for divine beings. They are: Ansa, Aryman, Bhaga, Daksha, Dhatri, Indra, Mitra, Ravi, Savitri, Surya, Varuna, and Yama.
An early deity of the wind or wind spirit in Hindu myth. Allied to him are the Maruts, the storm devils. Prthivi was the Earth goddess of Vedic times. His counterpart was the Sky Father Dyaus, and they originally were merged as a single deity named Dyavaprthivi. She was the mother of Indra, and praised her son when he slew his father Dyaus, then allowed him to take Dyaus' place as her consort. She is eternally patient, like the earth itself, and is the source of all plant life. She is symbolized by a cow, and the first milk from each cow is offered to her. In later times, she is sometimes said to be one of Vishnu's wives. The Apsaras were nature spirits, the mates of the Gandharvas. They sometimes were water nymphs, and other times were beings of the forest. They are all female, and all of them are described as being very beautiful. They were paired with the Gandharvas, who would play their instruments so the Apsaras would dance. They would often perform for the gods in their palaces. They were inspirations for love, and were sometimes sent to tempt rishis or Brahmans who were very austere. The Gandharvas were spirits of the air, forests, and mountains; they were the mates of the Apsaras. They are all male, and had differing descriptions. Sometimes they were seen as shaggy, damp, and dirty creatures who were part man and part animal; other times they were men with birds' legs and wings; the could be centaur-like, half man and half horse; or they sometimes were seen as fair men who had effeminate features. They were known for their musical skills, their power to cast illusions, and their skill with horses. They sometimes were the attendants of the devas, and would often combat human heroes. If the hero was victorious, the Gandharva would help the hero on his quest, but if the hero lost, he would be carried away, never to be heard from again. The Gandharvas were also the protectors of Soma, which they guarded with jealous intent.
The
Maruts were minor storm deities who in Vedic times were the sons of Rudra
and the attendants of Indra.
There number is variously given as two, twenty-seven, or sixty. They were
aggressive and violent in character. They were the drivers of the clouds,
the bringers of wind, the fellers of trees, and the crushers of mountains.
They sometimes accompanied Indra into battle, and attended him at his
court. In the Ramayana the story is told of their birth. Their mother, the goddess Diti, wanted to give birth to a son who would rival Indra in power, so she planned to remain pregnant for an entire century to accomplish this. Indra learned of this and was worried about it. To upset her plan, he hurled his thunderbolt at her womb while she was still pregnant, shattering it. The Maruts were born from the single, splintered fetus. Yakshas are pot-bellied squat creatures associated with wealth and fertility. They are guardians of treasures and keepers of water holes. They are often depicted holding a bag of gems and gold coins. Yakshas are very fond of riddles; those who answer their riddles are richly rewarded; those who don't risk death. |
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