SUBJECT OF DEVATAS IN THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
We have said that Bhagavada-Gita propagates the concept of One Absolute God with the strongest force. It is critical of the people who had started worshipping the Vedic deities as gods. Yet, it does not discount the Devatas altogether, as the modern day Hindus are seen to be doing. See for yourself the following verses from Gita which mention the Devatas (as per Nataraj Guru’s translation).
In ancient times, having created the peoples, with sacrifice as pertaining to them (necessarily), Prajapati (the Lord of the peoples) said: “By this shall you grow and multiply: let this be to you the milch-cow of all desires.
With this do you gratify the devas and they the devas gratify you; thus gratifying reciprocally you shall reach to supreme merit.
Those devas shall bestow on you all gratifications you desire: one who eats what is given to them without giving in turn to them, he is a thief indeed.
Gita.III.10-12
Gita has even called that person a thief who eats without offering a portion to the Devatas. This means that all of us today who do not even recognize the identity of the Devatas, are much bigger thieves. This shows that Gita holds Devatas and Prajapati in high esteem (you will know relationship of Prajapati with the Devatas as you read further). At no place does Gita devalue their importance, but it is strongly against their deification as gods as there is just one Absolute God and the Devatas too are His creation.
We know from Upanishads that Prajapati is not a god. Yet Gita talks of Prajapati creating the people. Is there a duality in the teachings of Gita too that somebody else, other than the One God, created the people? Can duality be expected of God, even if there are two separate scriptures?
Fact is that there is no duality and all these points would be clearer to you as you progress reading the BOOK. It is through the Devatas that one attains the supreme merit and it is they who bestow on us all our desires. Yet, they are not gods but important creations of God.
Earlier example from Gita had said that the sacrifice was made necessary for the ancient people so that they could fulfill their desires through them. The following verse from Gita says that if we devote our sacrifices to the Devatas, the results are quick, thus leading to our desires getting fulfilled.
Desiring the benefits coming from actions and thus sacrificing to the devas, quick indeed are the results born of works in this world of men.
Gita. IV.12
Unfortunately we do not even know the identity of the Devatas. How can we sacrifice to them? If our prayers are not getting heard in these days, Gita has already told the reason.
The following verses too are important as they exclude and prohibit the worship of all but the One Absolute God. Yet due to some reason, upon which we will elaborate at a later occasion, the worship of the Devatas is still upheld, though it is stated that it is unorthodox way of worship. One thing is however clear from these verses: that there is some relationship between the Devatas and God. You will have to continue reading patiently in order to arrive at true conclusion. See what Paramatma says of the Devatas in Chapter IX of Gita.
Those persons who meditating on Me to the exclusion of all else, worship Me, to those ever established unitively I bring that solace of the unitive way of yoga.
Even those who, devoted to other devas, worship them with faith, they in fact worship Myself, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), though not conforming to orthodox rules.
Gita.IX.22-23
It is clarified in Chapter X that the relationship between the God and the Devatas too is that of the Creator and the created, yet God entrusted the creation of ‘peoples’ to Prajapati and bestowed so much power on the Devatas that they are described as the fulfillers of desires. Also it is through them that people attain the supreme merit, viz. salvation.
People at the time of Krishna had started worshipping the Devatas as gods. This is the reason why Krishna had to tell them that the Paramatma (Manifest Self) was even higher power and God alone need to be worshipped. This is the reason why, in the next verse, Paramatma is saying that the Devatas (created subsequent to the Paramatma) do not know Its origin and that Manifest Self is the source of the Devatas as well (whom people had wrongly started worshipping). Keep in mind the Upanishadic text quoted by us earlier where devatma-sakti created by the Paramatma (Manifest Self) is referred to as manifold.
Neither the hosts of the devas nor the great sages know My origin; for I am indeed in every way the source of the devas and the great sages.
Gita.X.2
The aforementioned verse (X.2) again confirms that there is some relationship between Paramatma and the Devatas. In fact, the aforementioned verse goes on to say that Paramatma is also the source (creator) of the Devatas. Those who continue to translate the word ‘Devata’ as ‘god’ should know that Paramatma is even their creator. So they are not gods. But despite this, Gita continue to uphold the importance of Devatas in the Divine Creation Plan.
Two different verses of Chapter XI further establishes the relationship between Devatas and God - referred to as the Lord of the Devatas. Though we must remember that these sentences are uttered by Arjuna, who is still in the learning process and therefore his remarks cannot be taken as proof. These remarks, however, do confirm that even Arjuna knew Paramatma was the Lord of the Devatas too and even if Prajapati and Devatas have some role in the creation of human beings and others, Paramatma is even the creator of Prajapati and Devatas. If Prajapati and Devatas are creating or handling certain affairs, they are doing so under the Lordship of the Paramatma and the Devatas are only performing the tasks that are assigned to them.
Having seen Your mouths fearful with teeth like time’s devouring flames, I lose my spatial bearings and find no joy; be gracious, O Lord of devas, Container of the world!
Gita.XI.25
You are the first of the devas and the Ancient Spirit; You are the Supreme Basis of the Universe; You are both the Knower and the Knowable; You are the (transcendent) Beyond and the (immanent) Receptacle (here); the universe is pervaded by You, O One (capable) of Limitless Form.
Gita.XI.38
In the aforementioned verse from Gita, Paramatma is also described as the first of the Devatas and also as the Ancient Spirit (Atma means Spirit; Paramatma meaning the Highest Atma or the Supreme Spirit).
Verse 4 of Chapter XVII is very important from our viewpoint because it describes the pattern of worship at the time when the battle of Mahabharata was fought. There were some who were worshipping the Devatas, while the rest were worshipping the gods of eating and wealth (yakshas), the gods of ferocity and violence (rakshasas), the spirits of the dead (pretas) and the hosts of elemental beings (bhutas). All these had been elevated to the position of gods. Gita strongly condemns the worship of all others, but maintains the position and sanctity of the Devatas. Even the worship of the Devatas is not condemned though it has been termed as unorthodox. The verse below says that Devatas are worshipped by pure-clear (sattvik) men.
Pure-clear (sattvik) men worship the divinities (devas); active-passionate (rajasik) the gods of eating and wealth (yakshas) and the gods of ferocity and violence (rakshasas); the others, the inert-dark (tamasik) the spirits of the dead (pretas) and the hosts of elemental beings (bhutas).
Gita.XVII.4
Worship of the Devatas (god has been wrongly used by the translators wherever the word ‘Deva’ has been used) has even been described as austerity of the body. This list also includes wisdom-initiates (dvijas), the spiritual teachers (gurus), and the wise. Though Nataraj Guru, whose translation we have used for our study, has put ‘gurus’ in the bracket, we wish to clarify that the present day gurus are not meant by this. Neither ‘wise’ include the wise among us. (You will know the true meaning when you read our commentary of the Gita). It is unfortunate that priests have used these words of Gita as base to further enhance their own position in the eyes of the people. The Saptrishis (the 7 saints) of the Gita too is reference to these 7 Spirits or Noors [divyaatmas] who emanated from Paramatma [the Chief Spirit]
Worship offered to the gods (Devas), to wisdom-initiates (dvijas), to spiritual teachers (gurus) and the wise, cleanliness, straightforwardness, the chaste ways of a wisdom-novice, non-hurting, are said to constitute austerity of the body.
Gita.XVII.14
Verse 40 of Chapter XVIII again tries to clarify the position of the Devatas. They too, it is said, are not free from the three modalities born from nature. God, and only God, is free from them.
There is no entity either on earth or again in heaven among the (Vedic) divinities (Devas) that could be free from these three modalities born from nature.
Gita.XVIII.40
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