SUBJECT OF DEVATAS IN THE UPANISHADS AND PURANAS
Till the time we confined ourselves to study of Upanishads in the light of what various commentators have written, we were of the opinion that they contain lofty philosophical discussions, some of which are beyond the comprehension of present day man. If Upanishads really are elaborating on the content of the Vedas, then they should have some deep and elongated discussions on man and his relationship to God, the logic behind his creation, attempting to make us understand God through profound reasoning that nobody would be able to deny. What we were unaware was that people, unable to understand the meaning to its full, gave it the name ‘philosophical’, thereby denoting to the common readers that this discussion is far too complex in nature for them to understand. Nobody ever applied his mind to question the logistics behind the discussions that we all knew formed the content of the Upanishads. All those who were looking for concrete serious discussion that appealed to their reason, upon not finding it, silently kept down the books and proceeded onwards, while the majority continued to see them as revered books without getting the head and tail of what was being said.
Our role here is just to put the twos and twos together, and try to understand the meanings on the basis of reason. When we attempted to do this, we were dazed that the entire so-called Hindu religious literature contained such deep secrets of man’s evolution that nobody on earth knew till date. We were having a handicap of not knowing the original language in which these scriptures were written. We did take the help of Sanskrit-English dictionary wherever necessary, but now that we look at it, we find that mysteries were glaring at us, waiting to be unveiled. In fact, the truths are plainly written, and if our scholars have been unable to decipher them till now, it was because of certain missing links that had got buried under the sands of time.
We have given the description of Brahman from Niralamba Upanishad a little earlier. Nobody raised an eyebrow what could be the link between Mahat and Ahankara with earth and water. Neither did we ever realize the absurdity of the statements relating Chaitanya (Consciousness), Karma (Action), Jnana (Wisdom) with Akash (Sky) and Earth. How could our consciousness be linked with material earth? Since it was supposed to be religious text, we all continued to look at it reverentially, never realizing for a moment that the foremost lesson of Gita to us is to apply our reason in accepting religion and even so in understanding of Gita and the Vedas. Since we never did that, we have continued to grope in dark about the content of our own revered scriptures.
It was an attempt to retranslate few hymns of the Rig and Yajur Veda that opened the doors for the mysteries to get resolved. We got to know that Vedas is an attempt by God to make us realize the identity of Devatas - the Divine Souls - who were supposed to take birth in this world - in human bodies - to show us the straight path to the Absolute God. This is something that is also authenticated by Gita. For reasons best known to God - who is said to be the creator of Vedas - these Devatas were given appellations like Agni, Vayu, Indra and the rest.
In the light of this argument, read the aforementioned description of Brahman again and see whether the meanings are more clearly understood or not:
Brahman is the Chaitanya (consciousness) that appears, through the aspects of Karma (action) and Jnana (wisdom) - whose vast mundane egg was composed of Mahat, Ahankara (names given to two Devas) and the five (main Devas) Earth, Water, Fire, Vayu and Akash – that is secondless, that is devoid of all Upadhis (vehicles), that is full of all Saktis (potencies), that is without beginning and end, that is described as pure, beneficial, peaceful, and Guna-less and that is indescribable.
The 7 Devatas who comprise the devatma-sakti created by the Manifest Self (Paramatma) of the Absolute God (Brahman) are described along with the mention of the Absolute God (Brahman); thus clarifying their relationship.
It is these Devatas and not the material fire, air, moon, earth, sun, etc. who are being described in the following passages of Prasna Upanishad, which we quote for you. It is stated clearly that they are life, they are the vital breaths, and Rig Veda, Yajur Veda and Sama Veda talk of none but them. The same view is also maintained by the Chhandogya Upanishad, which has given long narrations citing link of these Devatas with the Udgitha (syllable ‘Aum’) and the three Vedas.
In the following passages from Prasna Upanishad, it is not possible to take the literal meaning of fire, air, moon, etc., because if we do so, we will have to accept these material things like air as our father, and accept that the prayer to protect and grant us prosperity and wisdom is addressed to air, fire, and other material things; thus making it an absurd statement. In fact, Dr. Radhakrishnan has translated these Devatas to be gods, which too is wrong, as they owe their origin to the One and Only God - the Mahesh, the Allah, the Brahman.
See what Prasna Upanishad, belonging to the Atharva Veda says:
II.1
Then Bhargava of the Vidarbha country asked him (Pippalada): Venerable Sir, how many powers support the created world? How many illumine this? And who, again, among them is the greatest?
This clearly states that both believed that more than one power support this world. This has led some commentators to translate them as gods which, we have repeatedly said, is wrong. These Devatas support the world, and we have reasons to conclude from other Upanishads, and also from the Vedas, that they were initially 5, but later became 7 or 14 Manus or Devatas.
II.2
To him, he said: ‘Ether verily is such a power – wind, fire, water, earth, speech, mind, eye and ear too. They, having illumined it, declare, “We sustain and support this body.”
Question was about the powers that support and sustain this world. Had there been just the 5 vital elements mentioned that are said to constitute the world, viz., ether, wind, earth, water and fire, then you would have reasons to believe that it is those components or constituents of the universe which are being described. We have already given you an idea, which will be further proved as you read along, that this belief of the 5 components supporting the universe is wrong, and it is the 5 main Devatas who were initially created, who further became 7 or 14 (inclusive of these 5) who are meant here.
Speech, mind, eye and ear do not logically fit with the 5 components or elements viz. sky, air, earth, water and fire. It is described later that they are our father and mother. Had just the 5 names been mentioned, some would have still said the 5 elements are being talked about. But how can ear, speech, mind, eye be the father or mother?
Pippalada is giving answer in the same manner in which the question is asked. First he is asked about the number of powers who support this created world, then the number of them who illumine it and the last question is who is the greatest. In this verse (II.2) the 9 Devatas are mentioned, who are born successively of the fifth of the 5, thus making it the total 14. They all are the powers that support this world and illumine it. It is they who sustain and support this body.
The 5, 9 and 14 that we have mentioned is not on the basis of our imagination. A little later, we will quote from two Upanishads that the 5 Devatas who got created from the mundane egg included a Devi. Nine more Devatas were born from the progeny of the fifth, making it a total of 14 Devatas, inclusive of one Devi. Earlier, you have seen from an Upanishad that the 7 moving fires included a Devi. It is this mystery that has perplexed the commentators. The answer is simple: the 14 were indeed 7 with 7 names but there was going to be a time when these 7 devatma-sakti (noorani rooh or the lighted spirits) descended in 14 bodies in one region and age.
As we have said, one of the first 5 is a Devi (a female) called earth, who is also known by names like Saraswati, Parvati, Lakshmi and many such names. In fact, Matsya Purana tells that she is known by about a hundred names in various parts of India. It was this Devi who was being worshipped as Sakti by a cult of Indo-Aryans.
The Matsya Purana explicitly states about itself that it is the dispeller of all ignorance and should be read after saluting Narayana, Nara, Narottama, Devi Saraswati. (I.3). Narayana is God but who are Nara and Narottama who have been mentioned with Devi Saraswati? Is it not proof that there are certain Nara (man) and Narottama (supreme among men) and a Devi who are worthy of our respects, after God. You will know later that Nara, Narottama and Devi are the first three of the five Devatas. Devi’s union with one of them resulted in the birth of two Devatas to make it 5, and 9 more Devatas were born from the progeny of the fifth. Since this Devi is Sakti, we have reasons to believe that her husband is Siva, who is also called Rudra or the head of the Devatas. Even today Siva and Sakti are worshipped as husband and wife, as progenitors of mankind and it is they in whose name the marriages are solemnized.
We agree some of the claims mentioned above are not in accordance with the existing beliefs of the Hindus. But we assure you that our view is based on truth and you will find proofs of each of our claims, as you proceed with reading. Another revelation that you will find is that several names, whom you considered as different personalities altogether, are actually various appellations of one person alone. There are multitude of names by which Devi is known and there are multitude of names by which Rudra or Siva is known. Commentators have erroneously taken these multitude of names as referring to different people altogether.
When you read the Vedas with us, you will find that Indra and Vayu are the two highest Devatas of the fourteen who were to take birth at a later stage. Vayu is also referred to as Marut or Aditya or Manu or Rudra or Siva and there are several names that have been given to Indra. In fact, it is this multiplicity of names that has confused the scholars. So much so that in spite of the fact that the Matsya Purana specifically states the different names by which the Devi was known in different parts of India, we continue to see these names as different Devis even to this date.
We will show later in our study of the Rig Veda how Devi Saraswati or Earth, the daughter of IndraDeva, was married to VayuDeva, from which the two Aswins were born, one of whom is called AgniDeva. These are the five highest Devas. It was from Agni’s progeny that the 9 Devatas were born successively, thus making it a total of 14. We request you to remember this, as we will confirm this relationship time and again, so as to prove that these 5 Devatas (which include one Devi) are the root-cause of the creation of this world. They are the masters of our organs of senses and actions; they are ones described as pure and wise in Gita and it is they whose life on earth is subject of discussion in the Vedas.
If you are not attentive, you will lose out on unearthing the mystery yourself, as they are known by several names. We have already mentioned that Matsya Purana has listed more than 100 names of Devi, and there may still be few more that it has failed to list. This is in spite of the fact that the Devi does not occupy the chief position in the Vedas. The greatest number of hymns are assigned to Agni (fire), Indra and Vayu (air) Devatas. Therefore, you must not be surprised if you find AgniDeva, IndraDeva and VayuDeva referred to by multiplicity of names. The same is the case with the names of other Devatas.
In the succeeding verse of Prasna Upanishad, (II.3), Prana (Life) is introduced as the cause of entire life on earth. This Prana is the Manifest Self or Paramatma, which created the devatma-sakti that divided five-fold to create the 5 Divine Beings and later to create 7 or 14 Beings (you have already seen earlier from Svetasvatara Upanishad that the devatma-sakti is manifold). This Life sustains and supports all life on earth. The same is being said again in the succeeding verse:
II.3
Life, the greatest of them, said to them: ‘Do not cherish this delusion; I, alone, dividing myself fivefold, sustain and support this body.’
Since these 9 Devatas were born of the 5, now the importance of these 5 is being told. Indra, his daughter Saraswati, Indra’s friend and brother Vayu [Rudra] married to Saraswati and their two sons – the two Aswins – sustain and support this world. The 9 Devatas mentioned above are born successively from the younger of the two Aswins, named Agni (fire). The 5 owe their origin to the Manifest Self and have been created due to manifold division of ‘Mundane Egg’ created by the Manifest Self or Prana (Life). This Manifest Self was the Sakaar form of the Nirakaar Brahman [Absolute God]. The various intermittent stages of this creation from the Absolute God to the Manifest Self and to the Mundane Egg are given the names of Mahesh, Vishnu and Brahma by the learned sages of yore. The Devatas emanated when the Light or Noor of Brahma divided manifold to create numerous Lights equivalent in shine and grandeur to the Light of Brahma. Thus, it is evident that these Devatas are sustainers and supporters of all bodies. It is the 5 Devatas, along with the remaining 9, who came down to take birth in this world at a later period.
II.5
As fire, he (Life, prana) burns; he is the sun. He is the bountiful rain god (Devata); He is the wind (Vayu). He is the earth, matter, deva. He is being and non-being and what is immortal.
That the word Deva is described with matter confirms that it is the 5 Devatas who are being described here. Nine had already been described earlier, thereby making it a total of 14. They are fire, sky (representing rain), wind or air (Vayu), earth, matter (at other places, the fifth is water), whom people wrongly think as the five elements. They are the 5 Devatas who support this world. The rain-god (truly, the Lord of rain) is Indra, who is the head of all.
It is to be noted that certain names which were mentioned in the earlier 9 are repeated in the list of 5 as well. This should not confuse you as we will find later that the names were repeated in the descendants and it is possible that the grand son or the great grandson bears the same name as any of his illustrious forefather. In fact, we will know later that the 14 Devatas have only 7 names; thus, the same names were repeated again in the progeny. The same is said in verse I.2.4 of Mundaka Upanishad in signs. It must be noted that the name Mundaka signifies one who is shaved or liberated from error and ignorance. See the verse again:
The seven moving tongues of the fire are the black, the terrific, the swift as mind, the very red, the very smoky-coloured, the spark blazing, the all-shaped (or all-tasting) Devi.
Chapter II of Mundaka Upanishad of the Atharva Veda too describes the relationship of the One God with these Devatas. It also tells how the devatma-sakti, termed as Life (Prana) in Prasna Upanishad that we have already quoted before, are part and parcel of our self; without them there will be no life in this world. And no world at all.
II.I.I
This is the truth. As from a blazing fire, sparks of like form issue forth by the thousands, even so, O beloved, many kinds of beings issue forth from the immutable and they return thither too.
Immutable i.e. without change is reference to Devatas in their Noor or Light states while they are described as Mutable when the Noor or Light will descend in pure human bodies on earth to guide and lead mankind. From the Immutable, sparks of like forms emanate, which signify creation of various beings on earth. But we must remember that Paramatma or Manifest Self too is immutable. From this, it would signify that these Devatas emanate from the Paramatma, possess the characteristics of Paramatma and finally, at a certain time, they return back or rather merge in the power of the Paramatma.
II.I.2
Divine and formless is the person. He is without and within, unborn, without breath and without mind, pure and higher than the highest immutable.
This verse shows there is somebody higher than the highest immutable i.e. Paramatma. And that power is the Absolute God. After showing the link of the Divinities with the Immutable (Paramatma or Manifest Self), Absolute God is being described who is even higher than the Immutable. The highest immutable is Manifest Self (Paramatma or Vishnu) and the Absolute God - who is formless, omnipresent, omnipotent, without breath (spirit), without mind and pure - is even higher than the Manifest Self.
II.1.3
From him are born life, mind, all the sense-organs (also) ether, air, light, water and earth, the supporter of all.
II.1.4
Fire (Light) is His head, His eyes are the sun and the moon, the regions of space are His ears, His speech the revealed Vedas; air is His life and His heart the world. Out of his feet the earth (is born); indeed He is the self of all beings.
It is from the Absolute God that Life (the Manifest Self) is born and which further created the Devatas. The names that constiture Life are mentioned here. They are clearly not the names of 5 elements. Even Dr. Radhakrishnan and various other commentators knew that. That is why they try to give altogether new meanings to these verses, thereby enhancing the vagueness and absurdity. Read for yourself how Radhakrishnan describes this verse: “Sankara points out that the world which issues out of him is not real. It is as real as the person from whom it issues. So even the author is said to be unreal, being the manifestation of the Supreme Brahman through maya. Anandagiri points out ‘The whole creation is traced to the personal Lord Ishwara who along with the principle of objectivity is a manifestation of the Absolute Brahman.’ So somebody says the world, the person and the author, all as unreal. So if everything is unreal, why are they taking pains to explain unreal things? And they ignore the countless remarks like ‘this is truth, this is real knowledge, this is the way to heaven’ and so on. Perhaps they too are unreal things.”
Irony is that unable to understand these vague explanations, the commentators describe the Upanishads as philosophical treatises of such high order that it is not possible for common man, devoid of spiritual powers, to understand. And we take for granted that the so-called acharyas are knowledgeable enough to understand all this, despite it being philosophical discussion of such high order that we could not get to the head and tail of it. Henceforth, we start revering them as great persons. They are given asanas to sit as well as charity and dakshinas; a lot many of these revered persons are even carried on shoulders by their devotees, lest their feet would fell on the ground. Is all this the teaching of Gita and our religious scriptures?
Since it is evident that Dr. Radhakrishnan has himself not understood the subject of discussion, true meanings will be known to us when the Upanishads are retranslated in the light of secrets being unearthed here. What is clear from the existing translation is that the same Devatas are being mentioned here too. The last sentence: “Indeed He is the self of all beings” confirm the argument we had been giving so far that the Immutable (Manifest Self) is higher than the Divinities (Devatas) and the Absolute God is even higher. Since everything has emanated from the Absolute God, He indeed is the self of all divinities, His power and characteristics are reflected in all the Divine Beings.
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