benevolent deity in Hinduism and Buddhism
Deva
Deva is the Sanskrit term Hinduism uses for its benevolent gods and divine beings, and Buddhism uses it for celestial beings who dwell in the heavens. Its root, linked to the idea of shining, connects it with Latin deus and Greek Zeus.
The myth
In the oldest Vedic texts, powerful supernatural beings were called devas and asuras alike. According to the Rigveda, there are thirty-three devas, among them Indra, Agni, Soma, Varuna, Mitra and the Adityas. Some embody forces of nature, while others stand for moral values. Tradition holds that devas and asuras were born of the same father, Prajapati, shared a dwelling and food, and differed only in their deeds and choices. The Kaushitaki Upanishad tells how Indra was weaker than the asuras until he gained self-knowledge, after which he became independent and triumphed over them.
The Puranas later raised the number of devas to three hundred and thirty million. In the Advaita Vedanta school they are seen as lesser manifestations of the one Brahman. For Buddhists, devas dwell in various heavens where they enjoy pleasures earned by good deeds, yet they remain bound to the cycle of rebirth.
Worship and religion
In the Srauta tradition, devas receive Vedic mantras and sacrifices (yajna) to win their blessings, and the sacrificial fire is central. The gods are invoked together as the Vishvedevas. Their feminine counterparts, called devis or shaktis, include Uma, wife of Shiva, Sarasvati, wife of Brahma, Savitri and Prithvi. Hinduism still keeps alive the worship of many of these deities in temples, household rites and festivals.
Legacy
The term has had a lasting linguistic influence. The Romani word del, meaning god, descends directly from devata, the modern Hindi form. In Western esotericism, devas are described as elemental beings or earth spirits said to govern trees, rivers, mountains and minerals. In Zoroastrianism, by contrast, the word daeva came to be associated with malevolent beings.
Ancient sources: The Rigveda, the Brihadaranyaka and Kaushitaki Upanishads, the Brahmanas and the Puranas describe the devas and their struggles with the asuras.