The visvedevas (, ) refers to the designation used to address the entirety of the various deities featured in the Vedas. It also refers to a specific classification of deities in the Puranas.[Renou, Louis. L'Inde Classique, vol. 1, p. 328, Librairie d'Ameriqe et d'Orient. Paris 1947, reprinted 1985. .]
Literature
Rigveda
In the
Rigveda a number of hymns are addressed to these deities, including (according to Griffith): 1.3, 1.89, 3.54-56, 4.55, 5.41-51, 6.49-52, 7.34-37, 39, 40, 42, 43, 8.27-30, 58, 83 10.31, 35, 36, 56, 57, 61-66, 92, 93, 100, 101, 109, 114, 126, 128, 137, 141, 157, 165, 181.
RV 3.54.17 addresses them as headed by Indra:
- This is, ye Wise, your great and glorious title, that all ye Deities abide in Indra. (trans. Griffith)
The dichotomy between devas is not evident in these hymns, and the devas are invoked together such as Mitra and Varuna. Though many devas are named in the Rigveda, only 33 devas are counted, eleven of them present each in earth, space, and Svarga.[Singhal, K. C; Gupta, Roshan. The Ancient History of India, Vedic Period: A New Interpretation. Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. . P. 150.]
Manusmriti
According to
Manu Smriti (iii, 90, 121), offerings should be made daily to the visvedevas. These privileges were bestowed on them by
Brahma and the
Pitri as a reward for severe austerities they had performed on the
Himalayas.
[Monier Monier-Williams. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p.993, Bay Foreign Language Books, Ashford, Kent. 1899, reprinted 2003. .]
Puranas
In later
Hinduism, the visvedevas form one of the nine ganadevatas (along with the
adityas,
vasus,
Tushita,
abhasvaras, anilas,
maharajikas,
sadhyas, and
rudras). According to the
Vishnu Purana and
Padma Purana, they were the sons of VishvÄ, a daughter of
Daksha, described as follows:
Mahabharata
The visvedevas are described to have incarnated on earth due to the curse of sage
Vishwamitra,
as the five sons of
Draupadi with the
Pandava - the
Draupadeyas. They are described to have returned to their original forms after being killed by
Ashwatthama at night.
See also
