Vedic deities
Topic: The Vedic Age · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 7 "India's Cultural Roots"
Meaning
Vedic deities are the gods and goddesses praised in the Vedic hymns, such as Indra, Agni, Varuṇa, Mitra, Sarasvatī and Uṣhas. Each was linked with a part of nature, such as the sun, rain, fire, earth or dawn. This shows that people depended on nature and saw it as holy and powerful. There was no fixed ranking among the gods. Different hymns praise different gods as the highest. Together with the seers, the gods kept up ṛitam, the truth and order of the world.
Example
A Ṛigvedic verse says ekam sat viprā bahudhā vadanti, "The Existent is one, but sages give it many names". The early seers saw the many gods as names of one reality. Worship of the sun continues today in festivals such as Chhath and Makar Sankranti.
Don't confuse with
- Later Puranic gods: gods such as Viṣhṇu, Śhiva and Brahmā became central much later. In the Ṛigveda, gods like Indra and Agni are the main ones.