GODS and GODDESSES
Vedic Gods
Rig Veda - lore of the verses, enumerates
numerous Vedic Gods. Vedic priests beleived in ceremonies & rituals,
which were offered to appease these Gods. No one Vedic God has been considered
the Supreme God. In fact, different Gods have been considered as Supreme
at different times, attributing the powers & qualities of one to another.
Apart from Gods who have been attributed specific characteristics, several
inanimate objects, qualities, emotions & various forms of nature had
also been deified & worshipped.
The earliest accepted Gods were
Dyaush-pita (the sky father),
Prithivi mata ( the earth
mother),
Vayu (the wind God),
Parjanya (the rain God),
Surya (the sun God),
Varuna (the God of oceans),
Agni (the fire God),
Indra (the war God),
Soma (the God of speech,
deity of soma creeper),
Ushas (the Goddess of dawn),
Yama (the God of death),
Adityas (a group of deities,
who are six in number in the Rig Veda, eight in most of the Brahmanas &
twelve in the Satapatha Brahmana,
Aswini (twin Deities),
Rudras (eight in number),
Vasus (eight in number),
Visvedevas ( ten in number).
Lord Vishnu, the second Trinity finds
a secondary place in the Rig Veda.
Ashtalakshmi temple, Besant Nagar, Chennai
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