Definitions of visvadevas & pracetas?

November 4, 1998

Dear List Members, Oct. 29, 1998

May I ask one of the senior members if the visvadevas and the pracetas are

the same entities? I know that the pracetas are mentioned in the Bhagavatam,

but I can't find anything on the others. And could I ask for a line or two

or a paragraph explaining what their importance was?

And the Vasus; are they the same?

Thanks for the attention,

Dharmapada/Dean De Lucia

November 7, 1998

Dear Mr. Dean De Lucia :

I am glad to respond to your queries .

These are deep Vedic Questions .Thanks

for asking.

V.Sadagopan

>

>Dear List Members, Oct. 29, 1998

>

>May I ask one of the senior members if the visvadevas and the pracetas are

>the same entities? I know that the pracetas are mentioned in the Bhagavatam,

>but I can't find anything on the others. And could I ask for a line or two

>or a paragraph explaining what their importance was?

>

>And the Vasus; are they the same?

1). VisvEdevA: (2)Pracetas (3) Vasus

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VisvEdevA: are referred to often in the VedAs

( Rg Vedam I.3.7-9),Yajur Vedam XXXVI.17).

This word can be translated literally into all DevAs.

Veda NaarAyaNan is their emperor ( Deva Raajan ).

Vedic words are translated into three levels of

significance : literal, philosophical and esoteric.

In the phlosophical transaltion , VisvEdevA:

are understood as "all nature's bounties".

In the esoteric level , VisvEdEvA:

represent all mental and supramental faculties .

Specific VisvEdevA: are Agni , Vaayu , VaruNA ,

SuryA , MitrA et al . Those who are not enumerated

here add to the list of the assembly of dEvAs

saluted by ANDAL as Mupaatthu MukkOti DevAs or

33 Crores of DevAs with individual functions

tied across hierarchies and chains of commands .

Each of them have been defined as having illuminating

wisdom ( sarvE divya guNa yukthA : ) .

They are often called to accept the Sacred Somaa

Juice consecrated by the Yajnam . One Rg veda manthram

in this category appealing to VisvEdEvA:is :

visvadEvAsO asridha yEhimAyAsO adhruha :I

mEgam jushantha vahnaya : II---Rg Vedam Canto I.3.9

(Meaning ) : May the universal Gods , who are exempt

from kashayam (decay) and are omniscient as well as

free from malice accept this sacrifice in their role

as bearers of riches .

2) PRECHETHAS AND PRECHETASES :

PrechEtas has many levels of meanings in the Vedic lore.

According to one , this is one name for VaruNan , the Lord

of Waters . PrechEtas means discriminating in the context

of the discriminating intellect of VaruNan

(Please refer to evening SandhyAvandhanam prayers

addressed to VarunA : imam mE VaruNa--).

PracEtas according to SvAyambhuva Manu , the first

law giver is "awareness" and is one of the Lords of progeny

( prajaapathy ). Bhaagavatha PurANam refers to

SvAyambhuva Manu (4.1) and the prajApathys 6.5.6).

BhAgavatha purANam (9.25) discusses which Gods

and VisvEdEvAs to worship for attaining a particular

boon . It points to the worship of PracEtas (VaruNan)

for attaining treasures .

3) Vasu(s): Vasu in PurANic and Vedic lore has

many meanings.

According to purANAs,we have 14 manvanthrAs

or periods of Time ruled by 14 different

Manus or Law givers .There are seven seers

with different names in each of the manvanthram,

who thru their tapas (penance) and anushtAnams

shape the course of the world and its beings .

We are now in the seventh manvanthram, Vaivasvatha

manvanthram and the law giver is Vaivasvatha Manu.

He is assisted by the seven seers : VasishtA ,

KaasyapA , GouthamA , VisvAmitrA , BhaaradhvAjA

and Jaamadagni .

In the ninth ManvanthrA to follow , Daksha-

SaavarNika Manu would be the law giver and one of

the seven Rishis (saptha Rishis) to assist him

would have the name of VASU .

The literal meaning of the word Vasu is

Wealth or objects of pleasure .

In Vedic and Upanishadic lore , Vasus

refer to the eight spheres of existence :

Fire, Earth, Wind , Atmosphere, Sun ,

Sky, Moon and Stars . This classification

is consistent with the meaning of Vasu as

"dwelling " or "dweller " .All the eight

spheres of existence or dwellings are

understood as dwellings for the world.

There are individual manifest energies

and ruling deities and coresponding ManthrAs in

the VedAs for each of these spheres of

existence(Vasus).

Hope this helps to dwell deeper into these Vedic

Concepts ,

V.Sadagopan

P.S : Mr.De Lucia , Are you living in Brazil ?

November 9, 1998

Dear Bhagavatas:

May I supplement (and NOT meant to supplant) the illuminating treatise of

Sreeman Sadagopan Swami on the subject?

1 VISWEDEVAS:

Viswa-Devas, Viswe-Devas no doubt refers to "All the gods," They are a group

of indeterminate Gods In the Vedas, they form a class of nine or ten in

number. They are addressed in the Vedas as "preservers of men, bestowers of

rewards" Later, it came to be applied to a class of deities accepting

sacrificial offerings. There are several accounts of Viswedevas but they vary

both in number and names. While what Sri Sadagopan has mentioned is one such

list, another list found in Vishnu Purana runs like this:

1.Vasu 2. Satya 3. Kratu 4. Daksha 5. Kaala 6. Kaama 7. Dhriti 8. Kuru

9. Pururavas and 10. Maadravas. In some accounts, two others are added viz

Rochaka or Lochana and Dhuri or Dhwani.- vide Vishnu Purana Hall's Edition

vol.iii.pp.178,188.189.

PRACHETASAS:

The word means "awareness". According to some accounts there were ten

Prachetasas who were sons of "Praacheenabarhis" and great grandsons of

"Prithu." According to Vishnu Purana, they spent ten thousand years in the

great ocean meditating deeply on lord Vishnu and obtained from him the boon of

becoming the progenitors of mankind. Prachetas was thus one of the

Prajapatis.

VASUS:

Vasus are a class of manes.They are usually referred to as Ashta (8) Vasus and

considered along with Ekadasa (11) Rudras and Dwadasa (12) Adityas (Sovereign

principles) considered to dwell in the Pitruloka. We offer Til and Water on

Amavasya and other Pitru days for our parents, grandparents and Great grand

parents represented respectively by Vasu, Rudra and Aditya. They were

considered in Vedic times as the personification of natural phenomena or

spheres of existence or dwellings

According to Vishnu Puranam 1-15-111 they are 1. Aapa (water) 2. Dhruva (Pole

Star) 3. Soma (Moon) 4. Dharma (Sustenance) 5. Anila (Wind) 6. Anala (fire) 7.

Prathyusha (Dawn) and 8. Prabhaasa (Light).

Mahabharata 1-66-19, however, lists them differently, substituting Dhara

(Flow) for Aapa, and Aha (day) for Dharma in the above list. They were

depicted as the attendants of Indra. According to Ramayana, they were children

of Aditi.