Dyaus
| Dyaus | |
|---|---|
God of the Sky | |
| Member of Pancha Bhuta | |
| Other names | Akasha |
| Devanagari | द्यौस |
| Affiliation | Deva, Pancha Bhuta |
| Abode | Dyuloka, Sky (ākāśa, आकाश) |
| Texts | Rigveda |
| Consort | Prithvi |
| Offspring | Surya, Ushas, and the many other gods and goddesses |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Uranus Zeus (mainly etymological)[1] |
| Indo-European equivalent | Dyēus |
| Roman equivalent | Caelus Jupiter (mainly etymological) |
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Dyaus (Sanskrit: द्यौष्, IAST: Dyáuṣ) or Dyauspitr (Sanskrit: द्यौष्पितृ, IAST: Dyáuṣpitṛ́) is the Rigvedic sky god. His consort is Prithvi, the earth goddess, and together they are the archetypal parents in the Rigveda.[2]
Nomenclature
[edit]Dyauṣ stems from Proto-Indo-Iranian *dyā́wš, from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) daylight-sky god *Dyēus, and is cognate with the Greek Διας - Zeus Patēr, Illyrian Dei-pátrous, or Latin Jupiter (from Old Latin Dies piter Djous patēr), stemming from the PIE Dyḗus ph₂tḗr ("Daylight-sky Father").[3]
The noun dyaús (when used without the pitṛ́ 'father') refers to the daylight sky, and occurs frequently in the Rigveda, as an entity. The sky in Vedic writing was described as rising in three tiers, avamá, madhyamá, and uttamá.[4]
Literature
[edit]Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́, 'Father Sky' appears in hymns with Prithvi Mata, 'Mother Earth' in the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism.[5]
In the Ṛg·veda, Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́ appears in verses 1.89.4, 1.90.7, 1.164.33, 1.191.6, 4.1.10. and 4.17.4[6] He is also referred to under different theonyms: Dyavaprithvi, for example, is a dvandva compound combining 'heaven' and 'earth' as Dyauṣ and Prithvi.
Dyauṣ's most defining trait is his paternal role.[7] His and Prithvi's daughter, Uṣas, is the goddess of dawn.[8] Many other gods and goddesses, especially Sūrya, are stated to be the children of Dyauṣ and Prithvi.[9] Dyauṣ and Prithvi's other sons and daughters include Agni, Parjanya, the Ādityas, the Maruts, and the Angirases.[7][9] The Ashvinas are called "divó nápāt", meaning grandsons of Dyauṣ and Prithvi as the twin sons among many children of their son Sūrya with his wife Sanjna.[7][10] Dyauṣ is a roaring bull, who fertilizes Prithvi, the earth as a roaring cow.[7] Dyauṣ also blessed his own daughter with Prithvi, Ushas, which H. H. Wilson (1866) showed, is vividly mentioned in the Rigveda.[11]
Dyauṣ is also a black stallion studded with pearls in a simile with the night sky.[7][12]
Indra and all the deities's separation of Dyauṣ and Prithvi is celebrated in the Rigveda as an important creation myth.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Zeus's main Hindu equivalent is Indra. "Indra | Hindu God of War, Rain & Thunder | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ Shri, Satya (23 January 2017). Demystifying Brahminism and Re-Inventing Hinduism: Volume 1 - Demystifying Brahminism. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-946515-54-4.
- ^ West 2007, p. 171.
- ^ Ṛg·veda, 5.60.6.
- ^ Leeming, David; Fee, Christopher (2016). The Goddess: Myths of the Great Mother. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78023-538-7.
- ^ Sanskrit: Ṛg·veda, Wikisource; translation: Ralph T. H. Griffith Rigveda, Wikisource
- ^ a b c d e Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1897). Vedic Mythology. Oxford University Press. pp. 21–22.
- ^ Dalal, Roshen (2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. ISBN 9788184752779. Entry: "Dyaus"
- ^ a b c Jamison, Stephanie; Brereton, Joel P. (2014). The Rigveda –– The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Oxford University Press. pp. 50–51.
- ^ West, M. L. (2007). Indo-European Poetry and Myth. Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-19-928-075-9.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (27 August 2021). "Rig Veda 1.71.5 [English translation]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Jamison & Brereton 2014, p. 1492.