5 - Deities and their relative status

1. In the mahat principle, as described above, lord Vishnu entered together with Lakshmi and activated the same. 

2-3. From mahat ego was born1, being constituted of knowledge, substance and activity. In the constitution of ego tamas contributed one part, rajas ten and sattva contributed more. Lord became his atman. 

1. Sankhya-Karika of Ishvarakrishna 

4.Characterized by the principle of ego, Shesha1 was evolved at the beginning of creation. After the lapse of a thousand years, were born Shiva and Garuda. 

1. Shesha or Adishesha–One of the Prajapatis. He is the son of Kashyapa and Kadru. 

5. The eternal Vishnu entered the ego. Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi activated the ego. 

6. I am threefold: of modified (i.e., secondary) form, born of tamas and of tejas. Lord Rudra is the controller of the three. 

7-10. Lord Rudra controls all secondary objects. Therefore, he is called secondary. Controlling taijasa forms he is called taijasa. 

Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi entered the ego which the lord set to motion. He, the lord, evolved five organs of intellect: ears, eyes, touch, taste, smell, and five organs of action, viz., tongue, hands, feet, anus and phallus.2 

2. Samkhyatattvakaumudi, Karika 26

11. O lord of birds, from the mahat were evolved the presiding deities of eleven organs of sense.3 

3. Eleven organs of sense-five organs of intellect and five organs of action and one mind. 

12. In the beginning was born Varuni, the presiding deity of the mind and then Gaurija. 

13. These were evolved from Shesha one after the other, within ten years serially. 

14. Then were evolved Indra and Kama-the presiding deities of the mind. O Tarkshya, bondage and release came afterwards. 

15-17. Then I was evolved in the bodily form constituted of skin and called a creator. Then, O best of birds, creatures possessed of hands came into being. Śhachi,4 Rati,5 

4. Shachi-daughter of Puloman, an asura chief, became the wife of Indra. 

5. Rati-Wife of Kamadeva. See infra, p. 990, Fn. 4. 

Aniruddha,1 Manu2 the son of self-born Brahma, Bruhaspati3 and Daksha4 were born in human form. 

1. Aniruddha-son of Pradyumna and grandson of Krishna. Usha, daughter of the Asura Bana, fell in love with him. With the help of Krishna who defeated Bana in a battle, Aniruddha carried off his beloved as his wife to Dvaraka. 

2. Svayambhuva Manu: Born of Brahma and Shatarupa he is known as the author of the Manusmruti. 

3. Bruhaspati-the preceptor of the Devas (Devaguru).

 4. Daksha - son of Brahma born from his right thumb.

O bird, after Daksha was born Pravaha,5 also called Ativaha who by self-urge causes objects to move. 

5. Pravaha-name of a wind that moves upwards in the body. 

18. Thereafter, the organ of perception came into being. 

19. Shatarupa, wife of Svayambhuva Manu, Yama, Moon and Sun-the four presiding deities of their respective organs came into being. 

20. O lord of birds, the moon is the presiding deity of ears. Varuna, the presiding deity of the tongue came after the Sun. 

21-23. After Varuna were born the wives of Daksha, their offsprings: Bhrugu and Agni—the presiding deities of the tongue. These high-souled ones control the organ of speech Kravyada and others, of which mention has been made before, do not control any principle. They are grouped in a separate category, for they are not the presiding deities of any principle of life. 

After that, O lord of birds, were born the presiding deities of the generating organ. They are:

24. Vishvamitra, Vasishtha, Atri, Marichi, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, Angiras and Vaivasvata Manu. Manu and others of endless number are the presiding deities of the generating organ. 

25. O lord of birds, thereafter were born the presiding deities of anus. They are: 

26-28. Mitra-one of the twelve Suns, Tara the wife of Bruhaspati the presiding deity of the quarters, Nirruti, Pravahi- the consort of Pravaha. These four, O lord of birds, are the presiding deities of the principle of Vayu. 

O lord of birds, the following are the presiding deities of smell-Vishvaksena, Ashvins, sons of Vayu, lord of ganas and wealth, seven Vasus1 and agni the eighth. 

1. Ash tavasus- Gana-devatas. They were born to Dharmadeva of his wife Vasu, daughter of Daksha. They are Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Ahar, Anila, Anala, Pratyuṣha and Prabhasa (M.B. Adi. 66). 

According to Vishnu Purana (Ch. 15. Sec. 1) the eight Vasus are named Apa, Dhruva, Soma, Dharma, Anila, Anala and Pratyuṣha. 

In the Bhagavata Purana they are Drona, Prana, Dhruva, Arka, Agni, Dosha, Vasu and Vibhavasu. 

The names of Vasus differ in different Puranas. 

29. Now, I shall tell you the names of seven Vasus: Drona, Prana, Dhruva, Arka, Dosa, Vasu, Vibhavasu being the seventh 

30. Rudras are ten in number. The primary Rudra is called Bhava. O best of birds, now I shall tell you the ten names of Rudra.2 

2. The rest of the Puranas mention eleven Rudras. The present Purana mentions ten but gives only seven names. 

31. Raivanteya, Bhima, Vamadeva, Vrushakapi, Ahirbudhnya, Bahurupa, Mahan. 

32-33. These are ten Rudras, O bird. Now listen to six3 Adityas, viz., Urukrama, Shakra, Vivasvan, Varuna, Parjanya, Atibahu. Except Parjanya, they are mentioned before. 

3. An obvious departure from ancient tradition which mentions twelve Adityas. A number of names in these lists do not correspond with the names of this list. 

34-35. O lord of birds, Parjanya is at par with Ganga, Savitri, Aryaman, Dhatru, Pushan, Tvashtru and Bhaga. Mahat is forty-seven. Pravaha and Ativaha have been mentioned above. 

36-39. O lord of birds, Vishvedevas are ten, viz., Pururavas, Adrava, Dhuri, Lochana, Kratu, Daksha, Satya, Vasu, Kama and Kalaka. 

Thus are the Rubhus,1 three groups of Pitrus,2 Dyuloka and Bhuloka. 

1. Rubhus. Rubhus are a group of divine beings who attained divinity by performing tapas. RV, I. 111 mentions one Angiras, the son of Brahma who had a son named Sudhanva. Sudhanva had three children: Rubhushan, Vibhvas and Vaja. The three were names of Rubhus. 

2. The three groups of Pitrus include Agnishvattas, Barhishadas and Somapas. 

Thus, were born the eighty-six deities, the presiding ones of the organ of smell. 

40. The lord of ganas is the presiding deity of ether and of the organ of smell. 

41. Excluding Vishvaksena, Jaya and the rest are the councillors. In their mutual relationship some are equal and some unequal. 

42. These are the secondary controllers of the organs of sense. Hence, they are inferior to the presiding deities of the tattvas. 

43-44. Apana is the presiding deity of the principle of touch, Vyana that of form, Udana that of taste and Samana that of smell. The four Maruts are mentioned as the lords of waters. 

45. O lord of birds, I shall now tell you about Jaya etc., who came after Vishvaksena. In the materialistic creation Agni stands first. Chyavana son of sage Bhrugu and Utathya son of Bruhaspati come after agni. 

46-48. Manus, eleven in number, were also created first viz, Raivata, Chakshusha, Svarochisha, Uttama, Brahma-Savarni, Rudra-Savarni, Deva-Savarni, Savarni, Indra-Savarni, Daksha-Savarni and Dharma-Savarni.3 

3. Manus are fourteen in number. They are Svayambhuva (2) Svarochisha, (3) Uttama, (4) Tamasa, (5) Raivata, (6) Chakshusha, (7) Vaivasvata, (8) Savarni, (9) Dharma, (10) Savarnika (11) Pishanga, (12) Apishangabha, (13) Śhabala, (14) Varnaka. But the present Purana mentions only eleven. The Puranas differ in the number and nomenclature of Manus. 

49. Seven groups of manes were created thereafter, O lord of birds. 

50-54. Born thereafter and inferior to these are the following six: Ganga the wife of Varuna, Vibhavasu the wife of Parjanya, Shyamala the wife of Yama, Usha the wife of Aniruddha, Rohini the wife of the moon and Samjñakira the wife of the sun. 

After Ganga, Svaha, the presiding deity of the mantras was born. Svaha is the wife of Agni, being inferior to Ganga and others. 

After Svaha was born Budha, the presiding deity of knowledge. Budha, the son of the moon, is inferior to Svaha. 

55-56. O bird, aster Budha, Usha was born. Usha who attained the greatest fame by this name was the wife of Ashvins. 

She is inferior to Budha. Thereafter was born Shanaishchara the presiding deity of the principle of earth. 

57. Inferior to Usha was Pushkara, the presiding deity of all activities known also as Shanaishchara. 

58. Thus having created the presiding deities, Vishnu, the lord of gods, entered the principles together with Lakshmi.