Does 33 koti mean 33 crores or 33 groups? It actually means 33 main Devas divided into 4 groups. In colloquial Tamil, we say that there are “muppathu mukkodi / முப்பத்து முக்கோடி” Devas. Various Puranas like Skanda Purana state that there are 1 crore assistants to each of the 33 Devas accounting for the 33 crore of these intelligent beings.
A very interesting conversation between Śākalya and Yājñavalkya in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad brings forth the intricate nature of the different groups of Devas and their essence.
Śākalya the son of Sakala, asked ‘How many gods are there, Yājñavalkya?’ Yājñavalkya decided it through a group of Mantras known as Nivid, ‘As many as are indicated in the Nivid of the Visvadevas three hundred and three. and three thousand and three.’ ‘Very well.’ said Śākalya, ‘how many gods are there Yājñavalkya?’ ‘Thirty-three.’ ‘Very well,’ said the other, ‘how many gods are there, Yājñavalkya ?’ ‘Six.’ ‘Very well’ said
Śākalya, ‘how many gods are there, Yājñavalkya ?’ ‘Three.’ ‘Very well,’ said the other, ‘how many gods are there, Yājñavalkya ?’ ‘Two.’ ‘Very well,’ said Śākalya, ‘how many gods are there, Yājñavalkya ?’ ‘One and a
half.’ ‘Very well,’ said the other. ‘how many gods are there, Yājñavalkya ?’ ‘One.’ ‘Very well,’ . said Śākalya, ‘which are those three hundred and three and three thousand and three?’!!!
Yājñavalkya said, ‘These, the three hundred and three etc., are but the manifestations of them, the thirty-three gods. But really there are only thirty three gods.’ ‘Which are those thirty-three?’ The reply is being given: ‘The eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras and the twelve Adityas-these are thirty-one, and Indra and Prajapati make up the thirty-three.
Yājñavalkya adds – “katame vasava iti; agniśca pṛthivī ca vāyuścāntarikśaṃ cādityaśca dyauśca candramāśca nakśatrāṇi caite vasavaḥ” – “What are these Vasus which are eight in number?” “Fire is one deity; earth is one deity; air is another; the atmosphere is one deity; the sun is one deity; the heaven is one deity; moon is one deity; the stars are one deity. These constitute eight groups”
Vasu means wealth giver or that in which something resides. That which is the repository or the support of something is the Vasu of that thing. The eight items mentioned are the subtle substances out of which everything including our bodies are made.
Yājñavalkya continues – “eteṣu hīdaṃ vasu sarvaṃ hitamiti tasmādvasava iti” – “Everything is deposited as it were in these constituent principles. Therefore, they are called Vasus.”
He then moves to Rudra which means to cry in sanskrit- “katame rudrā iti. daśeme puruṣe prāṇāḥ ātmaikādaśaḥ” – “The ten senses and the mind make eleven. These are the Rudras.” These 11 aspects control our lives. We cannot do anything independent of our senses and the mind. The Rishi continues – “Te yadāsmāt śarīrān martyād utkrāmanti, atha rodayanti, tad yad rodayanti, tasmād rudrā iti” – When the 10 senses and the mind leave the body, the Atma cries in anguish and the others also cry at the time of this departure. While living also, if we don’t abide by their laws, these 11 entities make us cry for violating their laws. Hence these are called as Rudra.
According to Yājñavalkya – “katama ādityā iti. dvādaśa vai māsāḥ saṁvatsarasya. eta ādityaḥ, ete hīdaṁ sarvam ādadānā yanti. te yad idaṁ sarvam ādadānā yanti, tasmād ādityā iti” – Many think that 12 Adityas means 12 suns since Aditya means Sun in sanskrit. But in this context Aditya is deemed to mean the root ādadānā which means to take, withdraw or absorb. So the 12 Adityas does not mean 12 suns but 12 different functions or ways or methods using which the sun takes away or absorbs lives from us and influences our lives and the entire atmosphere around us. While we may enjoy the sun rise everyday for its beauty, we should also realize that the day which passed has taken that much life from us and it is the Adityas who are responsible for that activity.
Yājñavalkya continues to say – “katama indraḥ, katamaḥ prajāpatir iti, stanayitnur evendraḥ, yajñaḥ prajāpatir iti. katamaḥ stanayitnur iti. aśanir iti. katamo yajña iti, paśava iti” – that Indra is the confidence that we feel in ourselves, the force or energy that resides within us and giving us that confidence. The Rishi brings out this meaning by comparing Indra with rain cloud implying that Indra is the hidden forces of thunder and lightening which accompany the rain cloud and the associated strength, vigor and energy. According to Yājñavalkya – Prajapati is sacrifice. Here Sacrifice does not mean the oblations in the sacred fire. It means a form of self-surrender in which we surrender ourselves and our values to the eternal value of Antāryamin.
Usually the Puranas list the 33 Devas as 33 external forces to cater to the less evolved Atmas. But the Upanishads take us to the next stage and show us their true essence- that these 33 Devas are not external but internal to us and that we have to harness them to realize Brahman. External or internal does not matter to us as long as they are of not any help to us. Lets see how as manushyas, we can engage with them as external forces and what it really means to be a deva in the coming posts.
mythological squirrel 