bob_brigante wrote: > 'So in the common terminology he saw Rishi, he > saw Devata value... > There's no mention of any "Devata" in the Vedas, Bob. Or any Yakshis dwelling in a Kadamba tree.
The idea of Devata came much later with the rise of the Bhakti sects. There are no 'devatas' in the Vedas, that is, there are no household or sylvan deities, apart from or in addition to the supernal devas such as Surya, Indra or Vishnu. Devatas belong to earth and do not share in the charateristics of Devas. Devatas are all minor mind-made demi-gods such as Shiva and Durga. Devatas are just potencies, instruments, or in some cases, deified heros such as Vasudeva, Krishna, or Ramchandra. The names Krishna, Balarama, Vasudeva, and Rama do not occur in the Rig Veda. On the other hand, a Deva is a 'celestial' power, the deification or personification of natural forces and phenomena, distiguised by name and attributes in the Rig Veda and the Zend Avesta. Devas are believed to be auspicious if propitiated, such as Surya, Agni, Usas, or Saraswati, all derived from Prajapati. According to the Rig Veda (I.139,11), they number thirty-three.
