Deities in the Rgvedic Brahmanas: A Critical Study

Deities occupy a prominent position in the Vedic literature. Not only in the Samitas but also in the Brahmanas we come across a host of divinities who play an important role from the standpoints of religion and mythology. In the two Rgvedic Brahmanas, viz., the Aitareya and the Sankhayana, certain Gods have become more powerful than their Rgvedic counterparts, while others have faded into the background. Besides this, a plethora of major Gods have been transformed beyond recognition and their novel features deserve a critical appraisal. Over and above these principal deities, some group-divinities also play an active role in the two Brahmanas under reference. A comprehensive study of the Vedic deities and their role in the Brahmanas of the Rgveda has long been a desideratum and the author, with all the available data at his command, has presented to the bar of the academic world a sustained and thought-provoking work in the field of ancient Indian religion and mythology. At the outset, the author deals with the core content of the Brahmana literature as well as the salient features of the two Rgvedic Brahmanas. While going to portray a vivid and complete picture of the Vedic Gods, the author has explored all the avenues in examining the ritualistic and mythological aspects of the Rgvedic deities. The origin and nature of Vedic Gods in general have received an excellent analytical treatment at the hands of the author, and in this context the classification and distinctive attributes of the deities have been discussed in detail with special reference to the numerous legends as narrated in the two Brahmanas. The author breaks new ground in his analysis of the principal divinities such as Agni, Soma, Indra and etc. and at the same time throws light on the status of Prajapati, Aditya and Visnu and their distinguishing features in the light of researches carried out by the oriental and occidental scholars. Dr. Samir Kumar Mukhopadhyay, reader in Sanskrit, Surendranath College for Women, Calcutta, has been successful to a great extent in projecting the distinctive traits of a host of group-divinities such as the Maruts, Rudras, Rbhus, Vasus, Visvedevas and etc. and in the same vein pinpointing their prominent role in different Vedic rituals. The minor Gods who also contribute to the ritualistic development of the two Bramanas in a significant manner form the subject-matter of the penultimate chapter of this scholarly treatise. The last chapter, in the form of an epilogue, furnishes a succinct gist of the novel features of the deities in the Rgvedic Brahmanas with an eye on their social and political prominence, transformation and elevation to the highest rank of divinity.