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Hinduism: Sources of Wisdom and Authority

The Devas of the Rig Veda

  • 4 things to know
  • Component 2

Overview

Recall questions on how many devas the Rig Veda speaks of and on the roles of Agni, Indra and the other prominent deities.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How many devas does the Rig Veda traditionally speak of?

Key term

What is Varuna's distinctive function?

Key term

Contrast the polytheistic and monistic readings of the Rig Veda.

Process

Name three prominent devas and explain the roles of Agni and Indra.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How many devas does the Rig Veda traditionally speak of?

    Model answer

    Thirty-three, although the hymns also hint at a single reality lying behind them.

  2. 2

    Name three devas prominent in the Rig Veda.

    Model answer

    Indra, Agni and Varuna.

  3. 3

    What role does Agni play in Vedic religion?

    Model answer

    As the fire he receives the offering and carries it to the gods, so he is the priest who links earth and heaven.

  4. 4

    With what is Indra chiefly associated in the hymns?

    Model answer

    He is the warrior king of the gods, wielding the thunderbolt and releasing the waters by slaying the serpent that held them back.

  5. 5

    What is Varuna's distinctive function?

    Model answer

    He guards rita, the moral and cosmic order, and punishes those who break their word.

  6. 6

    Define rita.

    Model answer

    Rita is the ordered pattern of the cosmos and of right conduct that the gods uphold, and it is the forerunner of the later idea of dharma.

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