Development of Hinduism

Author(s): M M Ninan
Publisher: M M Ninan

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1. VEDIC RELIGION
The eight Vasus are: agni (god of fire), prithivi (goddess of the earth), vayu (god of the wind), antarikch (god of the space), aditya (sun god), dyo (god of the luminous sky), chandrama (moon god) and nakchatra (god of the nakchatras, asterism. Nakchatras are 27, called Magha, Rohini etc.)
The following is a list of Deities by prominence as they appear in Rig Veda:
(List of Rigvedic deities by number of dedicated hymns, after Griffith. Some dedications are to twindeities, such as Indra-Agni, Mitra-Varuna, Soma-Rudra, here counted doubly.)
Indra 289 is the chief deity of the Rigveda, and the god of weather and war, and Lord of Svargaloka (Heaven) .He rides a white elephant called Airavata and wields the dazzling weapon of lightening called Vajrayudh. Prone to drinking soma, loses control over himself, prone to anger, mighty and sensuous, and always concerned about his survival and status as the leader.
"Their principal divinity was INDRA, the god of war and thunder, whose power was capable of destroying the walls of cities, of burning them down in order to conquer and pillage them... For a long time the behavior of the gods would reflect that of wicked men with the materialistic and pitiless!"
conquerors,
mentality of Aryan http://members.tripod.com/historel/orient/10inde.htm
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