Wikipedia

Dyaus

Dyaus
Member of Thirty-three gods
Other namesAkasha
Devanagariद्यौस्
AffiliationDeva, Pancha Bhuta
AbodeDyuloka, Sky (ākāśa, आकाश)
SymbolBull
TextsRigveda
ConsortPrithvi
OffspringIndra, Surya, Ushas, and the other gods
Equivalents
GreekOuranos (Functional equivalent)
Zeus (mainly etymological)[1]
Indo-EuropeanDyēus
NorseOdin (as the Father of the gods)
Tyr (mainly etymological)
RomanCaelus (Functional equivalent)
Jupiter (mainly etymological)

Dyaus (Vedic Sanskrit: द्यौस्, IAST: Dyáus) or Dyauspitr (Vedic Sanskrit: द्यौष्पितृ, IAST: Dyáuṣpitṛ́) is the Rigvedic sky deity. His consort is Prthvi, the earth goddess, and together they are the archetypal parents in the Rigveda.[2]

Etymology

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Dyauṣ stems from Proto-Indo-Iranian *dyā́wš, from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) daylight-sky god *Dyēus, and is cognate with the Greek Διας – Zeus Patēr, or Dei-pátrous, and Latin Jupiter (from Old Latin Dies piter Djous patēr), stemming from the PIE Dyḗus ph₂tḗr ("Daylight-sky Father").[3]

The noun dyaús (when used without the pitṛ́ 'father') refers to the daylight sky, and occurs frequently in the Rigveda, as an entity. The sky in Vedic writing was described as rising in three tiers: avamá, madhyamá, and uttamá or tṛtī́ya.[4]

Literature

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Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́ appears in hymns with Prithvi Mata, 'Mother Earth' in the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism.[5]

In the Ṛg·veda, Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́ appears in verses 1.89.4, 1.90.7, 1.164.33, 1.191.6, 4.1.10. and 4.17.4[6] He is also referred to under different theonyms: Dyavaprithvi, for example, is a dvandva compound combining 'heaven' and 'earth' as Dyauṣ and Prithvi.

Dyauṣ's most defining trait is his paternal role.[7] His daughter, Uṣas, personifies dawn.[8] The gods, especially Sūrya, are stated to be the children of Dyauṣ and Prithvi.[9] Dyauṣ's other sons include Agni, Parjanya, the Ādityas, the Maruts, and the Angirases.[7][9] The Ashvins are called "divó nápāt", meaning offspring/progeny/grandsons of Dyauṣ.[7][10] Dyauṣ is often visualized as a roaring animal, often a bull, who fertilizes the earth.[7] Dyauṣ is also known for the rape of his own daughter,[11] which Jamison and Brereton (2014) state is "obliquely but vividly" mentioned in the Rigveda.[9]

Dyauṣ is also stated to be like a black stallion studded with pearls in a simile with the night sky.[7][12]

Indra's separation of Dyauṣ and Prithvi is celebrated in the Rigveda as an important creation myth.[9]

In the Mahabharata Bhishma is the human incarnation of Dyaus after the Vasudevs got cursed to living a human life on earth for stealing from Vasishtha out of pride and desire. 7 of the Vasudevs got forgiven quickly but Dyaus the one who lead the act by physically stealing from Vasistha was singled out to remain on earth for a long duration, while the others were liberated shortly after birth. Dyaus incarnated as Devavrata, who later became known as Bhishma.[13][14].

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Zeus's main Hindu equivalent is Indra. "Indra | Hindu God of War, Rain & Thunder | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  2. ^ Shri, Satya (23 January 2017). Demystifying Brahminism and Re-Inventing Hinduism: Volume 1 - Demystifying Brahminism. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-946515-54-4.
  3. ^ West 2007, p. 171.
  4. ^ Ṛg·veda, 5.60.6.
  5. ^ Leeming, David; Fee, Christopher (2016). The Goddess: Myths of the Great Mother. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78023-538-7.
  6. ^ Sanskrit: Ṛg·veda, Wikisource; translation: Ralph T. H. Griffith Rigveda, Wikisource
  7. ^ a b c d e Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1897). Vedic Mythology. Oxford University Press. pp. 21–22.
  8. ^ Dalal, Roshen (2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. ISBN 9788184752779. Entry: "Dyaus"
  9. ^ a b c d Jamison, Stephanie; Brereton, Joel P. (2014). The Rigveda –– The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Oxford University Press. pp. 50–51.
  10. ^ West, M. L. (2007). Indo-European Poetry and Myth. Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-19-928-075-9.
  11. ^ York, Michael (2016). Pagan Ethics: Paganism as a World Religion (1st ed. 2016 ed.). Cham: Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Springer. p. 313. ISBN 978-3-319-18923-9.
  12. ^ Jamison & Brereton 2014, p. 1492.
  13. ^ Ganguli, Kisari Mohan (1883–1896). "Section XCIX: Sambhava Parva". The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Bharata Press. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  14. ^ "On Bhishma as Sky Father Incarnate: A Guest Post With Annotations". Arya Akasha. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  • Oberlies, Thomas (1998). Die Religion des Rgveda. Vienna: Institut für Indologie der Universität Wien.