Dyaus

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Dyaus Pita
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Dyaus
God of the Sky
Other names
Dyēus

Dyaus (/d.jʃ/ DYOWSH), or Dyauspitar (Devanagari द्यौष्पितृ, Dyáuṣpitṛ́), is the Ṛigvedic sky deity. His consort is Prithvi, the earth goddess, and together they are the archetypal parents in the Rigveda.[1]

Nomenclature

Dyauṣ stems from

Jupiter (from an earlier *Djous patēr), stemming from the PIE Dyḗus ph₂tḗr ("Daylight-sky Father").[2]

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.[3]

Literature

Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́ appears in hymns with Prithvi Mata 'Mother Earth' in the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism.[4]

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

dvandva compound combining 'heaven' and 'earth' as Dyauṣ and Prithvi
.

Dyauṣ's most defining trait is his paternal role.

Ādityas, the Maruts, and the Angirases.[6][8] The Ashvins are called "divó nápāt", meaning offspring/progeny/grandsons of Dyauṣ.[6][9] Dyauṣ is often visualized as a roaring animal, often a bull, who fertilizes the earth.[6] Dyauṣ is also known for the rape of his own daughter, which, according to Jamison and Brereton (2014), is vaguely but vividly mentioned in the Ṛg·veda.[8]

Dyauṣ is also stated to be like a black stallion studded with pearls in a simile with the night sky.[6][10]

Indra's separation of Dyauṣ and Prithvi is celebrated in the Rigveda as an important creation myth.[8]

See also

References

  1. .
  2. ^ West 2007, p. 171.
  3. ^ Ṛg·veda, 5.60.6.
  4. .
  5. ^ Sanskrit: Ṛg·veda, Wikisource; translation: Ralph T. H. Griffith Rigveda, Wikisource
  6. ^ a b c d e Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1897). Vedic Mythology. Oxford University Press. pp. 21–22.
  7. . Entry: "Dyaus"
  8. ^ a b c d Jamison, Stephanie; Brereton, Joel P. (2014). The Rigveda –– The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Oxford University Press. pp. 50–51.
  9. .
  10. ^ Jamison & Brereton 2014, p. 1492.
  • Oberlies, Thomas (1998). Die Religion des Rgveda. Vienna.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)