Monday, September 26, 2005

Bhagwan and Devta

Bhagwan and Devta are the two often used words in Indian religions as synonym to gods or even as God. Though these words are rightly used in the said context but a clarification is needed for as to their literal and metaphorical meanings.
Bhagwan is a Sanskrit word. Literally, Bhagwan is a sandhi (conjugation) of two words Bhagya and Waan. Bhagya in Sanskrit means fate and Waan means beholder. Thus one two beholds my fate is Bhagwan.
Thus if I am in a mess and am a defendant in a court case, then the Judge (in absence of a Jury) is my Bhagwan. Thus anyone or any group of persons beholding someone's else's fate is Bhagwan for the one whose fate hangs on fire at mercy of the beholder.
This brings us to the meaning of Devta. Deva means “to give” in Sanskrit and the postfix “ta” modifies the meaning to the “one who gives”. Thus Devta is a person who gives without expecting anything in return. A parent is a Devta for the child as the parent gives the child, food and shelter without expecting anything in return.
Even at the expense of being anthropomorphic, Sun is called Devta as it gives us life without expecting anything in return. Sun is also Bhagwan since it beholds our fate. Without the Sun, there can be no life on the planet Earth, which we call our home.
By this above logic it can now be clarified as to why we have a popular saying that Hinduism has 84 crore Devis (feminine form) and Devtas. Every religious minded person (in all religions) give unconditionally to the peoples in need. Thus they are all Devtas.
Thus we conclude that Devta and Bhagwan can be used beyond the context of gods or God. And, these two words have a meaning and a standing of its own.
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