Angels aren't always what they seem

[Guest guest]

I've never been to India. And now that I don't live

in Flushing, and am retired from my job, I don't have

many opportunities to talk to people of Indian descent

in person. So all I know is what I read in the papers

(and books), to paraphrase Will Rogers.

 

I am familiar with "Devan" as meaning "deity." Lord

Shiva is "Mahadeva" (the great Devan).

 

Lord Indra is a deity, and king of all the deities who

hold court in Swarga.

 

Vishvamitra was seduced (say the books I've read) by

an Apsaras. Apsarases are semi-divine female dancers

in Swarga. Lord Indra may be their king, but

apsarases (and gandharvas, and pretas, yashas, and

other Ganas) take thier orders from the Gana-Isha, or

Ganesha.

 

It is possible that in popular Indian parlance,

apsarases, Lord Indra, and even Lord Shiva are called

"angels," but I suspect this is an attempt to link

Hindu theology with the peoples of "the Book" -- i.e.,

Jews, Christians, and Moslems.

 

Angels are "messengers" (that's the meaning of the

word) of Yahweh (or God the Father, or Allah). In

popular Western parlance, the souls of the dead are

also shown as "angels," but this is not accurately

reflecting the Biblical traditions. Angels perform

errands for the Most High, but angels are not

worshippable (unless they are also Saints, like Saint

Michael). So the devathai that villagers in rural

India worship probably do NOT correspond to

Western-style angels.

 

Hindus should be proud of their own unique religious

and mystical traditions. There is no reason to call

Devas as "angels," any more than they need to call the

Vedic scriptures a "Bible."

 

-- Len/ Kalipadma

 

 

 

--- pillai george <pillai_george wrote:

 

> In Hinduism we do have angels.

>

> Devan means male angel.

> Devathai means female angel.

>

> It's said that Indran is the king of them all.

>

> In a story of Visvamithra Maharishi (Founder of

> Gayathri Mantras) two female angels came from Indra

> loga to seduce him instructed by Indran himself.

> Hence one of the angel managed to seduce Visvamithra

> Maharishi. Married him and even had a daughter.

> In South india they have a small temple for

> Visvamithra Maharishi.( Tanjore Dictrict)

>

> Apart from the above. Villagers in india still pray

> to many devathai's in the form of demigods. It's a

> yearly affair. They can be male or female and have

> temples for them too. Sorry to say that the devathai

> and devan here don't shower flowers on anyone, have

> wings or blow horns.

> They are some serious staffs.

>

> Hope i'v explained enough.

>

> Yours

> George Pillai

>

 

 

 

 

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