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There are 1028 hymns in the Rigveda
Rigveda

The Rigveda is an ancient Indian subcontinent sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the Rigvedic deities . It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas....
, most of them dedicated to specific deities
Deity

A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divinity, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by human beings....
.

Indra
Indra

Indra is the god of War and Weather, also the King of the gods or Deva and Lord of Heaven or Swarga in Hinduism. Mentioned first as the chief deity in the sacred Hindu text of Rig Veda, Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character....
, a heroic god, slayer of Vrtra and destroyer of the Vala
Vala

Vala can refer to:* V?lva, a priestess in Norse mythology or a Scandinavian earth spirit* Numonius Vala, an Ancient Roman family name, or any of the men of that name...
, liberator of the cows and the rivers; Agni
Agni

Agni is a Hindu and Rigvedic deities. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" , cognate with Latin ignis , Russian ????? , Polish "ogien," Lithuanian - ugnis - all with the meaning 'fire' -, with the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root being h1?gni-....
 the sacrificial fire and messenger of the gods; and Soma
Soma

Soma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the later Vedic civilization and Greater Iran cultures....
 the ritual drink dedicated to Indra are the most prominent deities.

Invoked in groups are the Vishvedevas (the "all-gods"), the Maruts
Maruts

In Hinduism the Maruts , also known as the Marutgana and the Rudras, are storm deities and sons of Rudra and Diti and attendants of Indra....
, violent storm gods in Indra's train and the Ashvins
Ashvins

The Ashvins or Ashwini Kumaras are divine twin horsemen in the Rigveda, sons of Saranya, a goddess of the clouds and wife of either Surya in his form as Vivasvat....
, the twin horsemen.

There are two major groups of gods, the Devas
Deva (Hinduism)

Deva is the Sanskrit word for "god, deity". It can be variously interpreted as a god, spirit, demi-god, Celestial, deity or any supernatural being of high excellence....
 and the Asura
Asura

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There are 1028 hymns in the Rigveda
Rigveda

The Rigveda is an ancient Indian subcontinent sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the Rigvedic deities . It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas....
, most of them dedicated to specific deities
Deity

A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divinity, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by human beings....
.

Indra
Indra

Indra is the god of War and Weather, also the King of the gods or Deva and Lord of Heaven or Swarga in Hinduism. Mentioned first as the chief deity in the sacred Hindu text of Rig Veda, Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character....
, a heroic god, slayer of Vrtra and destroyer of the Vala
Vala

Vala can refer to:* V?lva, a priestess in Norse mythology or a Scandinavian earth spirit* Numonius Vala, an Ancient Roman family name, or any of the men of that name...
, liberator of the cows and the rivers; Agni
Agni

Agni is a Hindu and Rigvedic deities. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" , cognate with Latin ignis , Russian ????? , Polish "ogien," Lithuanian - ugnis - all with the meaning 'fire' -, with the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root being h1?gni-....
 the sacrificial fire and messenger of the gods; and Soma
Soma

Soma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the later Vedic civilization and Greater Iran cultures....
 the ritual drink dedicated to Indra are the most prominent deities.

Invoked in groups are the Vishvedevas (the "all-gods"), the Maruts
Maruts

In Hinduism the Maruts , also known as the Marutgana and the Rudras, are storm deities and sons of Rudra and Diti and attendants of Indra....
, violent storm gods in Indra's train and the Ashvins
Ashvins

The Ashvins or Ashwini Kumaras are divine twin horsemen in the Rigveda, sons of Saranya, a goddess of the clouds and wife of either Surya in his form as Vivasvat....
, the twin horsemen.

There are two major groups of gods, the Devas
Deva (Hinduism)

Deva is the Sanskrit word for "god, deity". It can be variously interpreted as a god, spirit, demi-god, Celestial, deity or any supernatural being of high excellence....
 and the Asura
Asura

Sorry, no overview for this topic
s. Unlike in later Vedic texts and in Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
, the Asuras are not yet demonized, Mitra
Mitra (Vedic)

This article is about the Rigvedic deities Mitra. For other divinities with related names, see the general article Mitra.Mitra was an important divinity of Indo-Aryans culture, descended, together with the Zoroastrian yazata Mithra, from a common Proto-Indo-Iranian deity *Mitra, a god of the oath....
 and Varuna
Varuna

In Historical Vedic religion, Varuna or Waruna is a god of the sky, of waters and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld....
 being their most prominent members. Aditi
Aditi

Aditi [from a without + diti bound from the verbal root da to bind] boundless, free; as a noun, infinite and shoreless expanse. In the Vedas, Aditi is Devamatri as from and in her cosmic matrix all the heavenly bodies were born....
 is the mother both of Agni and of the Adityas or Asuras, led by Mitra and Varuna, with Aryaman
Aryaman

Aryaman is one of the early Vedic deities . His name signifies "bosom friend," but is literally "noble one". He is an Aditya, a solar deity. He is supposed to be the chief of the manes and the Milky Way is supposed to be his path....
, Bhaga
Bhaga

Sanskrit is a term for "lord, patron", but also for "wealth, prosperity". The cognate term in Avestan and Old Persian is ', of uncertain meaning but used in a sense in which "lord, patron" might also apply....
, Ansa
Ansa

Ansa or ANSA can refer to any of the following:* Ansa , 8th century, wife of Desiderius, king of the Lombards* Ansa or in Hinduism, a solar deity and one of the Adityas....
 and Daksha
Daksha

In Hinduism, Daksha, "the skilled one", is an ancient creator god, one of the Prajapatis, the Rishis and the Adityas, and a son of Aditi and Brahma ....
.

Surya
Surya

In Hinduism, Surya is the chief solar deity, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives Aditi, of Indra, or of Dyaus Pitar . The term "Surya" also refers to the Sun, in general....
 is the personification of the Sun
Sun

The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
, but Savitar
Savitar

Savitar may refer to:*Savitar , a supervillain published by DC Comics*Savitar, a character from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series...
, Vivasvant, the Ashvin
Ashvin

Ashvin , also known as Aswayuja, is a month of the Hindu calendar and Bengali calendars. In Indian national calendar, Ashvin is the sixth month of the year....
s and the Rbhus
Rbhus

In Hinduism, the Ribhus are three semi-divine beings of the Rigveda and the Atharvaveda, Ribhu, Vaja and Vibhvan, called collectively by the name of their leader....
, semi-divine craftsmen, also have aspects of solar deities
Solar deity

A Solar Deity , is a deity who represents the sun, or an aspect of it. People have worshiped these for all of recorded history. Hence, many beliefs have formed around this worship, such as the "missing sun" found in many cultures ....
. Other natural phenomena deified include Vayu
Vayu

In Hinduism Vayu is a primary deity, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman. He is also known as Vata ???, Pavana ??? , or Prana....
, (the wind), Dyaus and Prithivi (Heaven and Earth), Dyaus continuing Dyeus
Dyeus

*Dyeus is the reconstructed chief deity of the Proto-Indo-Europeans pantheon . He was the god of the daylight sky, and his position may have mirrored the position of the patriarch or monarch in Proto-Indo-European society....
, the chief god of the Proto-Indo-European religion
Proto-Indo-European religion

The existence of similarities among the Deity and religious practices of the Indo-Europeans peoples allows glimpses of a common Proto-Indo-Europeans religion and mythology....
, and Ushas
Ushas

Ushas , Sanskrit for "dawn", is a Vedic deity, and consequently a Hindu deities as well.Ushas is an exalted divinity in the Rig Veda, sometimes spoken of in the plural, "the Dawns." She is portrayed as welcoming birds and warding off evil spirits, and as a beautifully adorned young woman riding in a golden chariot on her path across the sk...
 (the dawn), the most prominent goddess
Goddess

A goddess is a female deity. Often deities are part of a polytheism system that includes several deities in a pantheon .Common associations of goddesses are the Earth goddess, the Mother Goddess, Love goddess, and the hearth goddess, reflecting historical gender roles....
 of the Rigveda, and Apas
Ap (water)

Ap is the Vedic Sanskrit term for "water", in Classical Sanskrit occurring only in the plural, , whence Hindi . The term is from PIE hxap "water"....
 (the waters).

Rivers
Rigvedic rivers

Rivers play a prominent part in the hymns of the Rigveda, and consequently in early Historical Vedic religion....
 play an important role, deified as goddesses, most prominently the Sapta Sindhu
Sapta Sindhu

The Sapta Sindhu "seven rivers" are the seven sacred rivers in Indian mythology. The Rig Veda often refers to the seven rivers.). In RV 7.36.6, the Sarasvati is the seventh river, whose mother is the Sindhu....
 and the Sarasvati River
Sarasvati River

The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert....
.

Yama
Yama

Yama , also known as Yamaraja in India, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, and Enma in Japan, is the lord of death, first recorded in the Vedas....
 is the first ancestor, also worshipped
Ancestor worship

Ancestor worship or ancestor veneration is a practice based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, take an interest in the affairs of the world, and/or possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living....
 as a deity, and the god of the underworld
Underworld

In the study of mythology and religion, the underworld is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term afterlife, referring to any place to which newly the dead souls go....
 and death.

Vishnu
Vishnu

Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
 and Rudra
Rudra

Rudra is a Rigvedic deities of the storm, the wind, and the hunt. The name has been translated as "Roarer", "Howler", "Wild One", and "Terrible"....
, the prominent deities of later Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
 (Rudra being an early form of Shiva
Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
) are present as marginal gods.

The names of Indra, Mitra, Varuna and the Nasatyas are also attested in a Mitanni
Mitanni

Mitanni or Hanigalbat was a loosely organized Hurrian-speaking Hittite vassal state in northern Syria from ca. 1500 BC-1300 BC."The Assyrians called the lands of Mitanni Hanigalbat while to the Hittites it was the land of the Hurrians....
 treaty, suggesting that the some of the religion of the Mitannis was very close to that of the Rigveda.

Deities by prominence

List of Rigvedic deities by number of dedicated hymns, after Griffith (1888). Some dedications are to paired deities, such as Indra-Agni, Mitra-Varuna, Soma-Rudra, here counted doubly.

  • Indra
    Indra

    Indra is the god of War and Weather, also the King of the gods or Deva and Lord of Heaven or Swarga in Hinduism. Mentioned first as the chief deity in the sacred Hindu text of Rig Veda, Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character....
     289
  • Agni
    Agni

    Agni is a Hindu and Rigvedic deities. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" , cognate with Latin ignis , Russian ????? , Polish "ogien," Lithuanian - ugnis - all with the meaning 'fire' -, with the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root being h1?gni-....
     218
  • Soma
    Soma

    Soma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the later Vedic civilization and Greater Iran cultures....
     123 (most of them in the Soma Mandala)
  • Vishvadevas 70
  • the Asvins 56
  • Varuna
    Varuna

    In Historical Vedic religion, Varuna or Waruna is a god of the sky, of waters and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld....
     46
  • the Maruts
    Maruts

    In Hinduism the Maruts , also known as the Marutgana and the Rudras, are storm deities and sons of Rudra and Diti and attendants of Indra....
     38
  • Mitra
    Mitra (Vedic)

    This article is about the Rigvedic deities Mitra. For other divinities with related names, see the general article Mitra.Mitra was an important divinity of Indo-Aryans culture, descended, together with the Zoroastrian yazata Mithra, from a common Proto-Indo-Iranian deity *Mitra, a god of the oath....
     28
  • Ushas
    Ushas

    Ushas , Sanskrit for "dawn", is a Vedic deity, and consequently a Hindu deities as well.Ushas is an exalted divinity in the Rig Veda, sometimes spoken of in the plural, "the Dawns." She is portrayed as welcoming birds and warding off evil spirits, and as a beautifully adorned young woman riding in a golden chariot on her path across the sk...
     21
  • Vayu
    Vayu

    In Hinduism Vayu is a primary deity, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman. He is also known as Vata ???, Pavana ??? , or Prana....
     (Wind) 12
  • Savitr
    Savitr

    In Historical Vedic religion, Savitr , Savita is a solar deity and one of the Adityas. His name is in Vedic Sanskrit meanings "impeller, rouser, vivifier"....
     11
  • the Rbhus
    Rbhus

    In Hinduism, the Ribhus are three semi-divine beings of the Rigveda and the Atharvaveda, Ribhu, Vaja and Vibhvan, called collectively by the name of their leader....
     11
  • Pushan
    Pushan

    For the port city in Korea, see PusanPushan, also known as Puchan, is the Hindu god of meeting. Puchan was responsible for marriages, Travels, roads, and the feeding of cattle....
     10
  • the Apris
    Apris

    Apri in Sanskrit means "conciliation, propitiation" and refers to special invocations spoken previous to the offering of oblations. RV 1.13 is known as the Apri-hymn of the Kanvas, and Sayana in the context of this hymn enumerates twelve Apris propitiating twelve deities, also known as Apris....
     9
  • Brhaspati 8
  • Surya
    Surya

    In Hinduism, Surya is the chief solar deity, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives Aditi, of Indra, or of Dyaus Pitar . The term "Surya" also refers to the Sun, in general....
     (Sun) 8
  • Dyaus and Prithivi (Heaven and Earth) 6, plus 5.84 dedicated to Earth alone
  • Apas
    Ap (water)

    Ap is the Vedic Sanskrit term for "water", in Classical Sanskrit occurring only in the plural, , whence Hindi . The term is from PIE hxap "water"....
     (Waters) 6
  • Adityas 6
  • Vishnu
    Vishnu

    Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
     6
  • Brahmanaspati 6
  • Rudra
    Rudra

    Rudra is a Rigvedic deities of the storm, the wind, and the hunt. The name has been translated as "Roarer", "Howler", "Wild One", and "Terrible"....
     5
  • Dadhikra
    Dadhikra

    is the name of a divine ashva, personification of the morning Surya, addressed in the Rigveda, hymns RV 4.38-40, RV 7.44, RV 3.20, RV 10.101....
    s 4
  • the Sarasvati River
    Sarasvati River

    The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert....
     / Sarasvati 3
  • Yama
    Yama

    Yama , also known as Yamaraja in India, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, and Enma in Japan, is the lord of death, first recorded in the Vedas....
  • Parjanya
    Parjanya

    Parjanya is the Hindu deity of rain , often identified with Indra, the "Bull " of the Rigveda , but also associated with Varuna as a deity of clouds and as punishing sinners....
     (Rain) 3
  • Vac
    VAC

    VAC may stand for:* VAC, the radio call sign for a radio station on the west coast of Canada at Comox, British Columbia, operated by the Canadian Coast Guard...
     (Speech) 2 (mentioned 130 times, deified e.g. in 10.125)
  • Vastospati 2
  • Vishvakarman
    Vishvakarman

    Vishvakarma is the Hinduism presiding deity of all craftsmen and architects. He is the "Principal Universal Architect", the architect who fabricated and designed the sacred geometry of the Universe at the behest of Brahma, the Lord of Creation....
     2
  • Manyu
    Manyu

    , Vedic Sanskrit for "spirit, temper, ardour, passion, anger" is the name of two rishis, one, the son of Tapas , author of Manyu sukta, RV 10.83-84 and the other, the son of Vasishtha, author of RV 9.97....
     2
  • Kapinjala (the Heathcock, a form of Indra) 2


Minor deities (one single or no dedicated hymn)
  • Manas
    Manas

    Manas may refer to one of the following:*Epic of Manas, a Kyrgyz epic poem with 500,000 lines.*The Sanskrit term for "mind"; see**Manas-vijnana, one of the eight consciousnesses taught in Yogacara Buddhism...
     (Thought), prominent concept, deified in 10.58
  • Dakshina
    Dakshina

    Dakshina in the historical Vedic religion is the term for the recompense paid by the sacrificer for the services of a Vedic priesthood, originally consisting of a Sacred cow....
     (Reward for priests and poets), prominent concept, deified in 10.107
  • Jnana
    Jnana

    J?ana or g?ana is the Sanskrit term for knowledge or philosophy.In Buddhism, it refers to pure awareness that is free of conceptual encumbrances, and is contrasted with vijnana, which is a moment of 'divided knowing'....
    m (Knowledge), prominent concept, deified in 10.71
  • Purusha
    Purusha

    In Hinduism, Purusha is the "Atman " which pervades the universe. The Vedas deity are considered to be the human mind's interpretation of the many facets of Purusha....
     ("Cosmic Man" of the Purusha sukta
    Purusha sukta

    Purusha sukta/sookta is hymn RV 10.90 of the Rigveda, dedicated to the Purusha, the transcendental "cosmic man". As per one version, the Suktam has 16 verses, 15 in the meter, and the final one in the meter....
     10.90)
  • Aditi
    Aditi

    Aditi [from a without + diti bound from the verbal root da to bind] boundless, free; as a noun, infinite and shoreless expanse. In the Vedas, Aditi is Devamatri as from and in her cosmic matrix all the heavenly bodies were born....
  • Bhaga
    Bhaga

    Sanskrit is a term for "lord, patron", but also for "wealth, prosperity". The cognate term in Avestan and Old Persian is ', of uncertain meaning but used in a sense in which "lord, patron" might also apply....
  • Vasukra
    Vasukra

    is the name of a rishi with patronymic 'Aindra', author of RV 10.27, 29, and part of 28, and the name of another rishi, son of Vasishtha, author of two verses, RV 9.97.28-30....
  • Atri
    Atri

    Attri and Atri is the one and same thingIn Hinduism, Attri is a legendary bard and scholar, and a son of Brahma , and one of the Saptarishis in the seventh, i.e the present Manvantara .....
  • Apam Napat
    Apam Napat

    In Hinduism, Apam Napat is the god of fresh water, such as in rivers and lakes.Apam Napat is sometimes described as a fire-god who originates in water ....
  • Ksetrapati
  • Ghrta
  • Nirrti
    Nirrti

    In Hinduism, ' is one of the Guardians of the directions ', representing the southwest .She was originally a goddess of death, connected with Devi, who later became the male Guardians of the directions....
  • Asamati
    Asamati

    is a minor deity invoked in RV 10.60. According ot the Anukramani, it is also the name of a king, with the patronymic R?thapros?ha....
  • Urvasi
    Urvasi

    Urvashi is an Apsaras in Hindu mythology. She was a celestial maiden in Indra's court and was considered the most beautiful of all the Apsarases....
  • Pururavas
    Pururavas

    Pururavas , According to Vedas, is a Hindu mythology entity associated with the Surya and Usha , and is believed to resided in the middle region of the cosmos....
  • Vena
    Vena

    In Hindu mythology, Vena was a great king. However, he became evil and corrupt. The world became so gloomy and dark that the earth-goddess Bhumidevi decided that she would not provide crops to humans anymore....
  • Aranyani
    Aranyani

    In Hinduism, Aranyani is a goddess of the forests and the animals that dwell within it.Aranyani has the distinction of having one of the most descriptive hymns in the Rhg Ved dedicated to her....
  • Mayabheda
  • Tarksya
  • Tvastar
    Tvastar

    In Historical Vedic religion, Tvastr is the "heavenly builder", the maker of divine implements, especially Indra's vajra. He is the former of the bodies of men and animals, and therefore called "firstborn" and invoked when desiring offspring, called garbha-pati "lord of the womb"....
  • Saranyu
    Saranyu

    Saranyu or Saraniya is the wife of Surya, and a goddess of the dawn and the clouds in Hindu mythology, and is sometimes associated with Demeter....


See also

  • Historical Vedic religion
    Historical Vedic religion

    The religion of the Vedic period is the historical predecessor of Hinduism. Its liturgy is reflected in the Mantra portion of the four Vedas, which are compiled in Sanskrit....