Hinduism...What is the meaning of 'Deva' or Devata' ? Pls read and answer?

Question

As per Sanskrit dictionaries and teachers it means 'Divinity' or 'Deity'. Is there any meaning like 'Demi-God' to Deva? I ask a Sanskrit scholar and he says no. 'It means 'Deity'. But....in Iskcon translation of Bhagavad Gita, Deva is translated as 'Demi-god'. Why is this so? Meanings and philosophies change a lot when one word is mis-interpreted. Your inputs pls.

Answer 1

The sanskrit word deva came from the root Deev which means lusture or to play.They have luster and they play. So they are Devas.

Answer 2

Sometimes there will be words which cannot be translated to equal word..

It has to be replaced with some word to give the contextual meaning..

In these cases Better to use the native word itself ..

Like Karma, many english dictionaries now use this word...

And the word Dharma too has different meanings depending on context.. but when tranlated some people say Law, Religion, Good, etc;

That's why it is better to use the native word itself, instead of trying to translate in this cases..

Answer 3

As per vedas DEVA has 3 meanings,



1: Deva as GOD (stated as PARAM DEVA , DEVADHI DEV or simply DEVA also),

2:Deva as various powers of God as individual Devas ( SUN deva , MOON deva, AGNI deva, PAWAN deva),

3: Deva as wise, pious,learned or elder people (PITA deva,MATA deva,PATI deva,GURU deva).



Hope you got it

Answer 4

you mean read but you write not. go with Bhagavad Gita explanation.

Answer 5

yES THEY ARE CELESTIAL BEINGS NOT EXACTLY gOD BUT ALWAYS READY TO HELP HUMANS. iskon PEOPLE ARE INTELLECTUAL NOT SPIRITUALLY ADVANCED.

Answer 6

buddham sharanam gacchaami...!!