In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.9.1-2) Shakalya asks how many gods there are, and Yajnavalkya answers that there are thirty-three: 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras and 12 Adityas, thirty-one, and with Indra and Prajapati thirty-three. The Shatapatha Brahmana (11.6.3.5) gives the same answer. The word ‘koti’ has two meanings in the dictionary, kind (class) and crore (ten million), so ‘33 koti’ is read both ways.
| # | Name | Who they are in the Brihadaranyaka (3.9.3-6) | Names in the Mahabharata (Adi Parva) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 Vasus | Fire, earth, wind, the mid-region, the sun, the sky, the moon and the stars; all this (vasu) is set in them, hence Vasus (3.9.3) | Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Ahas, Anila, Anala, Pratyusha and Prabhasa (1.60.17) |
| 2 | 11 Rudras | The ten pranas in a person and the self as the eleventh; when they leave the body they make people weep (rodayanti), hence Rudras (3.9.4) | Mrigavyadha, Sharva, Nirriti, Ajaikapad, Ahirbudhnya, Pinakin, Dahana, Ishvara, Kapalin, Sthanu and Bhava (1.60.1-3) |
| 3 | 12 Adityas | The twelve months of the year; they move on taking all this with them (adadanah), hence Adityas (3.9.5) | Dhatri, Mitra, Aryaman, Shakra (Indra), Varuna, Amsha, Bhaga, Vivasvat, Pushan, Savitri, Tvashtri and Vishnu (1.59.14-16) |
| 4 | Indra | The thunder (stanayitnu), that is, the thunderbolt (ashani) (3.9.6) | Among the twelve Adityas, as Shakra |
| 5 | Prajapati | The sacrifice (yajna), that is, the animals (3.9.6) | — |
The dialogue of Yajnavalkya and Shakalya
At King Janaka’s sacrifice (3.1.1) Vidagdha Shakalya asked Yajnavalkya how many gods there are. Yajnavalkya first gave the number counted in the nivid of the Vishvedevas: three hundred and three, and three thousand and three. Asked again and again, the answer came down: thirty-three, six, three, two, one and a half, and one (3.9.1). He then explained that the thousands are only the powers (mahiman) of these gods; the gods themselves are thirty-three (3.9.2).
The verses that follow explain the smaller counts too: the six gods are fire, earth, wind, the mid-region, the sun and the sky (3.9.7); the three gods are the three worlds, the two are food and breath, and the one and a half is the one that blows, the wind (3.9.8); and the one god is breath (prana), which is called Brahman (3.9.9).
The two meanings of ‘koti’
The Hindi Shabdasagar gives both meanings of ‘koti’: as a noun ‘class, category, rank’, and as an adjective ‘the number one hundred lakh, a crore’. So some read ‘33 koti devata’ as 33 kinds (classes) of gods and some as 33 crore gods. The word ‘koti’ does not occur in this passage of the Brihadaranyaka or the Shatapatha Brahmana; there the count is of 33 gods, and the larger number (3,306) is called their powers.
Where the sources differ
- The Ramayana’s count: in Valmiki’s Ramayana (3.13.14-15, Baroda edition) Jatayu says thirty-three gods were born of Aditi: the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras and the two Ashvins. Here the two Ashvins are counted in place of Indra and Prajapati.
- The Shatapatha Brahmana (11.6.3.4-5) has the same dialogue without the count of six: there the answers are 3,306, 33, 3, 2, one and a half, and 1.
- Names of the Vasus: the Mahabharata’s list (1.60.17) has Ahas; the Vishnu Purana (1.15.110) counts Apa in its place.
- The names of the Rudras vary most from text to text: the Vishnu Purana (1.15.121-123) gives, besides Ajaikapad, Ahirbudhnya, Mrigavyadha, Sharva and Kapalin, names such as Hara, Bahurupa, Tryambaka, Aparajita, Vrishakapi, Shambhu, Kapardin and Raivata, which are not in the Mahabharata’s list.
- The twelve Adityas have the same names in the Mahabharata (1.59.15-16) and the Vishnu Purana (1.15.130-131) (Amsha in the one, Amshu in the other). The Mahabharata calls Vishnu the youngest of the Adityas but the greatest in qualities (1.59.16).
Frequently asked questions
Who are the 33 koti devatas?
According to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.9.2): 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras, 12 Adityas, Indra and Prajapati. The Upanishad names the Vasus as fire, earth, wind, the mid-region, the sun, the sky, the moon and the stars, the Rudras as the ten pranas and the self, and the Adityas as the twelve months of the year.
Does 33 koti mean 33 crore or 33 kinds?
The dictionary gives both meanings of ‘koti’: class (kind) and crore (Hindi Shabdasagar). The texts that give this count, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.9) and the Shatapatha Brahmana (11.6.3), count 33 gods and call a larger number such as 3,306 their powers.
What are the names of the 8 Vasus?
In the Brihadaranyaka (3.9.3): fire, earth, wind, the mid-region, the sun, the sky, the moon and the stars. In the Mahabharata (1.60.17): Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Ahas, Anila, Anala, Pratyusha and Prabhasa; the Vishnu Purana (1.15.110) counts Apa in place of Ahas.
What are the names of the 11 Rudras?
The Brihadaranyaka (3.9.4) calls the Rudras the ten pranas of a person and the self as the eleventh. The Mahabharata (1.60.1-3) names the eleven Rudras as Mrigavyadha, Sharva, Nirriti, Ajaikapad, Ahirbudhnya, Pinakin, Dahana, Ishvara, Kapalin, Sthanu and Bhava. The Vishnu Purana (1.15.121-123) gives quite different names.
What are the names of the 12 Adityas?
In both the Mahabharata (1.59.15-16) and the Vishnu Purana (1.15.130-131): Dhatri, Mitra, Aryaman, Shakra (Indra), Varuna, Amsha, Bhaga, Vivasvat, Pushan, Savitri, Tvashtri and Vishnu. They are the sons of Aditi. The Brihadaranyaka (3.9.5) calls the Adityas the twelve months of the year.
Sources
- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.1.1 and 3.9.1-9 (Kanva text, sanskritdocuments.org)
- Shatapatha Brahmana 11.6.3.3-7 (Madhyandina text, GRETIL)
- Mahabharata, Adi Parva 1.59.14-16 and 1.60.1-3, 16-17 (BORI Critical Edition, GRETIL)
- Vishnu Purana 1.15.109-131 (Sanskrit text, GRETIL)
- Valmiki Ramayana 3.13.14-15 (Baroda Critical Edition, GRETIL)
- Hindi Shabdasagar, ‘koti’, p. 1055 (dsal.uchicago.edu)
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