Mahad devānām asuratvam ekam (Rigveda 3.55) - Great is light of all demigods

Author of Rigveda Mandala 3 is Vishvamitra. He lived at time of Lord Rama (mentioned in Ramayana), and gave him weapons. Thus Rama was very happy.

The Rig Veda - Mandala 3, Hymn 55

3-rd Mandala of the Rigveda

Мандала 3 Ригведы приписывается мудрецу Вишвамитре (санскр. "друг всего мира"), который был современником Господа Рамы. Рама низошел на Землю как аватар Вишну в последнюю четверть Трета-юги около 1,2 млн лет тому назад. То есть Ригведа - это очень древний текст, части которой (в частности Мандала 3) - имеют не менее, чем миллионо-летнюю историю (согласно ведической традиции вайшнавов).

Ригведа древнее любых других индоарийских текстов. Поэтому внимание западной науки было приковано к ней со времён Макса Мюллера. Записи Ригведы на раннем этапе ведийской религии сильно связаны с дозороастрической персидской религией. Считается, что зороастризм и ведийская религия развились из ранней общей религиозной индо-иранской культуры.

В Махабхарате сказано, что в Сатья-югу на всей планете Земля была лишь одна религия Вед. Различия же в дхармах, то есть религиях - появились только в следующей по счёту юге (эпохе) - Трета-юге (Махабхарата, Араньяка-парва (книга третья), Глава 146, в обращении Ханумана к Бхиме). Это также отображено в Законах Ману (первого человека на Земле в наше время): "Ведо акхило дхарма мула" - "Веды - источник всех дхарм (религий)".

# Introduction to The Principal upaniShads (Contd.) - By S. Radhakrishnan - Relation to the Vedas: Rhg Veda

Again when worship is accorded to any of the Vedic deities, we tend to make that deity, the supreme one, of whom all others are forms or manifestations. He is given all the attributes of a monotheistic deity. As several deities are exalted to this first place, we get what has been called henotheism, as distinct from monotheism. There is, of course, a difference between a psychological monotheism where one god fills the entire life of the worshipper and a metaphysical monotheism. Synthesising processes, classification of gods, simplification of the ideas of divine attributes and powers prepare for a metaphysical unity, the one principle informing all the deities. [ **mahad devAnAm asuratvam ekam - Rhg Veda 3. 55. 11 - 'One fire burns in many ways: one sun illumines the universe; one divine dispels all darkness. He alone has revealed himself in all these forms.'**

```
           eka evAgnir bahudhA samiddha
           ekaivoShAH sarvam idaM vibhAty
           ekaM vaidam vi babhUva sarvam ||     Rhg Veda VIII. 58. 2.

```

Agni, kindled in many places, is but one; One the all-pervading Sun; One the Dawn, spreading her light over the earth. All that exists is one, whence is produced the whole world. See also X. 81. 3. ] The supreme is one who pervades the whole universe. He is gods and men. [ yo naH pitA janitA yo vidhAtA dhAmAni veda bhuvanAni visvA | yo devAnAm nAmadhA eka eva tam samprasnam bhuvanA yanty anyA. - Rhg Veda X. 82. 3. ] Nice!

# asu - from Nirukta\Yaska dictionary\comment

Yāska
https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/69217/9/09\_chapter%203.pdf

# Asuratvam means essense

God and Gods as the Self
Thus by a gradual penetration of exterior gross manifestations, God is conceived as the very Self of all beings, which makes things what they are. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares, He who worships God or gods as apart from the Self does not know the truth; he is like a beast to the gods to be enjoyed. (1.4.10)

Interactions with other streams of thought lead to the gods being seen as aspects or manifestations of the same supreme Reality. They are raised to the status of the supreme God by turns and in hymns sung to them the other gods are described as subordinate to Him. Yaska explains the origin and nature of these gods:

Mahabhagyad-devataya eka atma bahudha stuyate; ekasya atmano anye devah pratyangani bhavanti; itaretara janmano bhavanti; itaretara prakritayah; karmajanmanah, atmajanmanh. …. Atma sarvam davasya. It is because of the great glory and infinite facets of the Divine that the one Self (Atman) is extolled in many ways. The other gods (devas) come to be sub-members of the one Self. They are mutually born from one another; they are of one another’s nature; they originate according to their function (karma); they are born of the Self…. The whole essence of any god is the Self (Atman only).

In different contexts the same God appears differently or is viewed differently as Indra, Mitra, Agni, Vayu, or Varuna. The one Essence (asuratvam) runs through all these gods (mahad devanam asuratvam ekam).