Abhasvaras Explained

Abhasvaras is a term used in Buddhism to refer to a heaven and in Hinduism to refer to a class of deities.

Buddhism

In Buddhism, Abhasvaras is the name of a heaven. The words roots are Sanskrit (from "a" near to, towards + the verbal root "bhas" to shine upon, illuminate).

Hinduism

In Hinduism, abhasvaras refers to a class of deities featured in the Puranas. They are 64 in number,[1] and described to be personifications of mental qualities, serving as the sovereigns of all varieties of spiritual and physical enlightenment.[2] The twelve primary abhasvaras are:[3]

The abhasvaras are referred to as one of the nine gana deities: adityas, visvedevas, vasus, tushitas, abhasvaras, anilas, maharajikas, sadhyas, and the rudras. They are stated to be the attendants of deities such as Shiva, Ganesha, and Vayu, dwelling on Gaṇaparvata, located on Kailasha.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Werner, Karel . A Popular Dictionary of Hinduism . 2005-08-11 . Routledge . 978-1-135-79752-2 . 29 . en.
  2. Book: Dalal, Roshen . Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide . 2014-04-18 . Penguin UK . 978-81-8475-277-9 . 103 . en.
  3. Book: Danielou, Alain . The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism . 2017-01-01 . Motilal Banarsidass . 978-81-208-3638-9 . 303 . en.
  4. Book: Walker, Benjamin . Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. In Two Volumes. Volume I A-L . 2019-04-09 . Routledge . 978-0-429-62465-0 . 397 . en.