33 Koti Dev

We’ve always heard people use the phrase “I’ve prayed to all 33 crore gods” or “By the witness of 33 crore gods”, but do you really think there are 33 crore gods in Hinduism? Let me help you understand. We have been using the literal translation of the word Koti, and assuming that there are actually 33 crore deities.

But we must understand that context matters a lot in language. In Sanskrit, the term “33 Koti dev” denotes that there are 33 types of deities, not 33 crore deities. It is believed that when God created the universe, he appointed these 33 spirits and deities to take care of the various objects within the cosmos.

There are five tiers to this system: 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras, 12 Adityas, 1 Indra, and 1 Prajapati. Each section of deities has its own designated category over which they rule.

8 Vasus: The name Vasu means majestic, glorious or giver of wealth. The Vasus represent the eight fundamental aspects of nature. In the Ramayana, they’re mentioned as the children of Sage Kashyap and his wife Aditi, while the Mahabharata says that they were born of Manu or Brahma Prajapati. Though their names differ in the Puranas, the following are the current ones in use:

Aap (Water), Dhruv (Constant, Polestar), Soma (Moon), Dhara (Earth), Anil (Wind), Anal (Fire), Pratyush (sun) and Prabhaas (sky). 

11 Rudras: According to the Vishnu Puran, Rudra is the fierce form of Shiva that originated while Shiva was in his Ardhanareshwar form. The male form was divided into 11 parts, some of which were gentle (white) while others were ferocious (dark). Their identities are Manu, Manyu, Mahat, Shiva, Ritudhvaj, Mahinas, Umrateras, Kal, Vamdev, Bhav, and Dhritdhvaj.

Similarly, the female half was divided into 11 identities which are known as Rudrani, namely:
Dhi, Vritti, Ushana, Urna, Niyuta, Sarpis, Ila, Ambika, Iravati, Sudha, and Diksha. 

However, they aren’t a part of the 33 Koti. Like the Vasus, the Rudras have various creators or fathers in each Purana, but they are always 11 in number.

12 Adityas: In the Rig Ved, they’re mentioned to be 6-8 in number, but they increase to 12 in the Brahman Shruti. The Mahabharata and Puranas state that they were birthed by Sage Kashyap and Aditi. It is believed that in each month, a different Aditya brightens the sky. The Adityas are as follows:
Anshuman, Aryaman, Indra, Tvashta, Dhanu, Parjanya, Pushan, Bhaga, Mitra, Varuna,
Vaivasvat and Vishnu (incarnated as Vaman).

1 Indra: Indra is the king of all gods, and controls weather, rainfall, thunderstorms, and rivers. He has been appointed the leader of the Vasus, Rudras, and Adityas in the Puranic texts.

1 Prajapati: He is the lord of creation, and the architect of the world. Some of us know him better by his other names, Vishwakarma and Daksh. He is Brahma’s son, born from his mind. In the Rig Ved,
he has been included as an Aditya with priestly skills.

All these together 8 + 11 + 12 + 1 + 1 make 33 Koti (or types) of gods. Now you can clarify if
anyone tells you that we worship 33 crore gods.