Anuj tripathi 111 at 23:57, 5 February 2026

2026-02-05T23:57:06Z

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{{Short description|Vedic god}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| devanagari = द्यौस्
| symbol = [[Zebu|Bull]]
| affiliation = [[Deva (Hinduism)|Deva]], [[Pancha Bhoota|Pancha Bhuta]]
| abode = [[Dyuloka]], Sky ({{IAST|ākāśa}}, {{lang|sa|आकाश}})
| member_of = [[Thirty-three gods]]
| other_names = [[Akasha]]
| deity_of = [[Sky god|Personification of the Sky]]
| consort = [[Prithvi]]
| offspring = [[Indra]], [[Surya]], [[Ushas]], and the [[Rigvedic deities|other gods]]
| texts = [[Rigveda]]
| Greek_equivalent = [[Uranus (mythology)|Ouranos]] (Functional equivalent)<br>[[Zeus]] (mainly etymological)<ref>Zeus's main Hindu equivalent is Indra. {{Cite web |date=2023-10-23 |title=Indra {{!}} Hindu God of War, Rain & Thunder {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indra |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
| Roman_equivalent = [[Caelus]] (Functional equivalent) <br> [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] (mainly etymological)
| Norse_equivalent = [[Odin]] (as the Father of the gods) <br> [[Tyr]] (mainly etymological)
| Indo-european_equivalent = [[Dyēus]]
| image =
| caption =
}}{{Hinduism small}}

'''Dyaus''' ([[Vedic Sanskrit]]: द्यौस्, {{IAST3|Dyáus}}) or '''Dyauspitr''' ([[Vedic Sanskrit]]: द्यौष्पितृ, {{IAST3|Dyáuṣpitṛ́}}) is the [[Rigvedic deities|Rigvedic]] sky deity. His consort is [[Prithvi]], the earth goddess, and together they are the archetypal parents in the [[Rigveda]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shri |first=Satya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mMf1DQAAQBAJ&dq=dyaus+rigveda&pg=PT253 |title=Demystifying Brahminism and Re-Inventing Hinduism: Volume 1 - Demystifying Brahminism |date=23 January 2017 |publisher=Notion Press |isbn=978-1-946515-54-4 |language=en}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
{{IAST|Dyauṣ}} stems from [[Proto-Indo-Iranian language|Proto-Indo-Iranian]] [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/dyā́wš|''*dyā́wš'']], from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] (PIE) daylight-sky god {{lang|ine-x-proto|[[*Dyēus]]|proto=no}}, and is [[cognate]] with the Greek {{lang|grc|Διας}} – ''[[Zeus|Zeus Patēr]]'', or ''[[Deipaturos|Dei-pátrous]]'', and Latin [[Jupiter (mythology)|''Jupiter'']] (from Old Latin [[Dies piter]] {{lang|la|Djous patēr}}), stemming from the PIE {{lang|ine-x-proto|Dyḗus ph₂tḗr|proto=no}} ("Daylight-sky Father").''{{Sfn|West|2007|p=171}}''

The noun {{IAST|dyaús}} (when used without the {{IAST|pitṛ́}} 'father') refers to the daylight sky, and occurs frequently in the [[Rigveda]], as an entity. The sky in Vedic writing was described as rising in three tiers: {{IAST|avamá}}, {{IAST|madhyamá}}, and {{IAST|uttamá}} or {{IAST|tṛtī́ya}}.<ref>[[Rigveda|Ṛg·veda]], 5.60.6.</ref>

== Literature ==
Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́ appears in hymns with [[Prithvi|Prithvi Mata]], 'Mother Earth' in the ancient Vedic scriptures of [[Hinduism]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Leeming|first1=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kjO6CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT17|title=The Goddess: Myths of the Great Mother|last2=Fee|first2=Christopher|date=2016|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-78023-538-7|language=en}}</ref>

In the Ṛg·veda, ''Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́'' appears in verses 1.89.4, 1.90.7, 1.164.33, 1.191.6, 4.1.10. and 4.17.4<ref>Sanskrit: [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/ऋग्वेदः Ṛg·veda], Wikisource; translation: Ralph T. H. Griffith [[wikisource:The Rig Veda|Rigveda]], Wikisource</ref> He is also referred to under different theonyms: Dyavaprithvi, for example, is a [[dvandva compound]] combining 'heaven' and 'earth' as Dyauṣ and [[Prithvi]].

Dyauṣ's most defining trait is his paternal role.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Macdonell|first=Arthur Anthony|title=Vedic Mythology|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1897|pages=21–22}}</ref> His daughter, [[Ushas|Uṣas]], personifies dawn.<ref>{{cite book|first=Roshen|last=Dalal|author-link=Roshen Dalal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|year=2014|isbn = 9788184752779}} Entry: "Dyaus"</ref> The gods, especially Sūrya, are stated to be the children of Dyauṣ and Prithvi.<ref name=":1" /> Dyauṣ's other sons include Agni, [[Parjanya]], the [[Ādityas]], the [[Maruts]], and the Angirases.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The [[Ashvins]] are called "''divó nápāt''", meaning offspring/progeny/grandsons of Dyauṣ.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=West|first=M. L.|title=Indo-European Poetry and Myth|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-19-928-075-9|pages=187}}</ref> Dyauṣ is often visualized as a roaring animal, often a bull, who fertilizes the earth.<ref name=":0" /> Dyauṣ is also known for the rape of his own daughter,<ref>{{Cite book |last=York |first=Michael |title=Pagan Ethics: Paganism as a World Religion |date=2016 |publisher=Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Springer |isbn=978-3-319-18923-9 |edition=1st ed. 2016 |location=Cham |pages=313}}</ref> which Jamison and Brereton (2014) state is "obliquely but vividly" mentioned in the Rigveda.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=Jamison|first1=Stephanie|first2=Joel P. |last2=Brereton|title=The Rigveda –– The Earliest Religious Poetry of India|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|pages=50–51}}</ref>

Dyauṣ is also stated to be like a black stallion studded with pearls in a simile with the night sky.<ref name=":0" />{{Sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=1492}}

[[Indra]]'s separation of Dyauṣ and Prithvi is celebrated in the Rigveda as an important creation myth.<ref name=":1" />

In the Mahabharata [[Bhishma]] is the human incarnation of Dyaus after the [[Vasu]]s got cursed to living a human life on earth for stealing from [[Vasishtha]] out of pride and desire. 7 of the [[Vasu]]s got forgiven quickly but Dyaus the one who lead the act by physically stealing from [[Vasistha]] was singled out to remain on earth for a long duration, while the others were liberated shortly after birth. Dyaus incarnated as Devavrata, who later became known as [[Bhishma]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ganguli |first=Kisari Mohan |title=The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa |year=1883–1896 |publisher=Bharata Press |chapter=Section XCIX: Sambhava Parva |url=https://sacred-texts.com |access-date=2026-01-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://aryaakasha.com/2023/05/14/on-bhishma-as-sky-father-incarnate-a-guest-post-with-annotations/ |title=On Bhishma as Sky Father Incarnate: A Guest Post With Annotations |website=Arya Akasha |date=May 14, 2023 |access-date=2026-01-20}}</ref>.

==See also==
*[[Dyēus]]
*[[Dis Pater]]
*[[Rigvedic deities]]
*[[Uranus (mythology)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |first=Thomas |last=Oberlies |title=Die Religion des Rgveda |location=Vienna |publisher= Institut für Indologie der Universität Wien |date=1998}}
{{refend}}

{{Rigveda}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rigvedic deities]]
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]
[[Category:European deities]]

Dyaus - Revision history

Anuj tripathi 111 at 23:57, 5 February 2026