Prajapati

Prajapati is ancient Vedic deity who appears in the younger layers of the Vedas. Prajapati translates as something along the lines of “Lord of creation”, “Lord of people”, or “Lord of all born beings” in Vedic Sanskrit.

Prajapati is a distinct Vedic deity, one of the most ancient gods and goddesses found in the Sanskrit tradition that evolved into Hinduism. He represented the creative powers of the universe, and was the first being born of the “cosmic egg”. However, over the centuries, his significance waned.

The Nature of Prajapati

Vedic Religion is notoriously contradictory. It is nearly impossible to get a definite description of any god, goddess, or event because there are often more than one account or interpretation — and oftentimes, several.

Prajapati is described as the ancestor of all gods, goddesses, and demons. Yet Prajapati is also associated with the cosmogenic myth dealing with the birth of aspects of the universe: the primordial waters formed a golden embryo, which Prajapati was born from, out of which were born mind, desire, and heat.

In the Upanishads, Prajapati is described in a number of ways, such as the personification of creative power and of procreative sexual power, as a spiritual teacher within each person, and more abstractly, as a “knower of the Atman”.

Throughout the Hindu scriptures in both the Vedic layers, and the younger post-Vedic, Hindu layers, Prajapati is literally identified with other deities such as Agni, Indra, Vishvakarma, and Daksha. ^[1] However, when we look beyond the various names that are attached to Prajapati, and weigh this figure against the weight of his description and role within Vedic Cosmology, Prajapati appears to take on the form of a more abstract, cosmic principle.

According to the Chandogya Upanishad all of the daevas and asuras — gods and demons, respectively, in essence — are the children of Prajapati:

“The Gods and goddesses and the demons are both children of Prajapati, yet they fought among themselves.” — 1.2.1 Chandogya Upanishad

Etymology

Prajapati is a Sanskrit word that has a few different meanings depending on how we translate it. It is a compound word formed from praja (“creation, procreative powers”) and pati (“lord, master”). Thus we can translate Prajapati as any combination of “Lord of Creation” or “Master of Procreative Powers”.

Origins of Prajapati

Prajapati, more in the myths that he features in rather than his personified identity, has ancient Indo-European roots. We know this because he shares extensive similarities with figures in the myths of the Norse and Greeks, as well as Sumerian, Babylonian, and Ancient Egyptian traditions indicating a great age well before the Vedas were considered to be composed.

Prajapati is a distinct Vedic deity, one of the most ancient gods and goddesses found in the Sanskrit tradition that evolved into Hinduism. However, over the centuries, his significance waned. It appears that he began as a distinct deity, but later his importance diminished.

In time, as his distinct importance waned, Prajapati became associated with other gods and goddesses. His name becoming synonymous with their name, especially Brahma. Eventually any divine, semi-divine, or human sages who created something new could be called a “Prajapati”. [1]

Prajapati in the Vedas

In The Rigveda

In the Rigveda Prajapati appears as an epithet for Savitr, Soma, Agni, and Indra — all of whom who are praised in roughly equal terms, to the same degree, and described as lord of creatures. [1] (This is true at least in the words. However, if we are talking about sheer numbered of iterations of the name of a god, Indra is referenced the most often by a significant margin.)

So, on the one hand, according to the Rigveda Prajapati is an identity or a quality of certain of the Vedic gods, an epithet that perhaps applies glory, creative or spiritual powers to the god endowed with that epithet.

Elsewhere in the Rigveda Prajapati is described as Hiranyagarbha (golden embryo) that was born from waters that contain everything, which produced Prajapati. (10.121, Rigveda) After the Hiranyagarbha (golden embryo) was formed by the primordial waters, and produced Prajapati, then manas (mind), kama (desire), and tapas (heat) were created. [1]

In The Upanishads

Prajapati appears early in the Upanishads, which are among the most influential texts on Hinduism. [1] He is described as the personification of creative power after Brahman, the wandering soul (eternal), symbolism of unmanifest obscure firstborn, manifest procreative sexual powers, knower of the Atman (soul, self), and a spiritual teacher within each person. [1]

Notes

Resources

1. Wikipedia Editors. Prajapati. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prajapati
   >. 09 June 2024.