Abhasvaras (Sanskrit: आभास्वर, romanized: Ābhāsvara) 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]

  • Ātmā
  • Jñātā
  • Dama
  • Dānta
  • Śānti
  • Jñāna
  • Sama
  • Tapas
  • Kāma
  • Krodha
  • Mada
  • Moha

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]

References

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