अनृत-देव

Context is that of the sage vasiSTha invoking the wrath of indrAsomau (indra-soma as a joint deity) against detractors accusing him of being a yAtudhAna (a kind of evil being). The term commonly translated as “false gods” is the compound word, anRtadeva. What does vasiSTha say here? “yadi vAham anRtadevaH…”. Literally rendered, it goes “If I were an anRtadeva…”

Now, it is very important to avoid confusion here. Here, it is important to note that in the original text, there is an accent on the first member, anRta (I’m unable to go into details due to lack of time; others may wish to add/clarify) of the compound, anRtadeva. This makes it a bahuvRhi compound, giving the sense “he who has anRta as deva”…

Now the classical commentator, sAyaNAcArya comments on anRtadevaH as “asatyabhUtA devA yasya tAdRsho yadyaham”: “He of whom are the non-true deva-s, if I am like him”. Now, at first glance, one is tempted to argue that sAyaNa has commented the term as “false gods”. Now, there are two things to note here: Technically, anRta (false) and asatya (non-true) have distinct connotations.

The term “anRta”, as far as I have understood, is not really referring to “non-existent”, which is what the abrahamic concept of false gods is really all about. Rta (commonly translated as order) is that which is correct, corresponds to reality and is not distorted.

For the term, “anRta” used in the hymn, there are two understandings possible.

Firstly, one can understand it to be unwholesome, incorrect understandings of the gods. The next part of the half verse uses the term, “mogha” (vain/useless) in the context where vasiSTha asks agni if he had thought/conceived of the deva-s in vain. This kind of lends support to the first construction. Incorrect understandings of the deva-s as well as departure from the rites of the veda can be understood as worshiping/praying to the gods in vain.

However, I prefer another construction. Going back to the construction of anRtadevaH as “he who has anRta as deva”, it could simply mean that vasiSTha is asking (rhetorically) if he is someone who utters and lives falsely. This interpretation makes sense in the context of previous verses.

A few verses earlier, 7.104.8 speaks of those who use (word used here is anRtebhir vachobhiH) false words against vasiSTha….Also, vasiSTha states that he is falsely accused of being a yAtudhAna when it is those who falsely accuse him are the real yAtudhAna-s.