The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Deyya (adj.) [Sk. deya, grd. of d!, see dad!ti I. 2, b] (a) to be given (see below). -- (b) deserving a gift,
worthy of receiving alms J iii.12 (a˚); Miln 87 (r!ja˚) -- nt. a gift, offering Vin i.298 (saddh!˚). -- dhamma a
gift, lit. that which has the quality of being given; esp. a gift of mercy, meritorious gift S i.175; A i.150,
166; ii.264 (saddh!˚); Pv i.11; ii.318; PvA 5, 7 sq., 26, 92 (˚b"ja), 103, 129; cp. Av- i.308. The
deyyadhamma (set of gifts, that which it is or should be a rule to give) to mendicants, consists of 14 items,
which are (as enumd at Nd2 523 under the old Brahman's term yañña "sacrifice") (1) c"vara, (2) pi*.ap!ta,
(3) sen!sana, (4) gil!na -- paccaya -- bhesajja -- parikkh!ra, (5) anna, (6) p!na, (7) vattha, (8) y!na, (9)
m!l!, (10) gandh!, (11) vilepana, (12) seyya, (13) !vasatha, (14) pad"peyya. A similar enumn in diff. order
is found at Nd1 373.
Deva
Deva [Ved. deva, Idg. *dei!! to shine (see dibba & diva), orig. adj. *dei9os belonging to the sky, cp. Av.
da!v! (demon.), Lat. deus, Lith. dë!vas; Ohg. & slashedZ;"o; Ags. T"g, gen. T"wes (=Tuesday); Oir. dia
(god). The popular etymology refers it to the root div in the sense of playing, sporting or amusing oneself:
dibbanti ti dev!, pañcahi k!magu*ehi k")anti attano v! siriy! jotant" ti attho KhA 123] a god, a divine being;
usually in pl. dev! the gods. As title attributed to any superhuman being or beings regarded to be in certain
respects above the human level. Thus primarily (see 1a) used of the first of the next -- world devas, Sakka,
then also of subordinate deities, demons & spirits (devaññatar! some kind of deity; snake -- demons: n!gas,
tree -- gods: rukkhadevat! etc.). Also title of the king (3). Always implying splendour (cp. above etym.) &
mobility, beauty, goodness & light, & as such opposed to the dark powers of mischief & destruction (asur!:
Titans; pet!: miserable ghosts; nerayik! satt!: beings in Niraya). A double position (dark & light) is
occupied by Yama, the god of the Dead (see Yama & below 1 c). Always implying also a kinship and
continuity of life with humanity and other beings; all devas have been man and may again become men (cp.
D i.17 sq.; S iii.85), hence "gods" is not a coincident term. All devas are themselves in sa's!ra, needing
salvation. Many are found worshipping saints (Th i.627 -- 9; Th ii.365). -- The collective appellations
differ; there are var. groups of divine beings, which in their totality (cp. t!vati'sa) include some or most of
the well -- known Vedic deities. Thus some collect. designations are dev! sa -- indak! (the gods, including
Indra or with their ruler at their head: D ii.208; S iii.90, A v.325), sa -- paj!patik! (S iii.90), sa -- m!rak!
(see deva -- manussaloka), sa -- brahmak! (S iii.90). See below 1 b. Lists of popular gods are to be found,
e. g. at D ii.253; iii.194. -- A current distinction dating from the latest books in the canon is that into 3
classes, viz. sammuti -- dev! (conventional gods, gods in the public opinion, i. e. kings & princes J i.132;
DA i.174), visuddhi˚ (beings divine by purity, i. e. of great religious merit or attainment like Arahants &
Buddhas), & upapatti˚ (being born divine, i. e. in a heavenly state as one of the gatis, like bhumma -- dev!
etc.). This division in detail at Nd2 307; Vbh 422; KhA 123; VvA 18. Under the 3rd category (upapatti˚)
seven groups are enumerated in the foll. order: C!tummah!r!jik! dev!, T!vati's! d. (with Sakka as chief),
Y!m! d., Tusit! d., Nimm!narat" d., Paranimmita -- vasavatt" d., B%ahmak!yik! d. Thus at D i.216 sq.; A
i.210, 332 sq.; Nd2 307; cp. S i.133 & J i.48. See also devat!. 1. good etc. -- (a) sg. a god, a deity or divine
being, M i.71 (d. v! M!ro v! Brahm! v!); S iv.180=A iv.461 (devo v! bhaviss!mi devaññataro v! ti: I shall
become a god or some one or other of the (subordinate gods, angels); Sn 1024 (ko nu devo v! Brahm! v!
Indo v!pi Sujampati); Dh 105 (+gandhabba, M!ra, Brahm!); A ii.91, 92 (puggalo devo hoti devapariv!ro
etc.); PvA 16 (yakkho v! devo v!). -- (b) pl. dev! gods. These inhabit the 26 devalokas one of which is
under the rule of Sakka, as is implied by his appellation S. dev!na' indo (his opponent is Vepacitti Asur --
indo S i.222) S i.216 sq.; iv.101, 269; A i.144; Sn 346; PvA 22 etc. -- Var. kinds are e. g. appam!*' -- !bh!
(opp. paritt' !bh!) M iii.147; !bhassar! D i.17; Dh 200; khi..!padosik! D i.19; gandhabba -- k!yik! S
iii.250 sq.; catt!ro mah!r!jik! S v.409, 423; Jat i.48; Pv iv.111; PvA 17, 272; naradev! tidas! S i.5;
bhumm! PvA 5; man!pa -- k!yik! A iv.265 sq.; mano -- padosik! D i.20; val!haka -- k!yik! S iii.254. --
Var. attributes of the Devas are e. g. !yuppam!*! A i.267; ii.126 sq.; iv.252 sq.; d"gh!yuk! S iii.86; A ii.33;
r(pino manomay! M i.410, etc. etc. -- See further in general: D i.54 (satta dev!); ii.14, 157, 208; S v.475=A
i.37; Sn 258 (+manuss!), 310 (id.); 404, 679; Dh 30, 56, 94, 230, 366; Ps i.83 sq.; ii.149; Vbh 86, 395, 412
sq.; Nett 23; Sdhp 240. -- (c) deva=Yama see deva -- d(ta (expld at J i.139: devo ti maccu). -- atideva a pre
-- eminent god, god above gods (Ep. of the Buddha) Nd2 307; DhsA 2 etc.; see under cpds. -- 2. the sky,
but only in its rainy aspect, i. e. rain -- cloud, rainy sky, rain -- god (cp. Jupiter Pluvius; K.S. i.40, n. 2 on
Pajjunna, a Catumah!r!jika), usually in phrase deve vassante (when it rains etc.), or devo vassati (it rains)
D i.74 (: devo ti megho DA i.218); S i.65, 154 (cp. It 66 megha); Sn 18, 30; J v.201; DhA ii.58, 82; PvA