What are the deities in Theravada Buddhism?
Theravada, like all forms of Buddhism, is chock-full of Deities. First of a all the six Deva realms of the Kamadhatu /Desire realm are each filled up with various deities , which the Theravada accepts as deities . Then there are the 16 Brahman realms filled with Brahmah deities in
each of them in ascending orders then there are the four formless realms with again Formless Brahma deities in each of them. This fact that there are deities in all these Heavenly realms/Devaloka is accepted not only by Theravada but also all forms of Buddhism.
Here’s a list of various places in the Suttas where Deities are mentioned in various places in the Theravada Tri Pitakas. By the way, there are more, this is not exhaustive at all:-
DEVAS /deva/deity/ deities in Theravada :-
1) The devas also tell the Tathagata:- Mahãpadān Sutta 1.15 Digha Nikaya ( when monks were asking whether the Tathâgata knew about other people’s past life etc the answer was The Tathâgata understands these things ... by his own penetration of the principles of the Dhamma; and the devas too have told him. )
2) Eighty thousand devas + Sakra attain srotapnna Digha Nikaya/ Sakkapañya Sutta .
3) Majjhima Nikaya , Chanki Sutta :- Chanki says that thousands of devas/ deities have taken refuge in the Sraman Gautam with their life.
4) Digha Nikaya Ambattha Sutta:- Vajirapani the Yakkha/ Vajrapani appears to be ready to split Ambattha's head into seven pieces if he lied to the Buddha .
5) Eighty thousand devas + Sakra attain srotapnna Digha Nikaya/ Sakkapañya Sutta
6) Majjhima Nikaya , Chulagosingha Sutta :- Anuruddha could know directly with his own mind what stage/ level others had reached and devas also told him
7) Anguttara Nikaya 4th Nipāt , Drona Sutta :-
I'm not a deva
8) Anguttara Nikaya 4 th Nipāt :- there are five Bali karmas done by arya sravakas with what he earns earnestly
(1) Gyāti Bali
(2) Atithi Bali
(3) Purva - preta Bali
(4) Rāj Bali
(5) Devatā Bali
9) Anguttara Nikaya 5th Nipāt Mundarāj Vaggo :- Hito bahunnam patipajja bhogé Devatā rakkhati dhammagutam ( whoever is doing the good of the many , that protector of the dharma is protected by the devas/ gods .
10) Bali grāhak Devatā / Deities who deserve offerings pancha Bali / five Bali/Offerings :- Anguttara Nikaya 5 th Nipāt Nivarañ Vaggo :-
(2) stri-putra dās kamakar/Family and workers Bali
(3) Field tiller bali
(4) Bali grāhak Devatā / Deities who have taken refuge and have promised to help in the Dharma
11) Deities /devas who know I'm srotapanna etc:-
A) Anguttara Nikaya 6 th Nipāt Devatā Vaggo : Chaturmahārajikas and Paranirmitavashavarti devas who have full faith in Buddha Dharma Sangha can know I have attained srotapanna etc
B) Anguttara Nikaya 7 th Nipāt Avyākrita Vaggo :- Brahmakāyika deva who are not satisfied with their life length colour power fame etc can know whether and how another person is liberated or not etc .
