Introduction
Bhaga is one of the Adityas, a Vedic god of good fortune. His name means "share", "portion" or "prosperity", and he is the god who apportions wealth and destiny to each person. The word is related to the word bhagya, "fortune", and to the title Bhagavan, "possessor of fortune".
The Adityas are the sons of Aditi. The Rigveda names six (Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Varuna, Daksha and Amsha in hymn 2.27), and later texts list eight or twelve. In the Puranas, the twelve Adityas correspond to the twelve months of the year, and each rides in the sun's chariot in its month. The lists vary.
Family
- Father: Kashyapa
- Mother: Aditi
- Siblings: Vishnu, Surya, Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Dhata, Amsha, Pushan, Tvashtri, Savitri (aspect of Surya), Garuda, Aruna
In the Rigveda
Bhaga is invoked for wealth, family and a happy marriage. He appears in the wedding hymn (RV 10.85), together with Aryaman and Pushan. One hymn (7.41) praises him at dawn as the god who gives portions.
Comparative
The name is shared with the Avestan baga and the Old Persian baga, meaning "god", and, in the view of many linguists, with the Slavic word bog, "god". This suggests that Bhaga is an ancient Indo-European name.
In the Puranas
In the story of Daksha's sacrifice, Bhaga is said to have lost his eyes when Shiva's attendants destroyed the sacrifice. He is thus described as blind in some texts, and his sight was later restored by Shiva or by Mitra.
Nakshatra
Bhaga is the deity of the lunar mansion Purva Phalguni, associated with love, luxury and marriage.