➥ deva (lit: the Radiant Ones; related to Lat. deus): heavenly beings, deities, celestials, are beings who live in happy worlds, and who, as a rule, are invisible to the human eye. They are subject, however, just like all human and other beings, to ever-repeated rebirth, old age and death, and thus are not freed from the cycle of existence and from misery. There are many classes of heavenly beings.

I. The 6 classes of heavenly beings of the sensuous sphere (kāmāvacara or kāma-loka; see avacaraloka), are Cātumahārājika-deva, Tāvatiṁsa-deva, Yāma-deva, Tusita-deva (see Bodhisatta), Nimmāna-rati, Paranimmita-vasavatti. Cf. anussati. (6).

II. The heavenly beings of the fine-material sphere (rūpāvacara or rūpaloka) are:

1. Brahma-pārisajja, Brahma-purohita, Mahā-brahmāno (see brahma-kāyika-deva).

Amongst these 3 classes will be reborn those with a weak, medium or full experience of the 1st absorption (see jhāna).

2. Parittābha, Appamānābha, Ābhassara. Here will be reborn those with experience of the 2nd absorption.

3. Paritta-subha, Appamāna-subha, Subha-kiṇṇa (or kiṇha). Here will be reborn those with experience of the 3rd absorption.

4. Vehapphala, Asañña-satta, Suddhāvāsa (q.v.; further see Anāgāmi). Amongst the first 2 classes will be reborn those with experience of the 4th absorption, but amongst the 3rd class only Anāgāmis.

III. The 4 grades of heavenly beings of the immaterial sphere (arūpāvacara or arūpa-loka) are: the heavenly beings of the sphere of unbounded space (ākāsānañcāyatanūpaga-devā), of unbounded consciousness (viññāṇañcāyatanūpaga-deva), of nothingness (ākiñcaññāyatanūpaga-devā), of neither-perception-nor-non-perception (nevasaññā-nāsaññāyatanūpaga-devā). Here will be reborn those with experience of the 4 immaterial spheres (arūpāyatana; see jhāna 5-8).

See Gods and the Universe by Francis Story (Wheel 180/181).