anti deva

 

In Sanskrit, antideva means “near the gods” or “opponent/adversary (at dice)”,

formed from anti (“near, opposite”) and deva (“god”).

Core meanings from Sanskrit sources

• “Being near the gods / in the presence of the gods” — a Vedic meaning 
• found in the Ṛgveda

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• “Adversary, opponent (especially at dice)” — another Vedic sense,
• glossed as Gegenspieler (“opponent”) in Grassmann’s Rigvedic dictionary

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• “Reaching the gods” / “having the gods around oneself” — a poetic 
• or epithet-like meaning in Vedic usage

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Grammatical breakdown

• anti (अन्ति) — “near, before, opposite, in the presence of”

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• deva (देव) — “god, divine being”

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  Together they form a tatpuruṣa compound: anti + deva → antideva.
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Additional traditional notes

• Sometimes interpreted adverbially as “near the gods” in Vedic commentaries

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• Also recorded as the name of an ancient king or sage in some texts

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Summary

So anti‑deva / antideva can mean:

• Near the gods / in the presence of the gods (primary Vedic meaning)
• Opponent / adversary (especially in the context of dice play)
• A proper name (king/sage in Vedic literature)