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Vayu

For other uses, seeVayu (disambiguation).

Vayu(Sanskrit pronunciation:[ʋaːjʊ],Sanskrit:वायु,IAST:Vāyu), also known asVataandPavana,[8]is theHindu godof the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In theVedic scriptures,Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated withIndra,the king of gods. He is mentioned to be born from the breath of Supreme BeingVishvapurushaand also the first one to drinkSoma.[9]TheUpanishadspraise him asPranaor 'life breath of the world'. In the later Hindu scriptures, he is described as adikpala(one of the guardians of the direction), who looks over the north-west direction.[10][11]TheHindu epicsdescribe him as the father of the godHanumanandBhima.[12]

Vāyu
God ofAir,Wind,andBreath
Member of thePancha BhutaandDikpala
Vayu (dikpala), on his mount,gazelle
Other namesAnila, Pavana, Vyāna, Vāta, Tanuna, Mukhyaprana, Bhima
Devanagariवायु
SanskrittransliterationVāyu
AffiliationDeva
AbodeVayu Loka,Satya Loka
MantraOm Vayave Namaha
Weapon
  • Mace(Weapon of Mukhyaprana Vayu)
  • Goad(Weapon of Dikpala Vayu)
MountChariot drawn byHorses,Gazelle
Genealogy
Parents
Consort
ChildrenHanuman(celestial son)
Bhima(celestial son)
Equivalents
Indo-European equivalentH₂weh₁yú

The followers of the 13th-century saintMadhvabelieve their guru as anincarnationof Vayu.[13][14][15]They worship the wind deity asMukhyapranaand consider him as the son of the godVishnu.

Connotations

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The word forair(vāyu) or wind (pavana) is one of theclassical elements in Hinduism.TheSanskritwordVātaliterally means 'blown';Vāyu,'blower' andPrāna,'breathing' (viz. the breath of life, cf. the *an- inanimate). Hence, the primary referent of the word is the 'deity of life', who is sometimes for clarity referred to as Mukhya-Vāyu (the chief Vayu) or Mukhya Prāna (the chief of life force or vital force).[16]

Sometimes the wordvāyu,which is more generally used in the sense of the physical air or wind, is used as a synonym forprāna.[17]Vāta, an additional name for the deity Vayu, is the root ofvātāvaranam,the Sanskrit and Hindi term for 'atmosphere'.[18]

Hindu texts and philosophy

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KushanrulerKanishka Iwith deityOado(Vayu-Vata) on the reverse. Circa 120-150 CE

In theRigveda,Vayu is associated with the winds, with theMarutsbeing described as being born from Vayu's belly. Vayu is also the first god to receivesomain the ritual, and then he andIndrashare their first drink.[19][20]

In the hymns, Vayu is 'described as having "exceptional beauty" and moving noisily in his shining coach, driven by two or forty-nine or one-thousand white and purple horses. A white banner is his main attribute'.[8]Like the other atmospheric deities, he is a 'fighter and destroyer', 'powerful and heroic'.[21]

In theUpanishads,there are numerous statements and illustrations of the greatness of Vayu. TheBrihadaranyaka Upanishadsays that the gods who control bodily functions once engaged in a contest to determine who among them is the greatest. When a deity such as that of vision would leave a man's body, that man would continue to live, albeit as a blind man and having regained the lost faculty once the errant deity returned to his post. One by one the deities all took their turns leaving the body, but the man continued to live on, though successively impaired in various ways. Finally, when Mukhya Prāna started to leave the body, all the other deities started to be inexorably pulled off their posts by force, 'just as a powerful horse yanks off pegs in the ground to which he is bound'. This caused the other deities to realize that they can function only when empowered by Vayu, and can be overpowered by him easily. In another episode, Vayu is said to be the only deity not afflicted by demons of sin who were on the attack. This Vayu is "Mukhya Prana Vayu".[22]TheChandogya Upanishadsays that one cannot knowBrahmanexcept by knowing Vayu as theudgitha(the mantric syllableom).[23]

Avatars

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Vayu sculpture, Gokarneshwor Mahadev Temple, Gokarna, Kathmandu

American IndologistPhilip Lutgendorfsays, "According toMadhvawheneverVishnuincarnates on earth, Mukhya Prana/Vayu accompanies him and aids his work of preserving dharma. Hanuman the friend and helper ofRamain theTreta Yuga,the strongmanBhimainMahabharata,set at the end ofDvapara YugaandMadhvain theKali Yuga.Moreover, since the deity himself does not appear on earth until the end of kali age, the incarnate Vayu/Madhvaserves during this period as the sole 'means' to bring souls to salvation ".[24]Vayu is also known as Pavana and Matharishwa.

In theMahabharata,Bhima was the spiritual son of Vayu and played a major role in theKurukshetra War.He utilised his huge power and skill with the mace for supporting Dharma.

  • The firstavatarof Vayu is considered to beHanuman.His stories are told inRamayana.Since Hanuman is the spiritual son of Vayu he is also called Pavanaputra 'son of Pavana' and Vāyuputra. Today, Pavan is a fairly commonHinduname.
  • The second avatar of Vayu isBhima,one of thePandavasappearing in the epic theMahabharata.[25]
  • Madhvacharya,is considered as the third avatar of Vayu. Madhva declared himself as an avatar of Vayu and showed the verses inRigvedaas a proof.[26][27][28]Author C. Ramakrishna Rao says, "Madhva explained the Balitha Sukta in the Rigveda as referring to the three forms of Vayu".[29]

Buddhism

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In East Asian Buddhism, Vayu is adharmapālaand often classed as one of theTwelve Devas[ja](Japanese:Thập nhị thiên,romanized:Jūniten) grouped together as directional guardians. He presides over the northwest direction.[30]

In Japan, he is calledFūten(Phong thiên). He is included with the other eleven devas, which include Taishakuten (Śakra/Indra), Katen (Agni), Enmaten (Yama), Rasetsuten (Nirṛti/Rākṣasa), Ishanaten (Īśāna), Bishamonten (Vaiśravaṇa/Kubera), Suiten (Varuṇa) Bonten (Brahmā), Jiten (Pṛthivī), Nitten (Sūrya/Āditya) and Gatten (Candra).[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcMani, Vettam (1975).Puranic encyclopaedia: a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature.Robarts - University of Toronto. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.ISBN978-0-8426-0822-0.
  2. ^Jeffrey R. Timm (1 January 1992).Texts in Context: Traditional Hermeneutics in South Asia.SUNY Press. p. 113.ISBN9780791407967.
  3. ^Khagendranath Mitra (1952).The Dynamics of Faith: Comparative Religion.University of Calcutta. p. 209.Brahmā and Vāyu are the sons of Vishnu and Lakshmi.
  4. ^Satyavrata Ramdas Patel (1980).Hinduism, Religion and Way of Life.Associated Publishing House. p. 124.ISBN9780686997788.The Supreme Being, Vishnu or Nārāyana, is the personal first cause. He is the Intelligent Governor of the world and lives in Vaikuntha along with Lakshmi, His consort. He and His consort Lakshmi are real. Brahma and Vāyu are His two sons.
  5. ^www.wisdomlib.org (15 May 2013)."On the description of Prakṛti [Chapter 1]".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved28 April2024.
  6. ^Gaṇeśa Harī Khare; Madhukar Shripad Mate; G. T. Kulkarni (1974).Studies in Indology and Medieval History: Prof. G. H. Khare Felicitation Volume.Joshi & Lokhande Prakashan. p. 244.In Vayu and other Puranas, Vayudeva (different from Astadikpala Vayu), next to Brahma in grade, is also said to have five heads like Siva and Brahma and his consort is Bharatidevi.
  7. ^M. V. Krishna Rao (1966).Purandara and the Haridasa Movement.Karnatak University. p. 200.
  8. ^abEva Rudy Jansen; Tony Langham (1993),The book of Hindu imagery: The Gods and their Symbols,Binkey Kok Publications,ISBN978-90-74597-07-4,God of the wind... also known as Vata or Pavan... exceptional beauty... moves on noisily in his shining coach... white banner...
  9. ^Jamison, Stephanie W.; Brereton, Joel P. (2014).The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-937018-4.
  10. ^Williams, George M. (27 March 2008).Handbook of Hindu Mythology.Oup USA.ISBN978-0-19-533261-2.
  11. ^Chandra, Suresh (1998).Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.Sarup & Sons.ISBN978-81-7625-039-9.
  12. ^Daniélou, Alain (December 1991).The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series.Inner Traditions / Bear & Co.ISBN9780892813544.
  13. ^Jeffery D. Long (9 September 2011).Historical Dictionary of Hinduism.Scarecrow Press. p. 187.ISBN9780810879607.Born near Udipi in Karnataka, where he spent most of his life, Madhva is believed by his devotees to be the third incarnation or avatāra of Vāyu, the Vedic god of the wind (the first two incarnations being Hanuman and Bhīma).
  14. ^Ravi Prakash (15 January 2022).Religious Debates in Indian Philosophy.K.K. Publications. p. 176.According to tradition, Madhvacarya is believed to be the third incarnation of Vayu (Mukhyaprana), after Hanuman and Bhima.
  15. ^R. K. Madhukar (1 January 2014).Gayatri: The Profound Prayer.Motilal Banarsidass. p. 90.ISBN978-8178-22467-1.Vayu is accorded the status of a deva, an important God in the ancient literature. Lord Hanuman, who is considered to be one of the avatars of Vayudeva, is described as Mukhyaprana.
  16. ^Subodh Kapoor (2002).Indian Encyclopaedia, Volume 1.Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd. p. 7839.ISBN9788177552577.Mukhya Prana - The chief vital air
  17. ^Raju, P.T. (1954), "The concept of the spiritual in Indian thought",Philosophy East and West,4(3): 195–213,doi:10.2307/1397554,JSTOR1397554.
  18. ^Vijaya Ghose; Jaya Ramanathan; Renuka N. Khandekar (1992),Tirtha, the treasury of Indian expressions,CMC Limited,ISBN978-81-900267-0-3,... God of the winds... Another name for Vayu is Vata (hence the present Hindi term for 'atmosphere, 'vatavaran). Also known as Pavana (the purifier), Vayu is lauded in both the...
  19. ^Stephanie Jamison (2015).The Rigveda –– Earliest Religious Poetry of India.Oxford University Press. p. 47.ISBN978-0190633394.
  20. ^Rigveda,Mandala 1,Hymn 2
  21. ^Sukumari Bhattacharji(1984),Literature in the Vedic age,K.P. Bagchi,... The other atmospheric gods are his associates: Vayu-Vatah, Parjanya, the Rudras and the Maruts. All of them are fighters and destroyers, they are powerful and heroic...
  22. ^Shoun Hino; K. P. Jog (1995).Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣya.Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 158.ISBN9788120812833.Vāyu indicates Mukhya Prāṇa.
  23. ^Chandogya Upanishad, Adhyaya XVIII, Verse 4;http://www.swamij.com/upanishad-chandogya.htm
  24. ^Lutgendorf 2007,p. 67.
  25. ^"The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXVII".
  26. ^History of the Dvaita School and Its literature,pg 173
  27. ^"Balittha Suktha -Text From Rig Veda".raghavendramutt.org. Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2016.
  28. ^Indian Philosophy & Culture, Volume 15.The Institute. 1970. p. 24.
  29. ^Chintagunta Ramakrishna Rao (1960).Madhva and Brahma Tarka.Majestic Press. p. 9.
  30. ^"Twelve Heavenly Deities (Devas)".Nara National Museum, Japan.Retrieved4 May2023.
  31. ^"juuniten thập nhị thiên".JAANUS.Retrieved23 January2019.

Bibliography

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