Vahana
Vahana ( Sanskrit : वाहन vāhana n. "Draft animal, wagon, vehicle") denotes the mount of a certain deity in Hinduism and is also a typical identification mark of the same. Some of these animals have a name and a personal character, such as the eagle Garuda or the bull Nandi , others are just animals without any further mythological connection. Some of these Vahanas are also mythical creatures . In mythology, the corresponding animals often represent an embodiment of the deity, so Nandi can also embody Shiva himself, or Vishnu manifests himself as Garuda.
Deities and associated Vahanas
- Aditi : Rooster
- Agni : ram or goat
- Annapurna : Lotus
- Brahma : lotus, white swan, or goose ( hamsa )
- Dhumavati : unhitched chariot, vulture or crow
- Durga : tiger or lion
- Ganga : Makara
- Ganesha : rat
- Indra : the white elephant Airavata or white horse
- Kali : Owl
- Kalki : white horse
- Kama : parrot or sparrow
- Kubera : ram, stooped brahmin or elephant
- Lakshmi : the eagle Garuda, owl (elephant assigned)
- Manasa : snake or swan
- Minakshi : fish
- Narayana : the many-headed cobra Shesha , even Ananta called
- Nirriti : donkey
- Rudra : bull
- Parvati : lion or tiger
- Sarasvati : peacock, lotus, white swan or goose
- Shashthi : black cat
- Shitala : donkey
- Shiva : the white humpback bull Nandi
- Skanda : peacock
- Varuna : Makara
- Vayu : antelope
- Vishnu : Lotus or the eagle man Garuda
- Yama : black buffalo ( Mahisha )
- Yamuna : Turtle (Makara)
Vahanas as independent mythical beings
Some Vahanas are partly independent mythical beings or at least have an individual name:
- Airavata , the elephant of Indra.
- Garuda , the eagle of Vishnu.
- Nandi , the bull of Shiva.
- Shesha , the serpent of Vishnu.
literature
Anneliese and Peter Keilhauer: The Imagery of Hinduism. The Indian world of gods and their symbolism. DuMont, Cologne 1983, ISBN 3-7701-1347-0 , p. 49f.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Anneliese and Peter Keilhauer: The Imagery of Hinduism - The Indian world of gods and their symbolism , DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne, 1986, p. 241
- ↑ Gerhard J. Bellinger, Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie , Knaur, Munich 1999 - Aditi, Agni, Annapurna, Brahma, Dhumavati, Indra, Kali, Kama, Kubera, Lakshmi, Manasa, Minatciyamman, Parvati, Rudra, Sarasvati, Shashthi, Shitala, Yamuna