Vayu

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Vayu

Vayu ( Sanskrit वायु , Vāyu, "wind", "air"), also Pavana (Sanskrit पवन "purifying") is the Vedic god of wind, air and the breath of life ( Prana ) and its personification. In the Rigveda only one single hymn is fully dedicated to him, but he also appears in other hymns. He is associated with thunderstorms, hurricanes and dusty storms, while the god Indra is associated with breezes or fertile rainstorms. A rivalry with Indra can also be found in the Vedas. With this and Agni he forms a Vedic triad of gods.

mythology

Vayu represents the breath of Varuna and is also referred to with its attribute of the "thousand-eyed". Other attributes are its frenzied speed equal to thought and its beauty. He has a luminous chariot pulled by two, nineteen, hundred or even a thousand red horses, depending on whether it comes as a wind, a storm or even a cyclone. Vayu is considered the son-in-law of Tvashtri . Along with Mitra and Varuna, Vayu can also appear as an angry deity. However, he is also considered a doctor and wonderful healer. He is called for protection and bestows fame and fortune, he also provides for offspring and destroys enemies. Sometimes he is also considered the chief of the Gandharvas and occasionally the father of the Maruts . He is married to the goddess Vayavi .

In a Hindu myth, Vayu is instigated by the Maharishi Narada to overthrow the summit of Meru . However, this is prevented by Garuda , who spreads his wings over the mountain. Vayu tries to destroy the mountain for a year and only succeeds when Garuda is absent at the end of the year. The mountain peak then falls into the sea and is now located there as the island of Sri Lanka .

Vayu also appears in Iranian mythology , among other things as a warrior god, god of the dead and god of fate.

iconography

Vayu's mount is an antelope (Vayu Vahana ) and in his hands he holds a flag, often a bow and arrow, thunderbolt, wheel and staff. His body color is white and his robe is colorful.

Vayu today

In later Hinduism , Vayu is no longer considered to be benign, but as a destructive, unbalanced, unpredictable, destructive god who is out of control of his feelings and is full of desires. He roams heaven and earth and rules the northwest quarter of the world ( Lokapala ). Vayu is considered rampant and therefore he has illegitimate offspring everywhere. As a son of Vayu z. B. also the monkey god Hanuman , who receives the ability to fly from Vayu, as well as Bhima , the strongest of the Pandava , the heroes of the Mahabharata .

In some Indian sects, Vayu is called the 'bearer of fragrances' and is considered the protector and servant of the Vishnu and Lakshmi couple . Vayu is also in charge of maintaining Vishnu's lotus , which grows in his navel and from which the god Brahma is born.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Gerhard J. Bellinger, Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie , Knaur, Munich 1999, Vayu
  2. ↑ Swami Harshananda: Hindu gods and godesses. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras p. 18
  3. ↑ Swami Harshananda: Hindu gods and godesses. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras p. 18
  4. ^ Gerhard J. Bellinger: Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie. Knaur, Munich 1999, Maruts
  5. ^ A b Storm, Rachel, Encyclopedia of Eastern Mythology , Reichelsheim 2000, Vayu
  6. ↑ Geo Widengren : The gods of the second function: Vayu. In: Iranian Spiritual World. Holle Verlag, Baden-Baden 1961, pp. 123–128
  7. ↑ Anneliese and Peter Keilhauer: The visual language of Hinduism. The Indian world of gods and their symbolism . DuMont, Cologne 1983, p. 59 f.
  8. ^ Gerhard J. Bellinger: Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie. Knaur, Munich 1999, Vayu
  9. ↑ Rachel Storm, Encyclopedia of Eastern Mythology , Reichelsheim 2000, Vishnu

literature

  • Denise Cush, Catherine Robinson, Michael York (Eds.): Encyclopedia of Hinduism. London (et al.), Routledge 2008
  • Veronica Ions: Indian Mythology. Wiesbaden 1967.
  • Narendra Nath Bhattacharyya: A Dictionary of Indian Mythology. New Delhi 2001.
  • Gerhard J. Bellinger, Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie , Knaur, Munich 1999, Vayu
  • Rachel Storm, Encyclopedia of Eastern Mythology , Reichelsheim 2000, Vayu

Web links

Commons : Vayu  - collection of images, videos and audio files