| Vāyu | |
|---|---|
| Member of thePancha Bhuta andDikpala | |
 Vayu on hisVahana. | |
| Other names | Anila (अनिल) Pávana (पवन) Vyāna (व्यान) Vāta (वात) Tanūna (तनून) Mukhyaprāṇa (मुख्यप्राण) Bhīma (भीम) Maruta (मारुत) |
| Devanagari | वायु |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Vāyu |
| Affiliation | Deva |
| Abode | Vayu Loka,Satya Loka |
| Mantra | Om Vayave Namaha |
| Weapon |
|
| Mount | Chariot drawn byHorses,Gazelle |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Consort |
|
| Children | MudāApsaras (daughters)[1] Hanuman (son) Bhima (son) |
| Equivalents | |
| Indo-European | H₂weh₁yú |
Vayu (Sanskrit:वायु,romanised: Vāyu,lit. 'Wind/Air';Sanskrit pronunciation:[ʋaːju]), also known asVata (Sanskrit:वात,romanised: Vāta,lit. 'Wind/Air') andPavana (Sanskrit:पवन,romanised: Pávana,lit. 'Purifier'),[9] is theHindu god of 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 BeingVishvapurusha and also the first one to drinkSoma.[10] TheUpanishads praise him asPrana or '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.[11][12] TheHindu epics describe him as the father of the godHanuman andBhima.[13]
The followers of the 13th-century saintMadhva believe their guru as anincarnation of Vāyu.[14][15][16] They worship the wind deity asMukhyaprana (Sanskrit:मुख्यप्राण,romanised: Mukhyaprāṇa,lit. 'ChiefPrana') and consider him as the son of the godVishnu.
The word forair (vāyu) or wind (pavana) is one of theclassical elements in Hinduism. TheSanskrit wordVāta literally 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).[17]
Sometimes the wordvāyu, which is more generally used in the sense of the physical air or wind, is used as a synonym forprāna.[18] Vāta, an additional name for the deity Vayu, is the root ofvātāvaranam, the Sanskrit and Hindi term for 'atmosphere'.[19]
In theRigveda, Vayu is associated with the winds, with theMaruts being described as being born from Vayu's belly. Vayu is also the first god to receivesoma in the ritual, and then he andIndra share their first drink.[20][21] 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'.[9] Like the other atmospheric deities, he is a 'fighter and destroyer', 'powerful and heroic'.[22]
In theUpanishads, there are numerous statements and illustrations of the greatness of Vayu. TheBrihadaranyaka Upanishad says 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 realise 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".[23] TheChandogya Upanishad says that one cannot knowBrahman except by knowing Vayu as theudgitha (the mantric syllableom).[24]
Vayu is also one of theVasus, a group of eight deities mentioned inRamayana,Mahabharata andVedas.[25] Within this categorisation, Vayu is also known as Anila.[25]
American IndologistPhilip Lutgendorf says, "According toMadhva wheneverVishnu incarnates on earth, Mukhya Prana/Vayu accompanies him and aids his work of preserving dharma. Hanuman the friend and helper ofRama in theTreta Yuga, the strongmanBhima inMahabharata, set at the end ofDvapara Yuga andMadhva in theKali Yuga. Moreover, since the deity himself does not appear on earth until the end of kali age, the incarnate Vayu/Madhva serves during this period as the sole 'means' to bring souls to salvation".[26] 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.
InChinese Buddhism, Vayu is known asFengtian (風天) is sometimes rarely classified as being one of theTwenty-Four Protective Deities (Chinese: 二十四諸天;pinyin:Èrshísì Zhūtiān). When he is included in this grouping, the other deities enshrined as part of this grouping include twenty-three devas, which include Dazizaitian (Maheśvara), Fantian (Brahma), Dishitian (Sakra), Jixiang Tiannü(Lakshmi), Biancaitian (Saraswati), theFour Heavenly Kings, Ritian (Surya), Yuetian (Chandra), Miji Jingang (Guhyapāda), Sanzhi Dajiang (Pañcika), Weituo (Skanda), Ditian (Prthivi),Puti Shushen, Guizimu (Hārītī), Molizhitian (Mārīcī), Yanluo Wang (Yama), Huotian (Agni), Shuitian (Varuna), Yishenatian (Isana), Luochatian (Rakshasa) and Shensha Dajiang. Examples of this grouping include statues atShanhua Temple and Tiefo Temple, both inShanxi,China.
InJapanese Buddhism, especiallyMikkyō traditions such asShingon, he is usually classified as one of theTwelve Devas (Japanese:十二天,romanised: Jūniten) grouped together as directional guardians. He presides over the northwest direction.[32]
In Japan, he is calledFūten (風天). 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).[33]
| Classical elements |
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)Brahmā and Vāyu are the sons of Vishnu and Lakshmi.
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.
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.
God of the wind ... also known as Vata or Pavan ... exceptional beauty ... moves on noisily in his shining coach ... white banner ...
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).
According to tradition, Madhvacarya is believed to be the third incarnation of Vayu (Mukhyaprana), after Hanuman and Bhima.
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.
Mukhya Prana - The chief vital air
... 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 ...
... 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 ...
Vāyu indicates Mukhya Prāṇa.
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