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| type = Hindu
| type = Hindu
| image = Vayu Deva.jpg
| image = Vayu Deva.jpg
| caption = Vayu (dikpala), on his mount, [[gazelle]]
| caption = Vayu on his [[Vahana]].
| name = Vāyu
| name = Vāyu
| other_names = [[Anila]] (अनिल)<br>Pávana (पवन)<br>[[Vyāna]] (व्यान)<br>Vāta (वात)<br>Tanūna (तनून)<br>Mukhyaprāṇa (मुख्यप्राण)<br>[[Bhima|Bhīma]] (भीम)<br>[[Maruts|Maruta]] (मारुत)
| other_names = [[Anila]] (अनिल)<br>Pávana (पवन)<br>[[Vyāna]] (व्यान)<br>Vāta (वात)<br>Tanūna (तनून)<br>Mukhyaprāṇa (मुख्यप्राण)<br>[[Bhima|Bhīma]] (भीम)<br>[[Maruts|Maruta]] (मारुत)
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{{Hinduism |deities}}
{{Hinduism |deities}}


'''Vayu''' ({{Langx|sa|[[wikt:वायु#Sanskrit|वायु]]|translit=Vāyu|lit=Wind/Air}}; {{IPA|sa|ʋaːju}}), also known as '''Vata''' ({{Langx|sa|[[wikt:वात#Sanskrit|वात]]|translit=Vāta|lit=Wind/Air}}) and '''Pavana''' ({{Langx|sa|[[wikt:पवन#Sanskrit|पवन]]|translit=Pávana|lit=Purifier}}),<ref name="jansen1993">{{Citation | title=The book of Hindu imagery: The Gods and their Symbols |author1=Eva Rudy Jansen |author2=Tony Langham | year=1993 | publisher=Binkey Kok Publications | isbn=978-90-74597-07-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1iASyoae8cMC | quote=God of the wind ... also known as Vata or Pavan ... exceptional beauty ... moves on noisily in his shining coach ... white banner ...}}</ref> is the [[Hindu deities|Hindu god]] of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the ''[[Vedic scriptures]]'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with [[Indra]], the king of gods. He is mentioned to be born from the breath of Supreme Being [[Vishvarupa|Vishvapurusha]] and also the first one to drink [[Soma (drink)|Soma]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jamison |first1=Stephanie W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-PRAwAAQBAJ&dq=v%C4%81yu&pg=PA631 |title=The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India |last2=Brereton |first2=Joel P. |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-937018-4 |language=en}}</ref> The ''[[Upanishads]]'' praise him as ''Prana'' or 'life breath of the world'. In the later Hindu scriptures, he is described as a [[dikpala]] (one of the guardians of the direction), who looks over the north-west direction.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7LOZfwCDpEC&q=Vayu | title=Handbook of Hindu Mythology | isbn=978-0-19-533261-2 | last1=Williams | first1=George M. | date=27 March 2008 | publisher=Oup USA }}</ref><ref name="Chandra">{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Suresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mfTE6kpz6XEC&q=Vayu |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses |date=1998 |publisher=Sarup & Sons |isbn=978-81-7625-039-9 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Hindu epics]] describe him as the father of the god [[Hanuman]] and [[Bhima]].<ref name = "D">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HMXN9h6WX0C&q=Vayu&pg=RA1-PA260 | title=The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series | isbn=9780892813544 | last1=Daniélou | first1=Alain | date=December 1991 | publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co }}</ref>
'''Vayu''' ({{Langx|sa|[[wikt:वायु#Sanskrit|वायु]]|translit=Vāyu|lit=Wind/Air|engvar=in}}; {{IPA|sa|ʋaːju}}), also known as '''Vata''' ({{Langx|sa|[[wikt:वात#Sanskrit|वात]]|translit=Vāta|lit=Wind/Air|engvar=in}}) and '''Pavana''' ({{Langx|sa|[[wikt:पवन#Sanskrit|पवन]]|translit=Pávana|lit=Purifier|engvar=in}}),<ref name="jansen1993">{{Citation | title=The book of Hindu imagery: The Gods and their Symbols |author1=Eva Rudy Jansen |author2=Tony Langham | year=1993 | publisher=Binkey Kok Publications | isbn=978-90-74597-07-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1iASyoae8cMC | quote=God of the wind ... also known as Vata or Pavan ... exceptional beauty ... moves on noisily in his shining coach ... white banner ...}}</ref> is the [[Hindu deities|Hindu god]] of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the ''[[Vedic scriptures]]'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with [[Indra]], the king of gods. He is mentioned to be born from the breath of Supreme Being [[Vishvarupa|Vishvapurusha]] and also the first one to drink [[Soma (drink)|Soma]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jamison |first1=Stephanie W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-PRAwAAQBAJ&dq=v%C4%81yu&pg=PA631 |title=The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India |last2=Brereton |first2=Joel P. |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-937018-4 |language=en}}</ref> The ''[[Upanishads]]'' praise him as ''Prana'' or 'life breath of the world'. In the later Hindu scriptures, he is described as a [[dikpala]] (one of the guardians of the direction), who looks over the north-west direction.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7LOZfwCDpEC&q=Vayu | title=Handbook of Hindu Mythology | isbn=978-0-19-533261-2 | last1=Williams | first1=George M. | date=27 March 2008 | publisher=Oup USA }}</ref><ref name="Chandra">{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Suresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mfTE6kpz6XEC&q=Vayu |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses |date=1998 |publisher=Sarup & Sons |isbn=978-81-7625-039-9 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Hindu epics]] describe him as the father of the god [[Hanuman]] and [[Bhima]].<ref name = "D">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HMXN9h6WX0C&q=Vayu&pg=RA1-PA260 | title=The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series | isbn=9780892813544 | last1=Daniélou | first1=Alain | date=December 1991 | publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co }}</ref>
   
   
The followers of the 13th-century saint [[Madhva]] believe their guru as an [[avatar|incarnation]] of Vāyu.<ref name = "DH" >{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZkkFCwAAQBAJ|page=187|author=Jeffery D. Long|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date=9 September 2011| isbn=9780810879607 |quote=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).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Religious Debates in Indian Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V0hZEAAAQBAJ|page=176|author=Ravi Prakash|publisher=K.K. Publications|date=15 January 2022|quote=According to tradition, Madhvacarya is believed to be the third incarnation of Vayu (Mukhyaprana), after Hanuman and Bhima.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Gayatri: The Profound Prayer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3blDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA90|page=90|author=R. K. Madhukar|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|date=1 January 2014|isbn=978-8178-22467-1|quote=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.}}</ref> They worship the wind deity as '''Mukhyaprana''' ({{Langx|sa|मुख्यप्राण|translit=Mukhyaprāṇa|lit=Chief [[Prana]]}}) and consider him as the son of the god [[Vishnu]].
The followers of the 13th-century saint [[Madhva]] believe their guru as an [[avatar|incarnation]] of Vāyu.<ref name = "DH" >{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZkkFCwAAQBAJ|page=187|author=Jeffery D. Long|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date=9 September 2011| isbn=9780810879607 |quote=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).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Religious Debates in Indian Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V0hZEAAAQBAJ|page=176|author=Ravi Prakash|publisher=K.K. Publications|date=15 January 2022|quote=According to tradition, Madhvacarya is believed to be the third incarnation of Vayu (Mukhyaprana), after Hanuman and Bhima.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Gayatri: The Profound Prayer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3blDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA90|page=90|author=R. K. Madhukar|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|date=1 January 2014|isbn=978-8178-22467-1|quote=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.}}</ref> They worship the wind deity as '''Mukhyaprana''' ({{Langx|sa|मुख्यप्राण|translit=Mukhyaprāṇa|lit=Chief [[Prana]]|engvar=in}}) and consider him as the son of the god [[Vishnu]].


==Connotations==
==Connotations==
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==Hindu texts and philosophy==
==Hindu texts and philosophy==
[[File:Kanishka I and Oado.jpg|thumb|260px|[[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] ruler [[Kanishka I]] with deity ''Oado'' (Vayu-Vata) on the reverse. Circa 120-150 CE]]
[[File:Kanishka I and Oado.jpg|thumb|260px|[[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] ruler [[Kanishka I]] with deity ''Oado'' (Vayu-Vata) on the reverse. Circa 120-150 CE]]
In the ''[[Rigveda]]'', Vayu is associated with the winds, with the [[Maruts]] being described as being born from Vayu's belly. Vayu is also the first god to receive [[Soma (drink)|soma]] in the ritual, and then he and [[Indra]] share their first drink.<ref>{{cite book|author=Stephanie Jamison|title=The Rigveda –– Earliest Religious Poetry of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1LTRDwAAQBAJ|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0190633394|page=47}}</ref><ref>Rigveda,Mandala 1,Hymn 2</ref>
In the ''[[Rigveda]]'', Vayu is associated with the winds, with the [[Maruts]] being described as being born from Vayu's belly. Vayu is also the first god to receive [[Soma (drink)|soma]] in the ritual, and then he and [[Indra]] share their first drink.<ref>{{cite book|author=Stephanie Jamison|title=The Rigveda –– Earliest Religious Poetry of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1LTRDwAAQBAJ|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0190633394|page=47}}</ref><ref>Rigveda,Mandala 1,Hymn 2</ref> 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'.<ref name="jansen1993" /> Like the other atmospheric deities, he is a 'fighter and destroyer', 'powerful and heroic'.<ref name="bhattacharji1984">{{Citation | title=Literature in the Vedic age | author=[[Sukumari Bhattacharji]] | year=1984 | publisher=K.P. Bagchi | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v7soAAAAYAAJ | quote=... 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 ...}}</ref>


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'.<ref name="jansen1993" /> Like the other atmospheric deities, he is a 'fighter and destroyer', 'powerful and heroic'.<ref name="bhattacharji1984">{{Citation | title=Literature in the Vedic age | author=[[Sukumari Bhattacharji]] | year=1984 | publisher=K.P. Bagchi | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v7soAAAAYAAJ | quote=... 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 ...}}</ref>
In the [[Upanishads]], there are numerous statements and illustrations of the greatness of Vayu. The ''[[Brihadaranyaka 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".<ref>{{cite book|title=Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mEpAAAAYAAJ|page=158|author1=Shoun Hino|author2=K. P. Jog|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|year=1995| isbn=9788120812833 |quote=Vāyu indicates Mukhya Prāṇa.}}</ref> The [[Chandogya Upanishad]] says that one cannot know [[Brahman]] except by knowing Vayu as the ''udgitha'' (the mantric syllable ''[[om]]'').<ref>Chandogya Upanishad, Adhyaya XVIII, Verse 4; http://www.swamij.com/upanishad-chandogya.htm</ref>


In the [[Upanishads]], there are numerous statements and illustrations of the greatness of Vayu. The ''[[Brihadaranyaka 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 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".<ref>{{cite book|title=Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mEpAAAAYAAJ|page=158|author1=Shoun Hino|author2=K. P. Jog|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|year=1995| isbn=9788120812833 |quote=Vāyu indicates Mukhya Prāṇa.}}</ref> The [[Chandogya Upanishad]] says that one cannot know [[Brahman]] except by knowing Vayu as the ''udgitha'' (the mantric syllable ''[[om]]'').<ref>Chandogya Upanishad, Adhyaya XVIII, Verse 4; http://www.swamij.com/upanishad-chandogya.htm</ref>
Vayu is also one of the [[Vasu|Vasus]], a group of eight deities mentioned in [[Ramayana]], [[Mahabharata]] and [[Vedas]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Mani |first=Vettam |title=Purāṇic encyclopaedia: a comprehensive work with special reference to the epic and Purānic literature |last2=Mani |first2=Vettam |date=2010 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=978-81-208-0597-2 |location=Delhi}}</ref> Within this categorisation, Vayu is also known as Anila.<ref name=":0" />


==Avatars==
==Avatars==
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== Buddhism ==
== Buddhism ==
In East Asian Buddhism, Vayu is a ''[[dharmapāla]]'' and often classed as one of the [[Twelve Devas]] ({{langx|ja|十二天|translit=Jūniten}}) grouped together as directional guardians. He presides over the northwest direction.<ref>{{cite web|title=Twelve Heavenly Deities (Devas) |url=https://www.narahaku.go.jp/english/collection/512-0.html |website=Nara National Museum, Japan|access-date=4 May 2023}}</ref>


In Japan, he is called '''Fūten''' ([[:ja:風天|風天]]). He is included with the other eleven devas, which include Taishakuten ([[Śakra (Buddhism)|Śakra/Indra]]), Katen ([[Agni]]), {{proper name|Enmaten}} ([[Yama]]), Rasetsuten ([[Nirṛti (god)|Nirṛti]]/[[Rakshasa|Rākṣasa]]), Ishanaten ([[Ishana|Īśāna]]), Bishamonten ([[Vaiśravaṇa|Vaiśravaṇa/Kubera]]), Suiten ([[Varuṇa]]) Bonten ([[Brahmā]]), Jiten ([[Pṛthivī]]), Nitten ([[Sūrya|Sūrya/Āditya]]) and Gatten ([[Candra]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=juuniten 十二天 |url=http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/j/juuniten.htm |website=JAANUS |access-date=23 January 2019}}</ref>
==== China ====
In [[Chinese Buddhism]], Vayu is known as '''Fengtian''' (風天) is sometimes rarely classified as being one of the [[Twenty-Four Protective Deities]] ([[Chinese language|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 ([[Shiva in Buddhism|Maheśvara]]), Fantian ([[Brahmā (Buddhism)|Brahma]]), Dishitian ([[Sakra]]), Jixiang Tiannü '''('''[[Śrīmahādevī|Lakshmi]]), Biancaitian ([[Saraswati#In Buddhism|Saraswati]]), the [[Four Heavenly Kings]], Ritian ([[Surya#Buddhism and Jainism|Surya]]), Yuetian ([[Chandra]]), Miji Jingang ([[Nio (Buddhism)#Guhyapāda|Guhyapāda]]), Sanzhi Dajiang ([[Pañcika]]), Weituo ([[Skanda (Buddhism)|Skanda]]), Ditian ([[Vasudhara|Prthivi]]), [[Puti Shushen]], Guizimu ([[Hārītī]]), Molizhitian ([[Marici (Buddhism)|Mārīcī]]), Yanluo Wang ([[Yama (Buddhism)|Yama]]), Huotian ([[Agni#Buddhism|Agni]]), Shuitian ([[Varuna#Buddhism|Varuna]]), Yishenatian ([[Ishana|Isana]]), Luochatian ([[Rakshasa#Buddhism|Rakshasa]]) and Shensha Dajiang. Examples of this grouping include statues at [[Shanhua Temple]] and Tiefo Temple, both in [[Shanxi]], [[China]].
 
==== Japan ====
In [[Japanese Buddhism]], especially [[Mikkyō]] traditions such as [[Shingon Buddhism|Shingon]], he is usually classified as one of the [[Twelve Devas]] ({{langx|ja|十二天|translit=Jūniten|engvar=in}}) grouped together as directional guardians. He presides over the northwest direction.<ref>{{cite web|title=Twelve Heavenly Deities (Devas) |url=https://www.narahaku.go.jp/english/collection/512-0.html |website=Nara National Museum, Japan|access-date=4 May 2023}}</ref>
 
In Japan, he is called '''Fūten''' ([[:ja:風天|風天]]). He is included with the other eleven devas, which include Taishakuten ([[Śakra (Buddhism)|Śakra/Indra]]), Katen ([[Agni]]), {{proper name|Enmaten}} ([[Yama]]), Rasetsuten ([[Nirṛti (god)|Nirṛti]]/[[Rakshasa|Rākṣasa]]), Ishanaten ([[Ishana|Īśāna]]), Bishamonten ([[Vaiśravaṇa|Vaiśravaṇa/Kubera]]), Suiten ([[Varuṇa]]), Bonten ([[Brahmā]]), Jiten ([[Pṛthivī]]), Nitten ([[Sūrya|Sūrya/Āditya]]) and Gatten ([[Chandra|Candra]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=juuniten 十二天 |url=http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/j/juuniten.htm |website=JAANUS |access-date=23 January 2019}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Latest revision as of 08:17, 7 November 2025

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Vayu (Template:Langx; Script error: No such module "IPA".), also known as Vata (Template:Langx) and Pavana (Template:Langx),[1] is the Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the Vedic scriptures, Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king of gods. He is mentioned to be born from the breath of Supreme Being Vishvapurusha and also the first one to drink Soma.[2] The Upanishads praise him as Prana or 'life breath of the world'. In the later Hindu scriptures, he is described as a dikpala (one of the guardians of the direction), who looks over the north-west direction.[3][4] The Hindu epics describe him as the father of the god Hanuman and Bhima.[5]

The followers of the 13th-century saint Madhva believe their guru as an incarnation of Vāyu.[6][7][8] They worship the wind deity as Mukhyaprana (Template:Langx) and consider him as the son of the god Vishnu.

Connotations

The word for air (vāyu) or wind (pavana) is one of the classical elements in Hinduism. The Sanskrit word Vāta literally means 'blown'; Vāyu, 'blower' and Prāna, 'breathing' (viz. the breath of life, cf. the *an- in animate). 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).[9]

Sometimes the word vāyu, which is more generally used in the sense of the physical air or wind, is used as a synonym for prāna.[10] Vāta, an additional name for the deity Vayu, is the root of vātāvaranam, the Sanskrit and Hindi term for 'atmosphere'.[11]

Hindu texts and philosophy

File:Kanishka I and Oado.jpg
Kushan ruler Kanishka I with deity Oado (Vayu-Vata) on the reverse. Circa 120-150 CE

In the Rigveda, Vayu is associated with the winds, with the Maruts being described as being born from Vayu's belly. Vayu is also the first god to receive soma in the ritual, and then he and Indra share their first drink.[12][13] 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'.[1] Like the other atmospheric deities, he is a 'fighter and destroyer', 'powerful and heroic'.[14]

In the Upanishads, there are numerous statements and illustrations of the greatness of Vayu. The Brihadaranyaka 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".[15] The Chandogya Upanishad says that one cannot know Brahman except by knowing Vayu as the udgitha (the mantric syllable om).[16]

Vayu is also one of the Vasus, a group of eight deities mentioned in Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vedas.[17] Within this categorisation, Vayu is also known as Anila.[17]

Avatars

File:Vayu, the god of wind Statue at Gokarneshwor Mahadev Temple Premises, Gokarna, Kathmandu.jpg
Vayu sculpture, Gokarneshwor Mahadev Temple, Gokarna, Kathmandu

American Indologist Philip Lutgendorf says, "According to Madhva whenever Vishnu incarnates on earth, Mukhya Prana/Vayu accompanies him and aids his work of preserving dharma. Hanuman the friend and helper of Rama in the Treta Yuga, the strongman Bhima in Mahabharata, set at the end of Dvapara Yuga and Madhva in the Kali 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".Template:Sfn Vayu is also known as Pavana and Matharishwa.

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

  • The first avatar of Vayu is considered to be Hanuman. His stories are told in Ramayana. Since Hanuman is the spiritual son of Vayu he is also called Pavanaputra 'son of Pavana' and Vāyuputra. Today, Pavan is a fairly common Hindu name.
  • The second avatar of Vayu is Bhima, one of the Pandavas appearing in the epic the Mahabharata.[18]
  • Madhvacharya, is considered as the third avatar of Vayu. Madhva declared himself as an avatar of Vayu and showed the verses in Rigveda as a proof.[19][20][21] Author C. Ramakrishna Rao says, "Madhva explained the Balitha Sukta in the Rigveda as referring to the three forms of Vayu".[22]

Buddhism

China

In Chinese Buddhism, Vayu is known as Fengtian (風天) is sometimes rarely classified as being one of the Twenty-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), the Four 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 at Shanhua Temple and Tiefo Temple, both in Shanxi, China.

Japan

In Japanese Buddhism, especially Mikkyō traditions such as Shingon, he is usually classified as one of the Twelve Devas (Template:Langx) grouped together as directional guardians. He presides over the northwest direction.[23]

In Japan, he is called Fūten (風天). He is included with the other eleven devas, which include Taishakuten (Śakra/Indra), Katen (Agni), Template:Proper name (Yama), Rasetsuten (Nirṛti/Rākṣasa), Ishanaten (Īśāna), Bishamonten (Vaiśravaṇa/Kubera), Suiten (Varuṇa), Bonten (Brahmā), Jiten (Pṛthivī), Nitten (Sūrya/Āditya) and Gatten (Candra).[24]

See also

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References

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Bibliography

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External links

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  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Rigveda,Mandala 1,Hymn 2
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Chandogya Upanishad, Adhyaya XVIII, Verse 4; http://www.swamij.com/upanishad-chandogya.htm
  17. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ History of the Dvaita School and Its literature, pg 173
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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