Who’s Vayu?

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Vayu is a wind god in the early Hindu pantheon. He is one of the major elemental gods and was revered as one of the most important deities. He is often placed in a smaller pantheon with Akasha, the god of aether, Jala, the god of water, Agni, the god of fire, and Prithvi, the god of Earth. His name was also sometimes referred to as Prana, or Pavana, the Purifier.

Vayu is usually depicted as a handsome man, often with slightly purplish skin. He is driven around in a splendid carriage, drawn by a thousand purple and white horses. He is usually adorned with beautiful jewels, and is often depicted with four arms, sometimes with two arms holding small flags. When he is not being carried in a carriage, Vayu rides an antelope.

Vayu is often depicted as a storm god and is shown having fits of rage that he does not repent or tries to hold off. One story tells of Vayu who decides to blow up the top of the mythical Mount Meru. He hissed and hissed, but the bird god Garuda defended him. Eventually Garuda rested and Vayu in his unprovoked fury blew up the top of the mountain, where he flew through the air and landed in the water, forming the island that is known today as Sri Lanka.

Vayu is also known for his lust. Many children were fathered by him, including many prominent gods in the early pantheon. Perhaps his most famous son is the monkey god, Hanuman, gifted with flight by his father. Vayu also fathered the hero Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata.

Vayu was the god of wind in addition to the sense of powerful winds blowing in the air. He was also considered the god of the breath of life itself. One of his most famous stories serves to illustrate the importance of breath to every other expression of life.

It is said that all the gods who bestowed their powers on man met one day, each claiming to be more powerful than the other. To determine who was in fact more powerful, each god would leave their seat over man. For example, the god responsible for man’s ability to hear would be gone and man would be deaf. When the god returned, the man would be able to hear and the next god would leave. One by one they took turns leaving, and in each case the man was unharmed. He finally he reached Vayu. He left the man, and one by one the other gods felt torn apart, for first the stuffy man began to lose his ability to reason, then to see, then to stay awake. Thus it was that the other gods learned that each of their powers ultimately came from Vayu himself and the life breath he provided.

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