Vayu

**Vayu** is the Hindu god of the wind as well as the father of Hanuman, the monkey-faced demigod, and Bhima, the second-oldest Pandava brother.

## General Information

### Alias

Anila ('air, wind') Vyāna ('air')

Vāta ('airy element')

Tanuna ('the wind')

Pavana ('the purifier')

Prāṇa ('the life force')

### Affiliation

OtherworldHindu Mythology

Rigveda

## Appearance

### Appears in

Aru Shah and the End of Time (As a statue)

## History

Vayu was born out of the breath of Purusha, the primal human. He lost some of his power when he was expelled from Mount Meru, the home of the gods. In retaliation, he attacked the mountain, Garuda, the king of birds and mount of Vishnu tried to resist but failed. Vayu tore the tip of the mountain off and threw it into the ocean where it eventually became Sri Lanka. The Maruts were said to have been born from his belly. Vayu was the first one to ever drink Soma, he shared it with Indra.

When Indra struck Hanuman for mistaking the sun for a fruit, Vayu got so upset that he went to sulk in a cave. As a result, all the air on the planet was sucked away, he wouldn't leave until all the gods apologized and brought him back to life.

### Hindu Mythology

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.

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'. Like the other atmospheric deities, he is a 'fighter and destroyer', 'powerful and heroic'.

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. The Chandogya Upanishad says that one cannot know Brahman except by knowing Vayu as the *udgitha* (the mantric syllable *om*).

## The Pandava Quintet

### Aru Shah and the End of Time

Vayu's statue during the claiming ceremony of Aru Shah and Mini, Aru didn't think having him as her spiritual father would be so bad. But he turned out to be Indra instead while Mini's was Dharma Raja.

### Aru Shah and the Song of Death

When Aru and Mini fight Brynne Rao at the Night Bazaar, they lifted up into the air and Brynne receives his wind mace. Before this happens, the Council of Guardians arrive, including Hanuman who Brynne that their father would not be pleased. When Aru found out that told Brynne was the reincarnation of Bhima, she realized that Hanuman was talking about Vayu.

## Physical Appearence

Vayu's statue was dark-skinned and looked like the handsome star of a Bollywood film. He held a spinning flag that heralded the directions.

## Abilities & Tools

* **Aerokinesis**: Being the god of wind, he has complete and divine authority over wind.

## Etymology

* **Vayu**'s name is derived from a Sanskrit word which means "blower."
* Other variations of his name include **Anila** ('air, wind'), **Vyāna** ('air'), **Vāta** ('airy element'), **Tanuna** ('the wind'), **Pavana** ('the purifier'), and sometimes **Prāṇa** ('the life force').