Lord Vayu is a primary Hindu deity, ”The Lord of the Winds”, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Hanuman (the Hindu monkey god). The Lord of the Winds is also known as Vata, Pavana (the Purifier), and sometimes Praṇa (the breath), and is usually regarded as the element of air at a material level.
In the Mahabharata (one of the two major Sanskrit epics), Bhima was the son and an incarnation of Lord Vayu and played an important role in the Kurukshetra War (also called the Mahabharata War). He utilized his huge power and skill with the mace for supporting Dharma.
He symbolizes the supreme deity, the spirit that is formless in nature yet full of power like the wind or air. Lord Vayu, the causal or creative power, is the power of Ishvara (Supreme Being) or the Cosmic Lord. He mounts on a chariot which is drawn by thousands of horses and is invisible but described as blue in color.
The Sanskrit word “vayu” can be translated in the sense of the physical as ”wind” or ”air”, but it is also used as a synonym for “prana”.
In the Hindu sacred hymns, He is portrayed as having ”exceptional beauty” and ”moving noisily in his shining coach, driven by 2 or 49 or 1000 purple and white horses.” Like the other atmospheric deities, He is a “heroic and powerful” and “destroyer and fighter.”
Vayu Gayatri mantra lyrics in Sanskrit:
”Om Sarvapranaya Vidhmahe
Yashtihastaya Dhimahi
Thanno Vayuh Prachodayat.”
Translation in English:
”Om, Let me meditate on the life-giving air
One who holds the scepter, give me higher intellect,
And let the God of Winds illuminate my mind.”
