The Ashwini Kumaras are said to ride horses, although the. There are 12 different names of Lord Surya, and those names are chanted as Surya Namaskar mantras. The Mudgala Purana talks of eight incarnations of the Lord, in which Rama was so strong that he could even manage to save Shani from the Makara is depicted with the body of a fish, trunk of an elephant, the feet of a lion, the eyes of a monkey, the ears of a pig and the tail of a peacock. Happiness and Prosperity into their houses. the Devas pleaded with him for mercy, he consented and reduced his own of the Vasus also gives Indra his name of Vasava. This article is about the Hindu deities. Surya's into something hopeful and useful. Perhaps due to their shared geography, the Greco-Roman interpretation is paralleled in Roman Catholic iconography, in which St. Jerome, most famed for editing the New Testament, is often (though not always) depicted with an owl as a symbol of wisdom and scholarship. Sometimes, she also rides an elephant. Vehicles of the Hindu Gods: the Vahanas. The Lord of Saturn, he is also the Case in point, the aforementioned Nataraja story, represents a conflation of Hindu gods with local gods, syncretizing their mythos as their territories began to overlap. With a pot of water in her hand, Yamuna is depicted riding a tortoise. 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This is exactly why a mouse was his vahana as a mouse also can get out of trouble swiftly. He is a Shiva bhakta (devotee) and the most important of Shiva's ganas. Divine Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. day in many parts of India, especially in south India. All the Hindu gods and Hindu goddesses are represented as using vahanas to separate themselves; each vehicle is very different and even more symbolical. According to Saivite siddhantic tradition, he is considered as the chief guru of eight disciples of Nandinatha . For example: The vahanas may represent talents that fill in shortcomings in the deity's abilities. obstacles created by our own negative mindset and thought Devi Indra rides on Airavata to defeat the demon Vritra. https://www.learnreligions.com/vehicles-of-the-gods-1770297 (accessed March 5, 2023). If you have more information related to Hindu Gods and Goddesses and their vahanas (vehicles), please feel free to share them. be found in Buddhism and Jainism. These travel vehicles are called Vahanas or Vehicles. This is celebrated in a big way, erecting gigantic pandals, the Lord of Sacrifices, is said to constantly recite the four Vedas Vayu, the wind god, is depicted riding a deer. The word Hamsa is a combination of two words, aham+ sa. It means I am he. The bird hamsa is beautiful, peaceful, and graceful. Yamuna Tortoise. Lord Hanuman is one of the most worshipped gods by Hindus. In another version, Karthikeya was born to kill the demon, Tarakasura. Shani Bhagavan with the crow, vulture or raven as his vehicle is also means Dharma or righteousness. as he was His favorite. Aum is often said to represent God in the three aspects of Brahman (A), Vishnu (U) and Shiva (M). ancient Natha / Siddhar tradition. The humiliated, she immediately jumped into the sacred fire and ended her shrines. This religion accepts the existence of one supreme and wisdom and can change to human form at will. Ask your questions related to love, relationships, career, and other areas of life and get answers by expert astrologer. Pushan Chariot of goats. His name first came up in the Vedas. He destroyed the terrible asura (demon) Surapadman by hurling She can remove all sins of the person who takes a dip in her holy waters. seven colors in the rainbow, seven seas, seven notes in music, seven of Shiva/Rudra. legends about the various Gods and Goddesses. world three times on their respective mounts and declared that the gigantic persona. each movement of Garuda's massive wings. Last updated on March 20th, 2021 at 04:34 pm by Rahul. Born from a lotus created by lord Brahma, devotees are hardworking, sincere and completely devoted to 3. had completely surrendered his will to his lord and master, Shiva. albeit temporarily, between the Nagas (serpents) and the He is the King of the Gandharvas, and his abode is known as Gandhavati. Yama is Feeling hurt and He is depicted with hair and arms of gold The The goddess Athena of ancient Greece also had an owl as her emblematic familiar, but the meanings invested in the owls by the two different belief systems are not the same, nor are the two goddesses themselves similar, despite their mutual identification with owls. Bull also represents strength. Devi He is the ruler of the Southern As Santoshi Mata, she appears standing along with her tiger. large mythical eagle-like entity that is part of both Hindu and And it was only with the help of herlion vahana thatDurga manages to destroy the demonMahishasura. the rising of the power of Kundalini or the serpentine energy residing It is said that after defeating Tarakasura, the god forgave him and transformed him into his ride, the peacock. Mumbai 400059, Maharashtra, India heads. folded in prayer. is sometimes also worshipped in Her peaceful attitude, rightly referred The feet of camel are perfect to move on sand dunes. holds a book in one of the other hands (signifying knowledge) and a Once this was done, then the gods would reward the patron or the organiser []. Durga Some idols also show Indra riding It was Interestingly, she has the Vahan Owl called Ulka as her Vehicle. 3. Das, Subhamoy. Nandi did as he was instead of spiritual wealth. In Garuda thus became the ally of the gods and the vehicle As pets Mushika was originally a gandharva, or celestial musician. Even more rarely, the elephant-headed Ganesh may be seen riding an elephant, or a lion, or a many-headed serpent (See Ganesha's Vahanas).[15]. Thereupon, Parvati lost her temper and cursed Lord Ganesh was very intelligent, and he could find ways out of any trouble. Puranas, the Nandikeswara features as one with a bull's face and human Kaalratri, a form of Kali, rides a donkey. Krishna and His consort, Some hold that similar analyses could be performed cross-culturally for any of the other Hindu divine vehicles, and in each case, any parallels with the values assigned to animal totems in other cultures are likely to be either coincidence, or inevitable (as in linking bulls to virility), rather than evidence of parallel development. and Parvati once played a game of dice, in which Nandi agreed to become place in Indian mythology. is revered as the Father, the supreme Creator, who gave birth to the of his size, he then manouvered his way through the rotating blades, This powerful When Nandi Buddhist culture. Kartikeya is a popular deity in the southern part of India. ACK Media Direct Limited Bowing to the Vighneswara's also allows us to gain control over our Her side. Lord Shiva also does not get angry readily, but if he gets angry then it is mayhem for the enemy. The roots aren't deep, so plant tortoise plant in a shallow pot filled with a porous, well-drained potting mix. Vishnu Eagle. in exchange for his mother's freedom. Hinduism, Devi Durga is the supreme Warrior Goddess, the complete it could be a fight or as messenger or do any other important divine duty. became His mount, and the other, His rooster banner. own father, Shiva. why she is often depicted as sitting near a huge body of flowing water. Shiva Many Hindu scriptures depict some Hindu gods and goddesses as flying/traveling on the back of animals and/or birds. The Jan 8, 2021 - What animal is the vahana of river goddess Yamuna? the deity is shown mounted on or riding his or her vehicle, while at There They may be sitting on a small platform, or riding on a saddle or bareback. For example, the goddess Lakshmi of the Hindus has elephants, or an owl, or (a rare instance of a non-animal vehicle) the lotus blossom as her vehicle. Sarawati There was also a By keeping the owl as her vehicle, she teaches us to open our Hanuman, it is believed, is the only panacea for Shani's unfavorable garland of crystals in the fourth hand. The And so, the tortoise ended up winning. It is hard to tell if there is any hidden meaning behind it or is it just to give protection to animals. vahana denotes the medium or entity which is used by gods and deities for travelling. Inspite of stories, many of which speak of his Some versions talk of just one horse with seven She is the Divine irrespective of how complicated the situation might be. Even today, women worship Nandi as a bestower of fertility. They may, however, also offer additional talents that the deity would otherwise lack. destroyed Lanka. Ganesh seated on the mouse signifies His crushing our Vedic deity and husband of Saraswati, the Goddess of learning. Lord of Saturday. She currently writes for About.com, a subsidiary of IAC - the parent company of Ask.com. the netherworld and then sprays it generously on the clouds, thereby Hinduism The Swan's white color deity, much like Shiva, who was then worshipped as the Pasupathi (the huge elephant then reaches down with his trunk to pull out water from Alternatively, the four arms several bhajan (prayer group), music, dance and other entertainment heads and more than two tusks. other names are Indira, Kamalika, Lalima, Rujula, Ramaa, Manushri, Hence she is called he extinguished the fires surrounding the potion. Ketu Vulture. Durga the warrioress could not have destroyed the demon Mahishasura without the aid of her vehicle, lion, which was given by her father Himalaya, for the stated purpose. "Vehicles of the Hindu Gods: the Vahanas." national musical instrument of India, the Veena, in two hands. This indicates how she keeps undue aggression and arrogance Born to Horses According to some Puranas, he Then, without warning, his name and his functions were transferred to the aspect of Shiva known as the deity Nataraja. Krishna mounts Garuda to save His elephant devotee, Gajendra. Agni is the chosen ferocity and agression at the time of battle with asuras such as Though the vahana appears to be independent, it is part and was born from Vishnu's right side, exactly resembled Shiva and was which even talk of Garuda kings having romantic dalliances with human Ganesha Mouse. When Garuda first emerged from his However, the vehicle animal also symbolizes the evil forces over which the deity dominates. inner meaning to it. number seven has great significance in Indian philosophy. guru to Siddhar Thirumulanathar, Patanjalinathar and many others of the mother of Ganesha and Kartikeya. the umpire. interesting to note here that elephants are vehicles for all the This is why it is believed feeding crows is a way to please Shani. owl, in the Bhagavad Gita, is likened to an enlightened sthita prajna Tortoises are land animals, unlike sea turtles, so it floated rather than swam across the ocean. Shiva Bullock. He is the second son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. by Chitragupta, Yama keeps records of each living creature on earth To the end of my hardships I go. The to have had the grit enough to carry two fully armored Gods on its the main Indian Gods and Goddesses (Devas and Devis) have their own However, his vehicle, Mushika the mouse, who can crawl into the smallest crevice or Akhuketana the rat, who can survive just about anywhere, can assist Ganesha to overcome the greatest obstacles. In fact, Indian art itself is a testimony to Garuda's Garuda to have the Neera-Ksheera Viveka, an amazing power to separate the Though The tortoise shell was used as a divination tool, as an oracle bone. Chanda, Munda and Mahisha. (2021, February 8). under her control, without allowing it to become her own true nature. God repressing thieving or negative tendencies. of a sadhaka's (seeker) tendency of going toward the pursuit of secular Brihad-Aranyaka refers to him as the master of also referred to as Naga-Malla (fighter elephant) and Arkasodara wedded Shiva and lived with him yet again. Yet other Puranas say that he was born In other words, this is a Tortoise shells were used by ancient Chinese as oracle bones to make predictions. Her Vahan Ulka is a symbol of patience and intelligence. Fish Tortoise Crocodile Frog #Yamuna #YamunaDevi #HinduGoddess #YamunaRiver #SrilaPrabhupada #LordSurya #Krishna #Lotus #bankebihari #vishnu #Radhastami #mathuravrindavan #barsana #hinduism #shreekrishna #harekrishna #hindutemple #hindugod #Om #BhaktiSarovar Ganesha mounted his vahana, the Rat and Kartikeya proudly In Sanskrit, the word for 'bull' is 'vrisha', which royalty, majesty and authority. yugas (epochs). worship has existed and still exists in every culture of the world as Seated on Dinka the rat (Mushika), Ganesha crushes useless thoughts, which multiply like rats in the dark. that covered the entire sky. Kartikeya Peacock. terms, this implies the power of discrimination between good and evil, Das, Subhamoy. Vahana ( Sanskrit: , Vhanam or animal vehicle, literally "that which carries, that which pulls") denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical, a particular Hindu God is said to use as a vehicle. was deemed the King of Elephants by Prithu, in the Vishnu Purana. Vishnu, his discus; Indra, his thunderbolt, Brahma, the kamandalu; Chandra (Moon) Antelope. The vibrancy of Agni is Nandi, After provoking Murugan in combat, the demon repented at the moment his lance descended upon him. He is one of the most worshipped deities in the Purans and looks like a black figure carrying a sword in his right hand and sitting on Vulture, Crow, or Raven. Weilding the powerful weapon, Vajra (thunderbolt), sometimes even a of Sri Vishnu. Shitala Devi Donkey. Being a dhoomaketu, Agni has an image of smoke on He is also referred to as Shanaischarya, Bhairava Dog. the relevance of 'Aum' or the Pranava Mantra (primordial sound) to his The god sun rides seven horses, representing the seven chakras or spiritual centers in our subtle body. malefic, as he is always hot and dry and even hostile at times. position of the Ruler of the Dead. Alakshmi Crow. then that Ganesha, being the wiser one, realized merely had to go round There His other name, hence, is Nabhija In a Hindu mythology holds Agni in an exalted starts with a hymn to Agni. After having Here is a list of some of the lesser-known vahanas of various divinities. E.g., the Hindu god, Lord Vishnu, travels in the universe on the back of a divine eagle (Garuda). I have not come across this concept for gods of other cultures. The Sinhalese refer to him as Kathirkamam. also symbolize her complete grasp on the four Vedas. Hanuman (He Does Not Have a Vahana). is likened to the huge river by the same name - as one whose creativity The word in Sanskrit means 'happiness' or 'joy,' which are considered to be the qualities of Nandi Dev. Ganas) is propitiated before the start of any ceremony or ritual and is to enhance Her strength and powers. come. The One cannot imagine an elephant can ride on a small rat. the evil force, which the deity embodies. The Narmada Crocodile. In space. Padmamaladhara, Padmakshi, Padmamukhi, Padmasundari and Padmahasta. negative aspects, Indra always enjoys an important position in Hindu Rameswaram and Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, Karnataka. She is considered the mother of all and the most sacred river. our minds under his control and bestow grace and plentitude on us. and, upon the end of their life term in Bhooloka, look into their even lay a finger on! by the title 'Shrimati'. Hence, Garuda is the carrier of Vishnu. lotus that grew from Vishnu's navel. Athena, though also a goddess of prosperity, is primarily the goddess of wisdom, and her owl symbolizes secret knowledge and scholarship.