Varuna-Vayu - Epic Characters of Vedas & Upanishads - E-book - ePub

Varuna is the god of Divyaloka, the lord of days and nights and is kind and considerate. He is the creator of the earth, the sky and of the laws of Nature. Surya is his eye and air is his breath. It is Varuna who has placed Surya, Agni and Soma in their positions. With time, Varuna's unchallenged position changed as Devendra became the chief of Gods. However, he remained the same - compassionate and benevolent.
Varuna is sage Kashyapa's son and his son is sage Bhrigu. He is one of the ashtadikpalakas, being the Lord of the west. He was one of the Gods who vouched for Sita's fidelity. Once he violated the tenets of dharma when he kidnapped Bhadra, Soma's daughter, Sage Atri's grand daughter and Uthathya's wife. With the power of his tapas, Uthathya drained the waters of seas and oceans. Varuna got scared , restored Bhadra to him and begged his pardon. Vayu is one of the panchabhootas, the cause of daily yajnas.
As he has five forms, he's called Panchapraana. He has two basic qualities - sound and sense of feel. As long as he dwells in our body, we live. In the Chandogya Upanishad, we are told how Vayu is crucial for the survival of all the organs of the body. Vayudeva's pride took a test at the hands of a yaksha when the former couldn't lift a blade of grass. Anjaneya and Bhima were born of his blessings.
The entire sky is his living place and he is the soul of the Devas. He preached dharma and was successful in correcting Karthaveeryarjuna. Along with Indra and Varuna, he also convinced Rama of Sita's fidelity.