Vayu- The God of Wind

Vayu is the god of air and wind. He is also known as Vata and Pavan. Vata, similar to the word vita in Latin, or vital in English, refers to LIFE. It is not possible to live without air. Once breathing stops, life ends. Vayu, therefore, is one of the five elements necessary for life, and accepted as the Panchmahabhuta by Hindus.

Five deities known as Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana symbolize Vayu. These control the vital breath, wind, touch, digestion and excretion. Different deities are said to control the many functions in the body.

In the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, it is said that once the gods who control the functions of the body got into an argument as to who amongst them was most important. One by one, they withdrew their support. Vision was lost, but still one lived. The limbs failed, but life continued. However, when Vayu withdrew his support, the support of all other gods failed. It was then that they realized that unless Vayu lent his support, Life was not possible. As the vital breath, Vayu is the god of life, and bound to be an object of worship.