Hinduism 101 - Mandhata Global

The Hindu Surya, the Sun-God, is a combination of the three Vedic deities - Surya Himself, Vivasvat (the rising sun)
and Savitri. He is the son of Aditi and Kasyapa, the grandson of Brahma. He is a dark red man, with three eyes and four
arms riding in a golden chariot drawn by seven horses, each horse representing a day of the week. Sometimes the god
himself drives the chariot and at other times He has a legless charioteer Arun (dawn), a brother of Garuda.
Surya is considered to be a benefactor of humans. His symbol, the swastika, is a sign of His munificence and is used
by Hindus in all their religious ceremonies. The Sun-God is a renowned slayer of demons and a great hero.
Once Vishwakarma had to put Surya on the lathe to pare down His brilliance. Out of the parts that fell of the Sun-God
as a result of this Vishwakarma fashioned Vishnu’s discus (Sudarshan), Shiva’s trident, Karttikeya’s lance and the
weapons of the other Gods. This in some way demonstrates Surya’s strength and beneficence.
Varuna:
Varuna, the God of the Oceans, is a deity who was assigned total suzerainty over the seas of heaven. In later Hindu
times however He was consigned to the more obscure position of being a mere atmospheric God with Overlordship of
the terrestrial oceans and seas. He now lives in a palace on the mountain Puspagiri, the flower mountain, under the
oceans and keeps careful watch over the undersea demons. He is also Lord of the western quarter of the compass.
Varuna carries a noose, like Yama, to hunt down demons that interfere with the rains. He has always over His head a
cobra’s hood in order to keep dry. He rides His steed Makara, Kama’s emblem, a giant fish like a whale. Makara has a
deer’s head and the legs of an antelope. Varuna is followed everywhere by His retinue of rivers, snakes and demons
and He is often surrounded by a troop of thousand white horses.
A visitation from Varuna can be very wet and is welcome in summer and dreaded after the rains.
Vayu:
Vayu is the capricious Wind God. In Vedic times He formed the Hindu triad together with Agni and Surya. In later
Hindu times He was degraded to become an atmospheric God with the north-west quarter of the compass allocated as
His domain. He is the King of the Gandharvas, spirits who inhabit Indra’s heaven and sing and dance there to entertain
the Gods. One of Vayu’s many exploits include breaking off the head of Mount Meru, a mythical mountain, and
creating the Island of Lanka, now Sri Lanka, when the broken-off piece fell into the ocean, part of it sticking out of
the waters to create the sea-locked landmass.
Vayu is a destructive god with intemperate desires and a violent temper. Some sects regard Vayu in a more respectful
vein and call Him the “Bearer of Perfumes” and mitigates some of His violence by pointing out that He is a constant
companion of Vishnu and His wife Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and beauty.
Yama:
In the early stages of Hinduism, in the Vedic times, Yama and His sister Yami, the offspring of Vivasvat, the rising
sun, and Saranyu, the daughter of a prominent sage, founded the human race. After having found the road to heaven,
Yama was the first man to die and became the King of the dead.
In later Hindu times, Yama presides over the eternal darkness of hell and lives in His gloomy palace Kalichi with His
gloomier attendants. He is the much-feared God of Death, from whom none can escape. The palace is in the lower
regions at the southern quarter of the compass, a region of which Yama is the regent. He sits on His throne in His
palace and watches the procession of souls of the dead as they come up for judgment before Him. His attendant
Chitragupta reads out of a great book the deeds of each soul and Yama then passes judgement. Accordingly the soul is
either banished to Naraka (hell) or elevated to Swarga (heaven) or sent back to earth for another try at salvation.
Yama also keeps the Great Book of Destiny in which each living person’s allotted time of life on earth is recorded.
When a person’s lifetime is over Yama sends His attendants to fetch that person down to Him. Sometimes, when He is
too bored of His humdrum life in His dreary heaven, He Himself comes up to take down the dead.