VARUNA
The god of the sky, Varuna was the celestial lawgiver. He
was the master of the rules that governed sacrifices and of
the order that dictated the seasons and the annual round
of sowing and harvesting. Some early myths describe him
as a creator god, who formed the worlds of heaven, middle
air, and Earth by his willpower alone. In another story, he
was a ruler of the heavenly ocean,
but after a war with the demons,
the gods reallocated
their powers and
Varuna became the ruler
of the western sky and
of the earthly seas.
His rule extended to the
tides, and he was said to
be the patron god of
sailors and fishermen.THE VEDIC GODSVayu on his mount
Vayu is commonly
portrayed seated on
his mount, an elegant
antelope. Sometimes,
however, he is depicted
riding a lion. Perhaps
the differing mounts
indicate the changeable
character of their rider.SOMA AND RITUALS
Like many early belief systems, Vedic religion
involved the use of psychoactive substances,
such as soma, a plant that could be identified
with the herb ephedra. Soma was said to be
the drink of the gods, and when mortals
drank it, they made a connection with the
deities. Accounts of its origin vary – some
say Indra discovered soma, others that
it was first produced from the primal
ocean. Its use was quite popular among
Vedic priests, who developed a special ritual
for preparing the drink: first crushing the herb,
and then mixing it with milk and water.
EphedraGod of fire
Numerous accounts of Agni depict him as a
three-headed figure riding a goat or ram, with
flames coming out of each of his three heads.The god of the sky and seas
Varuna rode a makara, a mythical
beast that was part-crocodile and
part-fish. His mount was seen as
a symbol of water and fertility.VAY U
Vayu was the god of the winds. One of the hymns
of the Rig Veda portrays Vayu as either the breath
of Purusha, the primal human, or as being created
by Purusha’s breath. According to a myth about
Vayu, the god lost some of his power when he was
expelled from Mount Meru, the home of the gods.
Vayu attacked the mountain in retaliation, and despite
resistance from Garuda, the king of the birds, he tore
of the tip of the mountain and threw it into the ocean,
where it became the island of Sri Lanka.
Later myths have described Vayu as a
servant of the god Vishnu
and his consort, the
goddess Lakshmi.AGNI
The god Agni represented
fire in all its aspects, such as
lightning, the domestic fire,
and fires used in rituals,
which were all seen as his
manifestations. As ritual fire, Agni took messages from
humans to the gods, his smoke indicating where sacrifices
were being made, while the fire lit at funeral pyres carried
the souls to heaven. Agni, who was the son of Prithvi
(Mother Earth) and Dyaus (Father Sky), was
said to have been born three times: first from water, like
the sun rising above the sea; then from the air, as lightning;
and finally on Earth, in the form of fire that was kindled.
He was so hungry that he ate his parents, and then grew
tongues to lap the ghee (clarified butter) ofered at altars.He was a changeable
character, at times
stormy, but on
other occasions
gentle.99