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All the Gods of the Hindu pantheon have their own
special mounts. Often as powerful as the Lords themselves, these
divine birds and beasts are propitiated with great devotion.
They both fell in love
with the same girls! The brothers Ganesh and Kartikeya, sons of
Paravati and Shiva fell in love with the same two girls called Sudhi
and Buddhi. Now the parents had a problem! And they devised a
solution. The first one who completes three circles around the earth
will have them, they decided. And even before they finished, the
handsome ripping youth Kartikeya, tossed a scornful laugh into the
air, mounted his peacock and flew off. Ganesha, the more prosperous
looking elephant god, had a rat as a mount. Obviously it was going
to be a losing battle for him! But no. The cute pot-bellied God
balanced himself on his rat which scurried around Shiva and Parvati
thrice and the Mooshikavahana (the one who rides on a rat) declared
himself to be the winner as his parents meant the world to him! The
Mayilvahanan (one who rides a peacock) was furious! But vehicles
power alone cant’s win!
And yet he cannot be
blamed for being disappointed for the finished within seconds of
Ganesha in spite of the fact that he had gone around the world! So
powerful was his vehicle and so proud was he of it that he had not
stopped to think. Neither is his pride uncommon nor is the power of
his mount. In the Hindu pantheon all the gods have their mounts
which are often as powerful as the Lord himself. Lord Shiva’s
mount is bull called Nandi. Once a devotee called Nandanar came to
the Lord’s temple at a place called Chidambaram in South
India(this is a very famous temple of Lord Shiva) . The priest was
away, the door was open, and the devotee was advancing towards the
sanctum sanctorum. Nandi moved to block the way! It was only when
Lord Shiva welcomed Nandanar as a true devotee did Nandi let him in.
All Shaivite temples have an idol of Nandi. The god of death, Yama
is said to ride a buffalo. In fact very often a buffalo itself is
taken to represent Yama.
Since mythology has the
advantage of being able to delve deep into myth and yet emerge with
all the dignity and truthfulness of the real, it is also able to
convey a message. In this context it is compassion and respect
towards animals. Even to this day, temples abound with monkeys
devotees and temple priests are most indulgent towards them because
they are considered to be representative of Hanuman. Another species
of animals which have assumed great importance in Hindu mythology are
snakes. Beginning with the Shesh Nag on which Lord Vishnu reclines to
the snakes which Lord Shiva wears on his neck and Ganesh ties around
his waist, snakes have been regarded by ancient civilizations as
symbols of time, death and fertility. The most revered animal is,
however, the cow. A gift of God the cow is considered the provider.
There is a festival for propitiating every kind of bird of beast,
many of them being adulated as vahan (vehicles) to the Lord
and therefore prayed to when the Lord if propitiated. Some, like the
crows, vehicles of Sani (Saturn), are said to be manifestations of
the spirits of the dead. The older generation still others the first
ladle of cooked rice to the crows.
Such beliefs and legends
keep the tolerance level high and sometimes even reality is moulded
in an effort to rationalize mythology. If you see a Khanyana or
wagtail kite it is a good omen for Garuda, the vahan of Lord Vishnu,
was one. The story of Garuda is told in many ways. One version says
he was the son of Kasyapa the sage and Vinata. Vinata is said to
have laid an egg and so soon as Garuda was born, he grew rapidly to
fill the universe, his eyes were like lighting and his wings flapped
to uproot mountains! So brilliant was he that he set the whole world
ablaze. And this child felt hungry. “Eat anything you want
except a Brahmin” advised his mother. The baby flew around
picked himself an elephant and a tortoise and had his meal. And then
he was sent on an errand by his mother who had wagered on the moon
for a bet. Having lost the bet she was obliged to get the moon. The
son got it for her. But one the way all the Gods tried to stop him
but to no avail. Only Lord Vishnu could equal him though not
vanquish him. An agreement was reached. Garuda was made immortal
and granted a higher seat than Lord Vishnu himself (where he flies in
the shape of a flag). Garuda was charmed by his opponent and so
offered his services as the vahan of Lord Vishnu! And thereafter in
every avatar of Lord Vishnu especially as Lord Rama, Garuda helped
him. Not only Garuda but his two sons Jatayu and Sampati were also
of great help of Rama.
It however it is a
Brahmani kite that you see, it is the mount of Durga. More often
Durga is seen on a tiger and as Singhavahini on a lion in keeping
with the ferocious deity’s nature. Interestingly the jackal is
also viewed as a representative of Goddess Durga.
Lord Brahma has a goose
for a vehicle while Saraswati sits on a swan. The king of the
Heavens, Indra rides on a wonderful elephant called Airavatam.
Airavatam is a majestic white elephant with a beautiful white pearl
on its forehead Legend has it that sage Durvasu, known for his
volatile temper gave Indra a sweet smelling garland which a celestial
nymph had given him. So fascinated was Indra that he wanted to
garland his prized possession, Airavatam. No sooner had he placed it
on Airavatam’s forehead than the elephant, intoxicated with the
perfume, started dancing. The garland fell to the ground and got
trampled over. The sage was furious and cursed Indra and it was then
that oceans were churned to get the magic potion of strength for the
gods.
If you are in love,
however, you have to look out for Kamadeva’s vahan. Kamadeva is
the god of love who shoots arrow of flowers which blossom into love.
Kama, a handsome youth himself, travels with a beautiful wife Rati, a
cuckoo and a humming bee. He also has spring personified and breezes
floating with him while he sits on a parrot. And so keep a watch for
a parrot on your window still, may be Kama is coming visiting you!
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