You are woman, and you are man,
You are the youth and the maiden,
And the old man tottering with a staff.
You are born again facing all directions.
You are the bluefly and the red-eyed parrot,
The cloud pregnant with lightning,
You are the seasons and the seas,
The beginningless, the abiding lore
From whom the spheres are born.
—Úvetâúvatara Upanishad
Indra
Indra rules the roost of the heavenly planets commandeering the sky, rain, lightning and thunder. He rides ‘Airavata’, a white elephant. He is usually depicted with four hands, holding vajra (thunderbolt), a bow and arrows, conch shell and a hook. He dons a reddish complexion and is said to bear thousand eyes all over his body giving him the name, Sahasrakhsa. He is the God of the eastern direction as well.
Many Vedic stories praise his chivalry during the battles between demons and demigods. Indra is not worshipped directly in temples. However, Vishnu temples depict the lore of Indra or Indra’s consort Indrani. She is also called ‘Aindra’ or ‘Paulomi’ with a golden skin remains iconic of an ideal Indian woman. They reside in Indrapuri in the heaven.
Kubera
He is the God of wealth and is the treasurer of heaven’s coffers and also the Lord of the Yakshas (minor forest gods). He rides the Pushpak Vimana gifted by Lord Brahma. In one hand he carries a moneybag and in the other a bowl. Kubera is the giver of jewels, the protector of travellers. He is a white dwarf with eight teeth, one eye and three legs. His name first appears in the Atharva Veda. He is the protector of the northern direction. Kubera is also the friend and companion of Lord Shiva. Kubera’s half-brothers were Ravana, Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana and Surpanakha was his half-sister. Ravana usurped Kubera’s throne, the capital of Ceylon. So, Vishwakarma, the architect of Gods built for him Alkapuri on Mount Mandara near Mount Kailash. The exotic garden of Kubera, Caitra-ratha is on the Mandara Mountain thronged by faun musicians, the Kinnaras. Kubera is now worshipped mainly in Nepal.
Somadeva
Somadeva also known as Chandradeva is the moon God. He is the son of Atri Rishi and Anasuya. Budha, the planet Mercury is his son. Somadeva begets the lunar dynasty. He is the designated deity for Monday. A birth on a full moon is held highly auspicious. He is coppery complexioned and holds a mace while the other hand lies in a protective mode. He rides a three-wheel chariot brandishing a red flag.
Somadeva is married to Rohini, daughter of Daksha along with his other twenty-seven daughters. His partiality towards Rohini brought a wrath over Somadeva and he got afflicted with leprosy. However, later Daksha mitigated the curse.
Agni
Agni is the chief deity of the Vasus (objects of pleasure). Agni is also called Vaishvanara for his all-pervading nature. Comprehending the nature of fire leads to the understanding of the universe. “Strongly built, with a large belly, Agni is red, with golden brown moustaches, hair and eyes. Seated on a ram, he holds a rosary and a sphere. He has seven tongues of fire”, thus says a shloka. Agnideva has two heads with yellow eyes. He has four arms, carrying an ax, torch, fan, a spoon and sometimes a rosary, a flaming spear as well as items used for fire sacrifices. His three legs represent the three important fires of a man’s life—sacrificial, marriage and funeral. He is draped with black dress leaping out flames. He rides a ram or a chariot drawn by red horses. His arms reach out to seven worlds (seven continents). The seven winds suffice as the wheels of his chariot. As the God of sacrifices, Agni is evoked as Hutasha or Hutabhuja that is an oblation-eater, Havyavahana that is the oblation-bearer. He carries to the gods the oblations. His images are often made of gold with red attributes. His wife’s name is Svaha.
(To be concluded)
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