Vasu
वसु
vasu
Vasus are very prominent gods in Vedic literature.
Astavasus are eight Ganadevatas who always supports Indra. There are many stories in Purana regarding Vasus. Bhishma was an incarnation of the Vasu called Apa
They are the Maruts, the pure god in the midworld - RV (7.39.3); they are bright and cover the whole world. Vasu is used in most of the places as an adjective of Indra; Indra is Vasava. In some instances the word is used as adjective of other gods also.
In BrU, Yajnavalkya answers to the question of Sakalya thus: Vasu means “resident of”. All physical objects including our bodies are made of eight aspects – the effluences of the elements of the earth, water, wind, fire and space. These are held together in a lump so to speak by the three forces exerted by the sun, the moon and the stars. Hence, 8 vasus.
The Astavasus were born to Dharmadeva of his wife Vasu, a daughter of Daksa. They are : Dhara , Dhruva , Soma , Aha r, Anila , Anala , Pratyusa and Prabhasa (Slokas 17 - 18, Chapter 66, Adi Parva, MB ). There is another version in certain Puranas that the Astavasus are the sons of Kashyapa. Different Puranas spells Astavasus with different names. According to Visnu Purana they are : Apa, Dhruva, Soma, Dharma, Anila, Anala, Pratyusa and Prabhasa. In Bhagavata they are: Drona, Prana, Dhruva, Arka, Agni, Dosa, Vasu and Vibhavasu. In Harivarhsa they are : Akha, Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Anila, Anala, Pratyusa and Prabhasa. This only indicates that some of these have two or more names for them
Once, while the Astavasus were enjoying a picnic with their wives they happened to visit the asrama of Vasistha. One of the wives got attracted to Nandini, Vasistha's beautiful cow and wanted it. To please his wife the husband Vasu took the cow by force and left the place. When the sage found his cow missing, he cursed the Astavasus saying that all of them would be born on earth as men. The Astavasus were greatly worried and approached the sage craving for pardon. The sage relaxed the curse and declared that their life on earth would be only for a very short duration, but Apa (also called Dyau) who committed the theft would have to live for a long time as a man. It was this Vasu, Apa (also called Dyau) who was born as Bhisma
| Word | Sanskrit | IAST | In General | Veda | Purana | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vasu Gupta | A 9th century CE Kashmiri Shiva philosopher who authored the Siva Sutra and Spanda... | Read More | ||||
| Vasudeva | वसुदेव | vasudeva | Vasudeva was a Yadava king and the eldest son of King Surasena in his wife Marisa. Sri Krishna... | When Krishna was born to Devaki, the wife of Vasudeva in jail a devine voice was heard from... | Read More | |
| Vasudeva Yati | A sage lived on the bank of River Narmada some three century back. He composed an... | Read More | ||||
| Vasudevamananam | A treatise on Advaita philosophy. The author of this work is Vasudeva Yati, a sage... | Read More | ||||
| Vasuh_Bharadvaja | Vasuh_Bharadvaja is the Rishi of Rig Veda 9:80 to 82 | The hymn R.V. (9:80-82) is about soma, the lord of plenitude. Some modern authors... | He was born out of the daughter of Prajapati who was the wife of Dharma | Read More | ||
| Vasukarna_Vasukra | Basukarna Basura Is the Rishi of Rigveda hymns 10:65 and 66. He was son of Rishi Basukra who... | The Sukta is for propitiating Viswadevah, all the devas. | Read More | |||
| Vasuki | वासुकि | vāsuki | Vasuki is the snake who coiled around the neck of Siva. | King of the Nagas | King of the Nagas or serpents who live in Patala. He was used by the gods and Asuras for a coil... | Read More |
| Vasumitra | वसुमित्र | vasumitra | It is said Vasumitra, a King and Buddhist scholar presided over the fourth Buddhist... | Read More | ||
| Aravasu | आर्ववसु | Aravasu was an ancient ascetic who had been a luminary in the court of King Yudhishthira. He was... | Read More | |||
| Astavasu | अष्टवसु | aṣṭavasu | See: Vasu | Read More |