Vaya Rahasya- the Secret of Vayu

Deities that Connect to Vayu
In the Rig Veda and the Vedas in general, it is the deities of the sphere of Vayu that predominate like Indra, the foremost of the Vedic Gods, Rudra, Brihaspati, and the Maruts. Indra is often called Vayu and Vata. Indra is behind all the other Vedic deities including Agni, Surya and Soma, the principles of Fire, Sun and Moon that can only operate under the guiding power of Vayu.

Vayu though by nature invisible is not devoid of light but is in fact the matrix of all forms of light. Vayu holds the power of lightning or vidyut that sets all other forms of light in motion, just as the atmospheric lightning starts fire on Earth. As the power of lightning, Vayu is called Indra, the supreme Vedic deity who governs the power of perception and the higher prana.

In yogic thought like the Brihat Yoga Yajnavalykya Smriti (IIX.6) it is said that Ishvara is Vayu and the soul or Jiva is Agni. Yoga consists of expanding our individual fire to merge into the cosmic air. Vayu everywhere is the Ishvara or ruling principle, causing everything to move.

Other Upanishadic vidyas (ways of knowledge) like the samvarga vidya of the Chandogya Upanishad identify Vayu as Brahman and the supreme resort of all. Such teachings are not identifying Brahman with the air element but using the air element as a symbol for Brahman as the supreme formless energy, power and presence.

Vayu is also said to be the Sutra, the thread that links everything together in the Upanishads. It is the subtle or energy body that links all physical forms in a network of forces through the chakras that it creates in its movement. The cosmic Vayu in turn takes us eventually back to the Self that is the ultimate presence that ties all things together.

Vayu is the Shakti or cosmic power that electrifies everything and without which everything is inert. Vayu manifests from the power of the Purusha as the energy inherent in consciousness, which is the power of prana or life itself. The lightning force of Vayu creates life in creatures but also sustains all processes in the universe. As such all the Devis or forms of Shakti are connected to Vayu, particularly Kali who represents the Vidyut Shakti and the Yoga Shakti that takes us back to Brahman.

This primal lightning of Vayu is the source of sound, which is the energy vibrating in space, the thunder that arises from it. This primal sound is Pranava, the Divine Word or OM, which also sets in motion the underlying cosmic intelligence that structures the worlds. As the principle of sound or vibration, Vayu is called Rudra (Shiva), through which speech and language arises. Vayu as primal sound is Pranava or OM, which is the sound of Shiva’s drum.

Vayu at rest serves to create the ground of space. Vayu in motion creates the movement of time, which is the vibration of cosmic sound. The movement of time is the movement of cosmic prana. This power of time or Kala is the main force of Vayu through which everything moves and changes. Time like Vayu is responsible for the birth, growth, decay and death of all creatures and for the beginning, middle and end of all processes.

Kala or time in turn is connected with karma or action, which is the effect of Vayu. Vayu carries and distributes all the karmas of living beings and the worlds or lokas in which they reside. Vayu holds the cosmic prana or life-force from which our individualized prana and our Vata, the biological air humor comes into manifestation. Vayu is the cosmic breath, which enters into the individual as the individual power of breath.

In yogic thought, Vata is also prana or the cosmic life energy that manifests from Akasha or cosmic space. Prana is Vayu as the guiding force of life and intelligence in the universe. All the deities of prana like Indra, Shiva and Kali relate to Vayu as well. Vayu holds the pranas of all living beings in its energy network that links them all together in the web of life. The soul is a portion of Vayu that has entered into the body with the help of fire or Agni.

We connect to Vayu and prana through the breathing process. Pranayama allows us to work with and develop our connection with the cosmic prana. The purpose of pranayama is not just to bring in more air or give us power over the breathing process but to link us up to the unlimited energy of the cosmic Vayu. This occurs when we unite the dualistic energies of prana and mind so that our awareness can enter into the unitary force of Vayu.

The great prana mantras of Hamsa and So’ham are the vibrations of prana, the nature sound of the breath that is the presence of Vayu resonating within us. Yet at a higher level prana mirrors Sat or pure existence at a deeper level. Hamsa and So’ham are the sounds of Aham or the Divine Self. When the prana enters into the Sushumna, the individual prana connects to the cosmic Vayu, which allows our awareness to ascend and expand into Brahman.

Receive Site Updates