Deities & devotionVedic deity of wind and prana
Vayu
The wind, and the breath of life.
Try it at home
Sit for a minute and follow your breath, then chant Om Vayave Namah once.
Optional, as always. Adapt it to your family, region and health.
The wisdom
Vayu is the god of wind and air, and also of prana, the breath that keeps every living thing alive. He is the father of Hanuman and of Bhima in the Mahabharata.
Linking the wind outside with the breath inside makes every breath a small reminder of what sustains us.
What the evidence says
Evidence: TraditionalThe value rests on lived tradition and reasoning, not on tests.Research doesn't test devotion to a deity. The Vedic hymns are studied as literature and history; their spiritual meaning is a matter of faith.
How we rate evidenceSignificance
What it means to the people who keep it. Faith-based meaning is described as belief, not as proven fact.
The Upanishads describe prana as the chief of the senses, the one without which the body cannot live.