Pushan
| Pushan | |
|---|---|
God of meetings, marriages, journeys, roads, cattle | |
| Devanagari | पूषन् |
| Affiliation | Deva, Adityas |
| Planet | Sun |
| Weapon | Golden axe, awl, goad |
| Mount | Chariot driven by goats |
| Parents | Aditi and Kashyapa |
| Consort | Sūryā |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Pan or Hermes |
| Roman equivalent | Faunus or Mercury |
| Part of a series on |
| Hindu scriptures and texts |
|---|
 |
| Related Hindu texts |
Pushan (
Etymology
Traditionally, the name of the deity is said to be derived from
Texts
Ten hymns in the Rigveda are dedicated to Pūṣan (including one jointly to Soma and Pūṣan and another to Indra and Pūṣan).[4] His chariot is pulled by goats.[5][6] Sometimes he is described as driving the Sun in its course across the sky. He seems to represent the sun as a guardian of flocks and herds. Pushan is also regarded as Kavi, who in turn became an epithet of a number of gods and further a title signifying "king".
He has braided hair and a beard, and carries a golden axe, an awl, and a goad.[7][8] He eats gruel, and in the Shatapatha Brahmana is stated to be toothless. He is married to Sūryā, the daughter of the Sun, whom the gods bestowed on him. He is a knower of paths and a guardian of roads.[5] In this role he protects people from various dangers on roads, such as wolves and ambushers. He is also associated with divine paths, and is familiar with the path between earth and heaven, which allows him lead souls to heaven.[8] He is invoked to guard cattle, horses, and sheep, and is asked to find those cattle that have been lost.[6][8]
According to a narrative found in the
In the Mahabharata and Puranas, Pushan is described as one of the twelve Adityas (
See also
Notes
- ^ Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1917). A Vedic Reader for Students. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press (Oxford). pp. 111–115. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-19-929668-2.
- ^ H. Collitz, "Wodan, Hermes und Pushan," Festskrift tillägnad Hugo Pipping pȧ hans sextioȧrsdag den 5 November 1924 1924, pp 574–587.
- ^ Rigveda I.42, I.138, II.40 (to Soma and Pūṣan), VI.53, VI.54, VI.55, VI.56, VI.57 (to Indra and Pūṣan), VI.58 and X.26. Links direct to the 1896 English translation by Ralph T. H. Griffith on sacred-texts.com, which also hosts a Sanskrit version of each hymn.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- ^ ISBN 0-14-044402-5.
- ISBN 978-0190633394.
- ^ a b c Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1897). Vedic Mythology. Oxford University Press. pp. 35–37.
- ISBN 978-0-7661-7589-1.
Pushan + Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and John Dowson.
- ^ Wilkins, W.J. (1900). Hindu Mythology, Vedic, and Puranic (2nd ed.). Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co. p. 270.
Hindu deities and texts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gods |  | |
| Goddesses | ||
| Other deities | ||
| Texts (list) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
