Vahanas of Hindu Gods

       Vahanas - The Divine Animal Mounts of Hindu Gods

                  Hindu deities have particular vehicles or 'vahana' on which they travel. These vehicle, which are either animals or birds, represent the various forces that he or she rides. These deities are seldom depicted without their corresponding creatures.

Below is a list of Hindu gods and goddesses who are inseparably linked with their respective 'vahanas':

 Lord Brahma :    Hamsa, the swan. 

        

  Hamsa  able to separate milk and water, symbolizes intelligence and discrimination.

Lord Vishnu :  Garuda, lord of birds. 

      

                Garuda is a remover of obstacles and  a fanatic enemy of serpents. 


Lord Shiva : Nandi, the bull.

        
                  Long ago, Nandi was an independent deity, the 'Lord of Joy,' but gradually his divine

Indra :  Airavat, lord of elephants.

  

the elephant has beenrepresented as raining clouds, fertility of crops, the conception of womanhood.

    

Lord Ganesh : Musaka, the mouse 

        a mouse represents the timidity and nervousness that overwhelm us at the onset of any new venture - feelings that can be overcome by the blessings of Ganesha.

Saraswati :  peacock,swan.

       Saraswati, consort of Lord Brahma, is usually associated with the god's vahana. She is also often accompanied by a peacock.

 Lakshmi :    owl.

         The owl represents spiritual wisdom, the blindness associated with seeking worldly rather than spiritual wealth. The owl is also a good avian match for Garuda, since Lakshmi is Vishnu's consort.

Parvati :  lion.

          Parvati is the consort of Lord Shiva, who rides a bull. It is highly interesting that Parvati rides a lion, almost the only animal that can hunt a bull.

Durga :     Tiger.

       It is the fearlessness of the tiger that qualifies it to be the vahana of Durga, the goddess who exists to destroy evil.

Yamuna :   Tortoise 

                                                                      
                                                            Sanctity and purity

 Varuna : crocodile(makaram)
                                                     

      The Sanskrit word for the vahana of Varuna is makara, which is usually translated as crocodile, but is sometimes associated with other aquatic or semi-aquatic animals, such as sharks or hippopotami. In iconic representation, however, the animal is roughly like the goat-fish capricorn, so may more properly be described as a 'sea monster.'

Agni :       The ram
                                                                      
                                                                   
The mere fact that he is a fire god does not entail that he must ride a fire creature.

Vayu :   A thousands horses,antelope
                                                       

                                        Presumably because the antelope can run like the wind.

Lord Yama:     The Water Buffalo
                                                      

                 The water buffalo signifies strength and commitment to the purpose of upholding justice and dharma or righteousness. .

Aditya :        seven horses

           The number seven has great significance in Indian philosophy. There are seven colors in the rainbow, seven seas, seven notes in music, seven chakras (spiritual centers in the subtle body or sukshma sharira) and seven rishis (sapta rishi). 
         The Sun God's seven horses represent the seven sins and his control over the same indicates the Devata's perfect control over the same. It also represents the way we need to control our base emotions so as to climb further and higher in the spiritual realm of our own lives.

Shani :  The Crow
                                     
                  the greatest truoblemaker as well as the greatest wellwisher.