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Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c35.s1: (i) Vasus

Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c35.s1

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(i) Vasus

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In the *Ṛigvēda*, the number of gods is said to be thirty-three which is composed of the eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Ādityas and the heaven and the earth. According to the *Rāmāyaṇa* all the thirty-three gods were the sons of Aditi, while according to the *Mahābhārata* they were the attendants upon the sun and were worshipping him.

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We learn from the *Śrī Bhāgavata* that in the sixth Manvantara, Daksha had by his wife Asikni sixty daughters. He married them to the Prajāpatis. Dharma obtained thus ten daughters of Daksha, of whom one, Vasu, begot the eight Vasus. Once upon a time, says the *Dēvībhāgavata* the Vasus with their respective wives went out enjoying pleasure and reached the *āśrama* (hermitage) of Vasisṭhtha. The wife of Dyau one of the Vasus seeing the celestial cow named Nandini in the abode of Vasisṭhtha, asked her husband about the nature of the cow and who her owner was. He informed her that it belonged to Vasisṭhtha and had the rare quality of giving milk

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which was able to make those that drank it live eternally young and of sound health. The wife of Dyau requested her husband to carry away the cow to their residence, for she wanted her human friend, the daughter of the king Uśinara, to drink the milk of Nandini and to live long in unfading youth and sound health. The Vasu robbed Vasisṭha of his cow and was conducting her to his home; the *rishi* perceiving through his mental eye the mischief perpetrated by the Vasu, cursed all the Vasus to become human beings. Thereupon the Vasus hurried to the *āśrama* of Vasisṭha to beg for his pardon and to request him to restore them once again to the state of gods. He promised that the other Vasus except Dyau would regain their celestial condition after the lapse of a year; Dyau alone should continue to be a human being for a long time. Disgusted with the human existence that was soon to come upon them and to divest themselves of it in an honourable way, they requested the river goddess Gaṅgā to be temporarily born on the earth as a woman, to become the wife of the king Śantanu and beget them as her children, whom, they requested, she should throw away into the river one after another as they were born. To this Gaṅgā agreed and the Vasus were born to her and being disposed of as requested by them, they then reached their former position in heaven.

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The names of the eight Vasus are given in a majority of the authorities as follows:—Dhara, Dhruva, Sōma, Āpa, Anala, Anila, Pratyusha and Prabhāsa. In one work the name of Savitṛi is substituted for Āpa in the above list. The general features of the images of the Vasus are that they should have each two arms, two eyes, and be of red colour; they should be clothed in yellow garments and be adorned with karaṇḍa-makuṭas. They should have side tusks, terrific look, sinuous brows and fine hair. As in the case of all other images these should also be adorned with all ornaments. They may either be seated or standing and should be carrying in their hands the khaḍga and the khēṭaka respectively. The Suprabhēdāgama, among the Śaivāgamas, and the Viśvakarma-śāstra agree in stating that the colour of the Vasus is golden yellow and the latter prescribes beautifully embroidered red garments for the images of their demi-gods. The Viśvakarma-śāstra gives detailed descriptions of each one of the Vasus. According to this authority the images of the Vasus ought to possess four arms. In the following table are given the various articles carried in their hands by the eight Vasus.

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| No. | Names of the Vasus. | Right hands. | Left hands. | REMARKS. |
| | | Front. | Back. | Front. | Back. | |
| 1 | Dhara | ... | Padma | ... | Akṣamālā | ... | Hala | ... | Śakti | Notice the fact that the back left hand has uniformly the śakti, which is made the inseparable of the Vasus, according to this authority. |
| 2 | Dhruva | ... | Kamalākṣamālā. | ... | Chakra | ... | Kamaṇḍalu. | ... | Śakti | ... |
| 3 | Sōma | ... | Padma | ... | ... | A rosary of pearls. | ... | ... | Śakti | ... |
| 4 | Āpa | ... | Hala | ... | Śakti (?) | ... | Aṅkuśa | ... | Śakti | ... |
| 5 | Anila | ... | Aṅkuśa | ... | Akṣamālā. | ... | Śakti | ... | Upavīta (?) | ... |
| 6 | Anala | ... | Akṣamālā. | ... | Sruva | ... | Kapāla | ... | Śakti | ... |
| 7 | Pratyuṣa | ... | Khaḍga | ... | Aṅkuśa | ... | Khēṭaka | ... | Śakti | ... |
| 8 | Prabhāsa | ... | Daṇḍa | ... | Kapāla | ... | Aṅkuśa | ... | Śakti | ... |

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