Encyclopedia for Epics of Ancient India A - B - C - D - E - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - P - R - S - T - U - V - Y

Maruts

MARUTS. [Source: Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology] The storm gods, who hold a very prominent place in the Vedas, and are represented as friends and allies of Indra. Various origins are assigned to them. They are sons of Rudra, sons and brothers of Indra, sons of the ocean, sons of heaven, sons of earth. They are armed with lightnings and thunderbolts, and "ride on the whirlwind and direct the storm." The number of them is said in one place to be thrice sixty, and in another only twenty-seven.

In the Ramayana they are represented to have their origin in an unborn son of Diti, whom Indra dashed into forty-nine pieces with his thunderbolt, and in compassion converted into Maruts. This is also the story told in the Puranas, and they are said to have obtained their name from the words ma rodih, 'weep not,' which Indra addressed to them.

A scholiast on the Veda says, that after their birth from Diti, as above told, Siva and Parvati beheld them in great affliction, and the latter asked Siva to transform the lumps of flesh into boys; he accordingly made them boys of like form, like age, and similarly accoutred, and gave them to Parvati as her sons, whence they are called the sons of Rudra.

Other legends are, that Parvati, hearing the lamentations of Diti, entreated Siva to give forms to the shapeless births, telling them not to weep (ma rodih); and another, that he actually begot them in the form of a bull on Prithivi, the earth, as a cow.

All these legends have manifestly been invented to explain those passages of the Vedas which make the Maruts the sons of Rudra. The world of the Maruts, called Maruta, is the appointed heaven of Vaisyas.

2. The god of the wind, and regent of the north-west quarter.

Modern Languages MLLL-4993. Indian Epics. Laura Gibbs, Ph.D. The textual material made available at this website is licensed under a Creative Commons License. You must give the original author credit. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one. No claims are made regarding the status of images used at this website; if you own the copyright privileges to any of these images and believe your copyright privileges have been violated, please contact the webmaster. Page last updated: October 16, 2007 12:22 PM