India, Oct. 1 -- By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist

In Hindu thought, Vayu, Marut, Vata and Prana represent different ways in which breeze as well as breath were imagined.

Vayu is the oldest and most cosmic of the wind gods. In the Rig Veda, he is a swift-moving deity who rides across the skies, often in the company of Indra. He is associated with breath, speed and life-giving motion. Vayu is also linked to soma, the sacred drink, which he is said to taste first among the gods, suggesting his role as the first receiver of life-energy. In later mythology, Vayu becomes the divine father of Hanuman as well as Bhima. Here, wind becomes heroic vitality, the force that animates epic action.

Marut or the Maru...