Maruts: The Storm Devas
Marut, simply known as Maruts, Sanskrit: मरुत्, Telugu: మరుత్తులు, Hindi: मरुत.
The Maruts are the forty-nine storm devas. They are the best-known gaṇa (group) of devas who belong to the sky and the air. The Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa (Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 5) tells how they were born from the womb of Diti. Indra cut the unborn child in her womb, who was meant to destroy him, into forty-nine pieces.
The Purāṇa arranges the Maruts into seven gaṇas of seven each. Each gaṇa matches one of the seven vāta-skandhas (great streams of wind in the universe). Their name is traditionally explained by Indra’s kind words to the weeping pieces of the unborn child: “mā ruda”, meaning “do not weep”.
Origin
The Maruts were born from the child Diti had conceived for one purpose: to destroy Indra. After the death of her son Hiraṇyakaśipu, Diti performed intense tapas (spiritual discipline) and turned to her husband, the ṛshi Kaśyapa. She vowed to conceive a son who would take revenge for the asuras (beings opposed to the devas) by destroying Indra.
Indra learned of this vow through his divine knowledge. He came to Diti as a devoted servant and waited patiently for a moment when she would slip in her vows. One day Diti fell asleep in a state of impurity, with her feet unwashed, which broke the rules of her tapas. Indra then entered her womb and cut the growing child into forty-nine pieces with his vajra (thunderbolt).
The pieces began to weep. Indra was suddenly moved by compassion and said to each of them: “Mā ruda”, “do not weep”. From these kind words the beings came to be known as the Maruts.
The Seven Vāta-Skandhas and the Seven Gaṇas
The Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa arranges the forty-nine Maruts into seven gaṇas of seven each. Each gaṇa is linked with one of the seven vāta-skandhas, the seven great streams of wind that fill the universe:
- Āvaha: the wind that carries offerings; linked with the first gaṇa of Maruts
- Pravaha: the flowing wind that keeps the celestial bodies moving; the second gaṇa
- Udvaha: the rising wind; the third gaṇa
- Saṃvaha: the wind that carries clouds and spreads the rain; the fourth gaṇa
- Vivaha: the scattering wind; the fifth gaṇa
- Anuvaha: the trailing or following wind; the sixth gaṇa
- Parivaha: the wind that circles all around; the seventh gaṇa
Together these seven streams make up the whole of vāyu (wind) in the universe. Vāyu keeps life going, holds the celestial bodies in their paths, brings the rain, and carries the prāṇa (life-breath) of every being. Each gaṇa of Maruts takes part in this work through its own wind.
Their Role in the Universe
The Maruts were born from what was meant to be the means of Indra’s destruction. Instead they became his most devoted companions and allies. They go with Indra in all the great events of the universe: battles against the asuras, gatherings in svarga, and the great festivals of the devas.
In the Vedic tradition they are among the devas of the sky called upon most often. Their power is the power of wind and storm, and together they stand for the full moving energy of the atmosphere.
What the Story Teaches
The story of the Maruts’ birth carries a teaching found often in the Purāṇas: something meant for destruction can, through divine grace, come to serve the very opposite purpose. Diti’s fierce grief and power as a mother went into the unborn child and made beings of great strength. But that strength was not turned against Indra. In the moment Indra said “mā ruda” with compassion, they became his devoted companions. The Maruts show how anger and grief can be changed into divine service.
Sources
- Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 5