Ashṭa Vasus

Ashṭa Vasu

The Ashṭa Vasus, the eight Vasus, are a gaṇa (group) of devas. In the Vāmana Purāṇa they stand with the twelve Ādityas, the eleven Rudras, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the Maruts and the Aśvins in every great gathering of the devas. Elephants are their vāhanas. They rose to their feet when Vīrabhadra entered Daksha‘s yajña and fled at the coming of Bhagavān Śiva, and the path by which they fled became a river. They rode out with Devendra against the daitya Andhaka and against Bali‘s hosts, gave their tejas to form the fingers of Kātyāyanī Devī, brought the maiden Kuṭilā before Brahmā, walked behind Bhagavān Śiva at his wedding, and rejoiced at the fall of Mahisha. They serve Brahmā in his sabhā, and they dwell within Bhagavān Vishṇu himself: Prahlāda saw them inside the infant Vāmana in Aditi‘s womb, and in the cosmic form that covered the three worlds the eight Vasus are in his hands.

At Daksha’s yajña

When Vīrabhadra entered the yajñaśālā of Daksha, all the devas there stood up: the eight Vasus, the nine grahas, the twelve Ādityas headed by Indra, the eleven Rudras, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the siddhas, gandharvas and kiṃpurushas, the pannagas, the yakshas, the birds, the cakradharas and others.

Then Bhagavān Śiva, Kapardī, came to the yajña himself. The eight Vasus fled as soon as they saw Hara. The path by which they fled became the best of rivers, named Sīkā, and that river was called Sarasvatī.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 4–5

In the war against Andhaka

The daitya Andhaka, son of Hiraṇyāksha, gained varas from Mahādeva by his tapas, conquered the earth and came near the peak of Meru. Devendra mounted Airāvata and went out against him, and the dikpālas followed with their armies. The twelve Ādityas went in front, the Rudras behind, and in the middle the eight Vasus, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the Maruts, the Aśvins, the yakshas and the vidyādharas, each on his own vāhana. Pulastya Maharshi told Nārada Maharshi the vāhana of each: the Vasus ride on elephants, while the yakshas ride on men.

In the single combats, Hayamukha and other daitya heroes fought the mighty Sūrya, Agni, the Vasus and the lords of the serpents. In the end Andhaka struck with his arrows Candra, Sūrya and Vāyu, the Rudras, the Aśvins and the Vasus, the Sādhyas and the nāgas, and every one who stood with weapons in hand, and made them leave the field.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 9–10

The fingers of Kātyāyanī Devī

When the daitya Mahisha drove the devas from svarga, a great fire of tejas went forth from the devas and joined with the tejas of Kātyāyana Maharshi in his āśrama, and from it Kātyāyanī Devī came forth. Each part of her form came from the tejas of a deva, and her fingers came from the tejas of the Vasus.

After the Devī had slain Śumbha and Niśumbha, the devas with Indra at their head, with Sūrya, Yama, the Maruts, the Aśvins and the Vasus, came to Vindhyagiri, bowed with joined palms and praised Jagadambikā.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 19, 30

Kuṭilā brought before Brahmā

Menā Devī’s second daughter, Kuṭilā, white of complexion and wearing white garments, began tapas with her sisters when she was six years old. The Ādityas and the Vasus took the maiden, who shone like the rays of the moon, to devaloka, showed her to Brahmā and asked: “Prabhu Brahmā, tell us: can she bear a son able to slay Mahishāsura?” Brahmā answered that this young tapasvinī could not bear the vīrya of Bhagavān Śiva, and told them to let her go.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 25

At the wedding of Bhagavān Śiva

When Bhagavān Śiva went to his wedding with Devī Pārvatī, eleven crore Rudras, twelve crore Ādityas, eight crore Vasus, sixty-seven crore gaṇas and twenty-four paramarshis of unbroken brahmacarya walked behind him.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 27

At the rise of Skanda

When Skanda was consecrated as the leader of the deva armies, Bhagavān Vishṇu spoke a svastivācana (blessing) over him, and in it he called on the Viśvedevas, the Aśvins, the Rudras with the śūla in hand, the Sādhyas, the Maruts, the Agnis, the yakshas, the piśācas, the Vasus and the kinnaras always to help his rise. When Skanda had slain Mahisha, Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, the Maruts, the Aśvins, the Vasus and the other devas went back to svarga, shouting with joy.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 32

In the body of Bhagavān Śiva

In the war at Mandara, Bhagavān Śiva swallowed Śukrācārya. Pleased with Śukra’s stotra, Bhagavān Śiva granted his vara and bade him come out, and as Śukra made his way out of Śiva’s belly, he saw within it the bhuvanas from Pātāla upward, the oceans, all beings moving and unmoving, the Ādityas, the Rudras, the Vasus, the Viśvedevas, the yakshas, kinnaras, gandharvas and apsarās, the munis and the humans.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 43

Against the hosts of Bali

When Bali‘s dānavas came to fight, Devarāja Indra mounted the chariot brought by Mātali, and the devas set out on their own vāhanas: the Ādityas, the Vasus, the yakshas, the Rudras, the Sādhyas, the Viśvedevas, the Aśvins, the vidyādharas, rākshasas and pannagas, the rājarshis, the siddhas and the many bhūtagaṇas, on elephants, horses, chariots, vimānas and birds.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 47

In Bhagavān Vishṇu and in Brahmā’s sabhā

In the divine sabhā of Brahmā, to which Kaśyapa came with all his sons, the Vasus are among those who serve Brahmā, with the Maruts, Viśvakarmā, Sūrya and Candra, the days and nights, the fortnights, the months and the six seasons.

When Bhagavān Vishṇu entered the womb of Aditi as Vāmana, the daityas lost their tejas. Prahlāda sought Śrī Hari in dhyāna and saw the child Vāmana in Aditi’s womb, and within that small infant he saw the whole universe: the Vasus, the Rudras and the Aśvins, the Maruts, the Sādhyas, the Viśvedevas and the Ādityas first of all, then the gandharvas, uragas and rākshasas, Virocana and Bali, the elements, the earth, Brahmā, Bhava, the grahas and nakshatras, and Daksha and the prajāpatis.

Bhagavān Vāmana told Bharadvāja Maharshi that the moving and unmoving beings, Indra, Sūrya, Candra, Yama, the Vasus, Varuṇa, Agni, all the lokapālas, and everything from Brahmā down to a clump of grass, he had created to fill the earth, and that they arose from him. And when Bali poured the water of the gift of three steps, Vāmana took a form made of the whole world to cover the three worlds. In that form the Vasus are on his back, the Rudras in his shoulders, the ten directions in his arms, and the eight Vasus in his hands.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 62, 65; Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 3, 8

At the tīrthas of Kurukshetra

The tīrthas around the Sthāṇuvaṭa in Kurukshetra were served with śraddhā by the munis, the Sādhyas, the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Maruts, the Agnis and others. East of the Mahādeva where Bhagavān Vishṇu received the Sudarśana cakra stand the two liṅgas installed by Mitra and Varuṇa, which fulfil every desire; the munis, the Sādhyas, the Ādityas and the Vasus served them with śraddhā and bhakti and were freed of every pāpa.

On his tīrthayātrā, Prahlāda bathed in the Koṭitīrtha, worshipped Rudrakoṭeśvara and gave tarpaṇa (offerings of water) to the pitṛs, the Vasus and the devatās.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 57; Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 25

Sources

• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 4–5, 9–10, 19, 25, 27, 30, 32, 43, 47, 57, 62, 65; Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 3, 8, 25