Pushan ( , ) is a Hindu Vedic solar deity and one of the Adityas. He is the god of meeting. Pushan is responsible for marriages, journeys, roads, and the feeding of cattle. He was a psychopomp (soul guide), conducting souls to the other world. He protected travelers from bandits and wild beasts, and protected men from being exploited by other men. He was a supportive guide, a "good" god, leading his adherents towards rich pastures and wealth.
Etymology
Traditionally, the name of the deity is said to be derived from Sanskrit verb, pūṣyati, which means "to cause to thrive". Many modern scholars consider Pushan to be derived from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European god *Péh₂usōn, which would thereby make Pushan a cognate of the Greek god Pan. The connection between Pan and Pushan was first proposed by the German scholar Hermann Collitz in 1924.
Texts
Ten hymns in the Rigveda are dedicated to Pūṣan (including one jointly to Soma and Pūṣan and another to Indra and Pūṣan). His chariot is pulled by goats. Sometimes he is described as driving the Sun in its course across the sky. He seems to represent the sun as a guardian of flocks and herds. Pushan is also regarded as Kavi, who in turn became an epithet of a number of gods and further a title signifying "king".
He has braided hair and a beard, and carries a golden axe, an awl, and a goad. He eats gruel, and in the Shatapatha Brahmana is stated to be toothless. He is married to Sūryā, the daughter of the Sun, whom the gods bestowed on him. He is a knower of paths and a guardian of roads. In the Puranic versions, Virabhadra, created by Shiva from a lock of his matted hair, knocked out Pushan's teeth.
In the Mahabharata and Puranas, Pushan is described as one of the twelve Adityas (Aditi's sons). Aditi's other eleven sons as listed in the Mahabharata are Surya, Aryaman, Tvashta, Savitr, Bhaga, Dhata, Mitra, Varuna, Amsha, Indra and Vishnu (in the form of Vamanadeva).
See also
- Hindu deities
- Hindu mythology
- List of Hindu deities