Skip to content
EntityQ1398044· pop 22· linked from 110 articles

Parjanya (, ) according to the Vedas is a deity of rain, thunder, lightning, and the one who fertilizes the earth. It is another epithet of Indra, the Vedic deity of the sky and heaven.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
thunder deity
Gender
male
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

7 sections
Contents
  • Description
  • Meanings
  • In hymns
  • Similar deities
  • Rig Veda hymns to Parjanya
  • Buddhism
  • References

Parjanya (, ) according to the Vedas is a deity of rain, thunder, lightning, and the one who fertilizes the earth. It is another epithet of Indra, the Vedic deity of the sky and heaven.

==Description== It is assumed Parjanya is the udder and lightning is the teats of the rain-cow, accordingly rain represents her milk. Also, he is sometimes considered as a rain-bull controlled by the superior Indra. The thunder is his roar. He is the father of arrow or reed which grows rapidly in rainy season. He is also considered as a protector of enlightenment seekers and an enemy of flesh-eating fire.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Parjanya” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.