You must have seen that in Hinduism all the gods sit on their respective vehicles. Have you ever thought what is it trying to teach us? What do these animals symbolize? Knowingly or unknowingly, what is it trying to explain to us?

First of all, if we talk about the Shiva family, here there is a snake around the neck of Lord Shiva. And he is riding on a bull. Ganesh ji is riding on a mouse. Kartikeya ji is riding on a peacock. Mother Durga is riding on a lion. Have you ever thought that these four animals are food for each other? Rat is the food of snake, snake is the food of peacock. And both the peacock and the bull are riding on the lion. The presence of these four enemies together in the Shiva family tells us that if the enemies unite, they can end the enmity. If they do not have both hunger and greed, they will never do evil to each other. Because animals do not have the intelligence like humans that if they cook food today, they will store it and eat it for the whole week. Or will you keep it safely for your children. They eat the moment they feel hungry. These animals teach us to live in the present. Stop worrying about tomorrow. These animals do not worry about whether they will get food tomorrow or not.

Shiva is an innocent god who walks straight but sometimes gets very angry, so his vehicle is Nandi i.e. bull. It is a symbol of power, faith and trust. Apart from this, the character of Lord Shiva has been said to be beyond illusion and materialistic desires. The bull i.e. Nandi embodies these characteristics perfectly and hence is the vehicle of Shiva. The bull which is the vehicle of Shiva is the symbol of patience. Vine is considered best in hard work. Our ancestors plowed their fields with the help of vine. That’s why when a man works hard, it is said that he is like a bull in a crusher. Now let’s talk about the snake around Shiva’s neck, it is so flexible that it can be bent as you want. Shiva taking a snake around his neck tells us that we should adjust ourselves according to the situation. We need to keep our thoughts as flexible as this. Like when there was a lot of happiness, then they became mad in happiness and when there was sorrow in life, they kept holding on to it.

Mouse is the vehicle of Ganesha. The word ‘Mooshak’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Mush’ which means to rob or steal. Symbolically, the human mind is like a thief, i.e. a rat. It is surrounded by selfishness. Lord Ganesha sitting on a rat is an indication that he has conquered selfishness and has awakened within himself the feeling of public welfare. The one who is very proud. And Ganesha is the god of wisdom. He made the rat a vehicle so that humans can break their pride with their intelligence. You must have noticed that when rats bite into something, that thing is no longer worth anything. Ganesha also teaches us to cut off our ego like a rat.

Now let’s talk about Kartikeya. Peacock is the vehicle of Kartikeya. According to a story, he got this vehicle as a gift from Lord Vishnu. Seeing Kartikeya’s spiritual abilities, Lord Vishnu had given him this vehicle, which symbolically meant that Kartikeya had tamed the peacock in the form of his fickle mind. The peacock which is very proud of its beauty. Whenever a peacock sees its own image in the mirror, it hurts itself by pecking at it. In this way, Karthik explains to us that we should not be too proud of our beauty.

Now comes the matter of Durga’s vehicle, the lion. Durga is a symbol of brightness, power and strength, so she has a lion with her. Lion is a symbol of aggression and bravery. These three characteristics are also seen in the behavior of Mother Durga. It is also interesting that the roar of the lion is considered to be the sound of Maa Durga, in front of which all other sounds of the world seem weak. Maa Durga teaches us not to tolerate atrocities. Lion is the most powerful animal. And he is also the king of the jungle. The lion is not concerned with anything other than its prey. We learn from the lion that we should mind our own business. Maintain your status. Only then will you be called a king.

Now comes the turn of Goddess Lakshmi’s vehicle. Owl, the vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi, is considered to be the strangest choice. It is said that owls cannot see well, but this happens only during the day. Owls are symbols of auspicious times and wealth. The owl, the vehicle of Lakshmi, is the most intelligent bird. One who stays awake all night doing his work, and is unable to look at the useless things of the world throughout the day. Lakshmi gives us this message that when you do not see day or night in hard work, then the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi always remain with you.

Talking about Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning, her vehicle is a swan. The swan is considered a symbol of purity and curiosity and is the best vehicle for Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. Mother Saraswati sitting on the swan shows that curiosity can be quenched only through knowledge and purity can be maintained. The swan has such a strong sense of right and wrong that if it puts its mouth in milk, So he only drinks milk and leaves water. That’s why Mother Saraswati says, always pay attention to work in life. Leave useless things. Adopt good things and leave bad things. Make your intelligence like a swan which no one can deceive.

The vehicle of Lord Kuber is a tortoise. The tortoise is a very stable loose creature. From the vehicle of Kuber, we get education that always maintain stability in our life. Just as a tortoise gathers all its limbs when a calamity comes, similarly it is necessary for a human being to maintain stability in a calamity.

Garuda(eagle) is a symbol of divine powers and authority. It is said in Bhagavad Gita that Lord Vishnu encompasses the entire world. This large golden colored bird also indicates this. This is the perfect symbol for the divinity and authority of Lord Vishnu. Who has very sharp eyesight. Vishnu’s vehicle gives us the message that we should always keep our eyes sharp. Sharp means being aware of what is happening around you.

Indra’s vehicle is the elephant Airavata. Airavata is a symbol of prosperity and splendor. Airavata means elephant of clouds. It is a white elephant. Airavata was obtained from the churning of the ocean. It was a white elephant. Indra is the god of rain.