Pushan

Pushan is the Aditya of the month of Chaitra and, in the Vedas, the god of paths, herds and safe passage. He is the guardian of travellers and the finder of what is lost, and his chariot is unusual because it is drawn by goats rather than horses. His light is imagined as a soft glow along a road, the sort of gentle illumination that lets a traveller see the next few steps, which fits his role as a guide of souls between worlds.

A well known story tells that Pushan lost his teeth when Veerabhadra, Shiva's fierce form, broke up the sacrifice of Daksha, which is why he is pictured as toothless and as eating only soft food such as gruel. Even so, tradition keeps his honour as a guide, and the Isha Upanishad closes with a prayer addressed to Pushan to draw back his radiance so that the seer may behold the truth hidden behind the golden disc of the sun.

Because of this thread of journey and passage, Pushan is remembered at the start of a long trip and at moments of transition. Observances in his name around Chaitra Navratri involve reciting that Upanishad prayer and simple offerings of sesame and jaggery. As with all the Adityas, ancient lists vary, and in some texts his place is taken by another name, so the third position is not fixed across the literature. Surya Pahar in Assam is a site linked with his worship.