Vayu Purana

वायुपुराण

The Vayu Purana — one of the oldest Mahapuranas (~24,000 verses, 2 Khandas), narrated by Wind god Vayu at Naimisharanya. Presiding deity: Shiva as cosmic prana/vayu. Purva Khanda (cosmology): 'kālaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni...kālo hi duratikramaḥ' — time creates, destroys, is always awake, insurmountable; four-yuga model as adaptive ethics — each age requires different dharmic practice. Shiva-Vayu theology: 'vāyurātmā jagatastaṣṭhuṣaśca' — breath/wind is the atman of all that moves and stands; Shatarudriya — Tryambaka (third eye = wisdom-vision), Tripurāntaka (single arrow of pure awareness destroys three bodies = liberation), Kālāgni-Rudra (Shiva burns time itself = timeless awareness). Uttara Khanda: 'sāmāsika-dharma' — ahiṃsā, satya, asteya, śauca, indriya-nigraha for all four orders; 'gacchan tiṣṭhan svapan jāgran...yaḥ smaret paramaṃ brahma sa mukto' — continuous remembrance in all states is itself liberation (present tense). Core teaching: cosmic time as context for dharma; breath as most intimate divine encounter; smarana as portable all-state liberation practice.