Shvan

Statue of Bhairava depicting his vahana, Shvan (dog)

Shvan, a Sanskrit word meaning a dog, finds repeated references in Vedic and later Hindu mythologies, and such references include the following:

• The bitch of Indra, a Vedic god, is named Sarama, and it is mentioned in the Rig Veda. Its offspring became the watch dog of Yama.

• Yudhishthira, one of the Pandavas, insisted that he be allowed to enter Svarga (the Heaven) with his Shvan. When both of them entered the heaven, the dog transformed itself into Yama.

• Deities like Rudra, Nirriti and Virabhadra are associated with dogs, and an epithet describing Rudra describes him as Shvapati, meaning "master of the dog".

• Shiva, in his aspect as Bhairava, had a dog as a vahana (vehicle) (mentioned in the Mahabharata).

• Khandoba, a deity, is associated with a dog on which he rides.

• Dattatreya is associated with four dogs, considered to symbolize the four Vedas.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dogs in Hinduism.

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola

v t e Hindu deities and texts Gods Trimurti Brahma Vishnu Shiva Ganesha Rama Krishna Murugan Hanuman Indra Surya more Goddesses Tridevi Saraswati Lakshmi Parvati Adi Parashakti Sati Durga Shakti Kali Sita Radha Mahavidya Navadurga Matrikas more Texts Vedas Rig Sama Yajur Atharva Upanishads Puranas Ramayana Mahabharata Bhagavad Gita more Hinduism Hindu mythology