While reading Sundarkand, my attention stopped for a while at the 25th couplet.

Tulsidas has written in Sundar Kand about the incident when Hanuman set Lanka on fire –

hari prerit tehi avsar chale marut unchas।

attahas kari garaj kapi badi lag akas।।

Meaning: When Hanuman set Lanka ablaze,
by the divine inspiration, 49 winds began to blow.
Hanuman roared with laughter and increased in size, soaring into the sky.

I wondered what these 49 Maruts meant. Even Tulsidas didn’t write about this. Then, after completing the Sundarkand, I took the time to research the 49 types of wind. Upon studying them, I felt immense pride in Sanatan Dharma.

I was pleasantly surprised by Tulsidas’s knowledge of air, which perhaps even modern meteorology is unaware of.

You will be surprised to know that…

The Vedas contain detailed descriptions of the seven branches of air.

Most people think that air is of one type, but its form keeps changing, like cold air, hot air and uniform air, but this is not so.

In fact, the air beneath water has a different name in the Vedas and Puranas, and the air in the sky has a different name. The air in space has a different name, and the air in the underworld has a different name. These different names mean that their properties and behavior are also different. Thus, the Vedas describe seven types of air.

There are seven types of air: 1. Pravah, 2. Aavah, 3. Udvah, 4. Sanvah, 5. Vivah, 6. Parivah, and 7. Paravah.

1. Pravah: The air that extends beyond the Earth to the clouds is called Pravah. This flow also has several types. This air is extremely powerful and carries the clouds here and there. This flowing air fills the clouds formed by sunlight and heat with sea water, causing these clouds to transform into dark clouds and cause heavy rainfall.

2. Avaha: Avaha is bound to the solar system. It is through it that the solar system rotates, being connected to the pole.

3. Udvaha: The third branch of the air is called Udvaha, which is located in the lunar world. It is through it that the lunar system rotates, being connected to the pole.

4. Samvaha: The fourth branch of the air is called Samvaha, which is located in the constellations. It is through it that the entire constellation rotates, being connected to the pole.

5. Vivaha: The fifth branch is called Vivaha and is located in the planetary system. It is through it that this planetary cycle remains connected to the pole and keeps rotating.

6. Parivaha: The sixth branch of Vayu is called Parivaha, which is located in the Saptarishi system. Through it, the Saptarishis travel in the sky, connected to the pole.

7. Paravaha: The seventh branch of Vayu is called Paravaha, which is bound to the pole. It is through it that the pole cycle and other spheres remain fixed in one place.

These seven Vayus have seven orders, each of which roams the following realms:

Brahmaloka, Indraloka, space, the east side of Earth, the west side of Earth, the north side of Earth, and the south side of Earth. Thus,
7 x 7 = 49. There are a total of 49 Maruts, who roam in the form of gods.