| Rudra | |
|---|---|
 Rudra, from an 18th-centuryAssamese manuscript Ananda Patani. | |
| Affiliation | Shiva,Vayu,Deva |
| Mantra | Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya |
| Weapons | Bow and Arrow,Trishula |
| Texts | Shri Rudram,Rig Veda |
Rudra (/ɾud̪ɾə/;Sanskrit:रुद्र) is aRigvedic deity associated withShiva, thewind orstorms,[1]Vayu,[2][3] medicine, andthe hunt.[4] One translation of the name is 'the roarer'.[5][6][7] In theRigveda, Rudra is praised as the "mightiest of the mighty".[8] Rudra means "who eradicates problems from their roots"[citation needed]. Depending upon the period, the name Rudra can be interpreted as 'the most severe roarer/howler' or 'the most frightening one'. This name appears in theShiva Sahasranama, and R. K. Sharma notes that it is often used as a name ofShiva in later languages. The "Shri Rudram" hymn from theYajurveda is dedicated to Rudra and is important in theShaivite sect.[9][10] In the Prathama Anuvaka of Namakam (Taittiriya Samhita 4.5), Rudra is revered asSadasiva (meaning 'mighty Shiva') andMahadeva. Sadashiva is theSupreme Being,Paramashiva, in theSiddhanta sect of Shaivism.
Theetymology of thetheonymRudra is uncertain.[11] It is usually derived from theProto-Indo-European (PIE) rootrud- (related to Englishrude), which means 'to cry, howl'.[11][12] The name Rudra may thus be translated as 'the roarer'.[5] An alternative etymology interpretsRudra as the 'red one', the 'brilliant one', possibly derived from a lost rootrud-, 'red'[7] or 'ruddy', or alternatively, according to Grassman, 'shining'.[11]
Stella Kramrisch notes a different etymology connected with the adjectival formraudra, which means 'wild', i.e., ofrude (untamed) nature, and translates the nameRudra as 'the wild one' or 'the fierce god'.[13] R. K. Śarmā follows this alternative etymology and translates the name as 'the terrible' in his glossary for theShiva Sahasranama.[14]Mallory andAdams also mention acomparison with theOld Russian deity Rŭglŭ to reconstruct aProto-Indo-European wild-god named*Rudlos, though they remind that the issue of the etymology remains problematic: from PIE*reud- ('rend, tear apart'; cf.Latinrullus, 'rustic'), or*reu- ('howl').[15]
The commentatorSāyaṇa suggests six possible derivations forrudra.[16] However, another reference states that Sayana suggested ten derivations.[17] The adjectiveśiva (shiva) in the sense of 'propitious' or 'kind' is first applied to the Rudra inRV 10.92.9.[18]
Rudra is called 'the archer' (Sanskrit:Śarva)[19] and the arrow is an essential attribute of Rudra.[20] This name appears in theShiva Sahasranama, and R. K. Śarmā notes that it is used as a name ofShiva often in later languages.[21] The word is derived from the Sanskrit rootśarv- which means 'to injure' or 'to kill',[19] and Śarmā uses that general sense in his interpretive translation of the nameŚarva as 'One who can kill the forces of darkness'.[21] The namesDhanvin ('bowman')[22] andBāṇahasta ('archer',literally 'Armed with a hand-full of arrows')[22][23] also refer to archery.
In other contexts the wordrudra can simply mean 'the number eleven'.[24] The wordrudraksha (Sanskrit:rudrākṣa =rudra andakṣa 'eye' or tear), or 'eye or tears of Rudra', is used as a name for both the berry of therudraksha tree and a name for a string of the prayer beads made from those seeds.[24]
Rudra is one of the names ofVishnu inVishnu Sahasranama.[25]Adi Shankara in his commentary toVishnu Sahasranama defined the name Rudra as 'One who makes all beings cry at the time of cosmic dissolution'.[26] Author D. A. Desai in his glossary for theVishnu Sahasranama says Vishnu in the form of Rudra is the one who does the total destruction at the time of great dissolution.[27] This is only the context known where Vishnu is revered as Rudra.
The earliest known mentions of the Vedic deity Rudra, occur in theRigveda, where three entire hymns are devoted to him (RV 1.114, 2.33, and 7.46). Two further hymns are devoted to Rudra jointly with Soma (RV 1.43 and 6.74).[28][29] There are about seventy-five references to Rudra in the Rigveda overall.[30]
In theRigveda (RV) are verses which speak about the form of Rudra. Some of them are:
| Sanskrit | Transliteration | Translation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे | tryambakaṃ yajāmahe | We worship thethree-eyed one | RV 7.59.12 |
| कपर्दिने | kapardine | Who hasmatted hair | RV 1.114.1 |
| हिरण्यम् इव रोचते | hiraṇyam iva rocate | Whoshines like gold | RV 1.43.5 |
| शुक्र इव सूर्यो | śukra iva sūryo | Whoshines like [the] Sun | RV 1.43.5 |
| स्थीरेभिरंगै | sthīrebhiraṃgai | Who is withfirm limbs | RV 2.33.9 |
| पुरुरुप | pururupa | Who hasmultiforms | RV 2.33.9 |
| यजतं विश्वरुपम् | yajataṃ viśvarupam | Who is of the form of the universe | RV 2.33.10 |
| येभिः शिवः | yebhiḥ śivaḥ | Who is auspicious | RV 10.92.9 |
In the Rigveda, Rudra's role as a frightening god is apparent in references to him asghora ('extremely terrifying'), or simply asasau devam ('that god').[31] He is 'fierce like a terrific wild beast' (RV 2.33.11).[32] Chakravarti sums up the perception of Rudra by saying: 'Rudra is thus regarded with a kind of cringing fear, as a deity whose wrath is to be deprecated and whose favor curried'.[33]
RV 1.114 is an appeal to Rudra for mercy, where he is referred to as 'mighty Rudra, the god with braided hair'.[34]
InRV 7.46, Rudra is described as armed with a bow and fast-flying arrows, although many other weapons are known to exist. As quoted by R. G. Bhandarkar, the hymn declare that Rudra discharges 'brilliant shafts which run about the heaven and the earth' (RV 7.46.3), which may be a reference to lightning.[35]
Rudra was believed to cure diseases, and when people recovered from them or were free of them, that too was attributed to the agency of Rudra.[35] He is asked not to afflict children with disease (RV 7.46.2) and to keep villages free of illness (RV 1.114.1). He is said to have healing remedies (RV 1.43.4), as the best physician of physicians (RV 2.33.4), and as possessed of a thousand medicines (RV 7.46.3). So he is described with an alternative name,Vaidyanatha (Lord of Remedies).
A verse from the Rig Veda (RV 2.33.9) calls Rudra 'The Lord or Sovereign of the Universe' (īśānādasya bhuvanasya):
sthirebhiraṅghaiḥ pururūpa ughro babhruḥ śukrebhiḥ pipiśehiraṇyaiḥ
īśānādasya bhuvanasya bhūrerna vā u yoṣad rudrādasuryam (RV 2.33.9)
With firm limbs, multiform, the strong, the tawny adorns himself with bright gold decorations:
The strength of Godhead never departs from Rudra, him who is Sovereign of this world, the mighty.[36]
A verse of Śrī Rudram (= Yajurveda 16.18) speaks of Rudra as Lord of the Universe:
जगताम् पतये नमः ।
jagatam pataye namaḥ ।
Homage to the Lord of the Universe.
Another verse (Yajurveda 16.46) locates Rudra in the heart of the gods, showing that he is the inner Self of all, even the gods:[37]
देवानां हृदयभ्यो नमो ।
devānāṃ hṛdayabhyo namo
Salutations to him who is in heart of the gods.
In a verse popularly known as theMahamrityunjaya Mantra, both Rig Veda (7.59.12) and Yajur Veda (3.60) recommend worshipping Rudra to attain moksha (liberation):
त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगंधिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् उर्वारूकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मा अमृतात।
tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugaṃdhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam
urvārūkamiva bandhanān mṛtyormukṣīya mā amṛtātaWe worship Tryambaka, sweet augmenter of prosperity. As from its stem a cucumber, may I be freed from the bonds of death, not reft of immortality.
In the Taittiriya Aranyaka ofYajur Veda (10.24.1),[38] Rudra is identified as the universal existent ('all this') and thus as thePurusha (Supreme Person or inner Self) of the Vedas:
sarvo vai rudrastasmai rudrāya namo astu
puruṣo vai rudraḥ sanmaho namo namaḥ
viśvaṃ bhūtaṃ bhuvanaṃ citraṃ bahudhā jātaṃ jāyamānaṃ ca yat
sarvo hyeṣa rudrastasmai rudrāya namo astu ॥ 1॥All this verily is Rudra. To Rudra who is such we offer our salutation. We salute again and again that Being, Rudra, who alone is the Purusha and the Soul of creatures. The material universe, the created beings, and whatever there is manifoldly and profusely created, in the past and in the present, in the form of the world—all that is indeed this Rudra. Salutations be to Rudra who is such.
The Taittiriya Aranyaka ofYajur Veda 1.10.1[38] identifies Rudra andBrihaspati as Sons and companions of Bhumi (Earth) and Heaven:[39]
| Sanskrit Romanized (IAST) | Roman (Harvard-Kyoto) translation | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| sahasravṛdiyaṃ bhūmiḥ | yam bhUmi: sahasravrt | This world is desired as a place of abode by thousands of Jeevaraasis |
| paraṃ vyŏmaḥ sahasravṛt | param vyOma: sahasravrt | The upper world is similarly desired by the thousands of Devas. |
| aśvinā bhujyū nāsatyā | bhujyU na asatyA viSvasya jagata: patI aSvinA | The earth and the heaven (Svarga lOkam) are like the twin gods, Asvini Devas, who banish diseases and bless us with bhOgams; Asvini Devas are the protectors of the universe and their sankalpam (volition) never fails. |
| viśvasya jagataspatī | ||
| jāyā bhūmiḥ patirvyoma | bhUmi: jAyA vyOma pati: taa mithunam aturyathu: | BhU lOkam is the wife and the Heaven is the husband; they are united like a couple. |
| mithunantā aturyathuḥ | ||
| putro bṛhaspatī rudraḥ | putra: brhaspatI rudra: | We have to consider Brhaspati and Rudran (aging here) as their sons |
| saramā iti strīpumam | saramA iti | The raised platform for the Yaagam, Yaaga meDai (Yajn~a Vedi) should be considered as a lady. |
| iti strI pumam | Thus we are instructed about the male-female aspects of the Earth and the Heaven. | |
| [Now comes the prayer to the abhimAna devatais for BhUmi and the upper world.] | ||
| śukraṃ vāmanyadyajataṃ vāmanyat | vAm anyat Sukram vAm anyat yajatam | Among your forms, one is the day with white hue, the other is the night with dark hue. |
| viṣurūpe ahanī dyauriva sthaḥ | vishurUpe ahanI dyau iva stha: | Both of You stay steady as the Sooryan in the sky with equal, unique and alternating forms. |
Rudra is used both as a name of Shiva and collectively ('theRudras') as the name for theMaruts.[40] Maruts are 'storm gods' associated with the atmosphere.[41] They are a group of gods whose number varies from two to sixty, sometimes also rendered as eleven, thirty-three[42] or a hundred and eighty in number (i. e., three times sixty. See RV 8.96.8.).
The Rudras are sometimes referred to as 'the sons of Rudra'[43] while Rudra is referred to as 'Father of the Maruts' (RV 2.33.1).[44]
Rudra is mentioned along with a litany of other deities inRV 7.40.5. Here is the reference to Rudra, whose name appears as one of many gods who are called upon:
ThisVaruṇa, the leader of the rite, and the royalMitra andAryaman, uphold my acts, and the divine unopposedAditi, earnestly invoked: may they convey us safe beyond evil. I propitiate with oblations the ramifications (vayāḥ) of that divine attainableViṣṇu, the showerer of benefits.Rudra, bestow upon us the magnificence of his nature. TheAśvins have come down to our dwelling abounding with (sacrificial) food.[45]
One scholiast's[clarification needed] interpretation of the Sanskrit wordvayāḥ, meaning 'ramifications' or 'branches', is that all other deities are, as it were, branches ofVishnu,[46] but, Ralph T. H. Griffith cites Ludwig as saying, 'This [...] gives no satisfactory interpretation' and cites other views which suggest that the text is corrupt at that point.[47]
In the various recensions of theYajurveda is included a litany of stanzas praising Rudra:Maitrāyaṇī-Saṃhitā 2.9.2,Kāṭhaka-Saṃhitā 17.11,Taittirīya-Saṃhitā 4.5.1 andVājasaneyi-Saṃhitā 16.1–14. This litany is subsequently referred to variously as theŚatarudriyam and theNamakam (because many of the verses commence with the wordnamaḥ, meaning 'homage'), or simply theRudram. This litany was recited during theAgnicayana ritual ('the piling of Agni'), and it later became a standard element in Rudra liturgy.
A selection of similar stanzas is included in thePaippalāda-Saṃhitā of theAtharvaveda (PS 14.3–4). This selection, with further PS additions at the end, circulated more widely as theNīlarudra (orNīlarudra Upaniṣad).[9][48] Lubin suggests that in theNīlarudra, lightning is envisioned both as Rudra's arrows and as the deity himself:
1. I saw you descending from the sky, down to earth; I saw Rudra shooting [his arrows], blue-necked, crested.
2. From the sky the mighty one has descended; he has taken his stand upon the earth. O people, look at him: the blue-necked, the red one. ...
10.They have seen you descending, blue-necked, red: both the herdsmen have seen you, and the women fetching water [have seen] you, and all beings [have seen] you: Homage to you who are seen! ..."[48]
The Hindu godShiva shares several features with Rudra. ThetheonymŚiva ('kind') originated as a euphemistic epithet for Rudra, who is similarly invoked as Aghora ('not frightful') and Abhayaṅkara ('providing safety').[6] AlthoughRudra remains the primary designation of the god, e.g., in the Pāśupata ascetic tradition, lay devotees preferred to address him asŚiva,Maheśvara ('Great Lord'), orMahādeva ('Great God'), as in theŚivadharma literature, theSanskrit epics, and thePurāṇas. Those epithets come to be the primary names of the deity.
The president of theRamakrishna Mission, atChennai, in commentating on the foreword to Swami Amritananda's translation ofSri Rudram and Purushasuktam, states, 'Rudra to whom these prayers are addressed is not a sectarian deity, but theSupreme Being who is omnipresent and manifests Himself in myriad forms for the sake of the diverse spiritual aspirants'.Shri Rudram occurs in the fourth Kanda of the Taittiriya Samhita in the Yajurveda.It is a preeminent Vedic hymn toShiva as the God of dissolution and it is chanted daily in Shiva temples throughout India.[49]
The prayer depicts the diverse aspects of the Almighty. The Shri Rudram hymn is unique in that it shows the presence of divinity throughout the entire universe. We cannot confine the qualities of the divine to those that are favourable to us. The Lord is both garden and graveyard, the slayer and the most benevolent one. The Almighty is impartial and ubiquitous.[50]
In the hymn, Rudra is described as the most dreaded terroriser (frightening). Shri Rudram describes Rudra the Vedic deity as the personification of 'terror'. The name Rudra comes fromru, meaning 'Roar or howl' (the wordsdreaded orfearsome could only be used as adjectives to Rudra and not as Rudra because Rudra is the personification of terror) anddra, which is a superlative meaning 'the most'. So Rudra, depending on the poetic situation, can mean 'the most severe roarer/howler' or a hurricane or tempest or 'the most frightening one'.[51][52]
Shiva as known today shares many features with Rudra,[53] and Shiva and Rudra are viewed as the same personality inHindu scriptures. The two names are used synonymously. Rudra, the god of the roaring storm, is usually portrayed in accordance with the element he represents as a fierce, destructive deity.[31]
The oldest surviving text of Hinduism is theRig Veda, which is dated to between 1700 and 1100 BC based onlinguistic andphilological evidence.[54] A god named Rudra is mentioned in the Rig Veda. The name Rudra is still used as a name for Shiva. In RV 2.33, he is described as the 'Father of theRudras', a group of storm gods.[55]
Hymn 10.92 of the Rigveda states that the deity Rudra has two natures, one wild and cruel (rudra), and another that is kind and tranquil (shiva).[56] The Vedic texts mention a horse as the vehicle (vahana) of Rudra, the "Hero on horseback" that "should be indulgent" to the singer (RV. 2.33.1). Whereas post-Vedic texts such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas mentionNandi the bull and thezebu as the vehicles of Rudra and of Shiva, thereby unmistakably linking them as the same.[57]
InTibetan Buddhism, according to thePadma Thang Yig, Rudra are devas (beings who live in heaven) atMaheśvara heaven. Or formerly a human monk of noble origin named Koukuntri and then Tharpa Nakpo, who misunderstands dharma and engages in a life of vice and is condemned toNaraka. After 20.000 impure lives, he is eventually reborn as a demon inSri Lanka by a prostitute who sleeps with three kinds of supernatural creatures, giving him three heads. His birth brings about plague and famine, so he is banished to a charnel ground, but he survives by devouring his mother's corpse and returns in order to conquer the world. Becoming the lover of therakshasa queen Krodhishvari, he battles the gods, who are terrified of his extraordinary power and call the Buddhas and boddhisattvas for help.
The BuddhaVajrasattva, who in a previous life was Tharpa Nakpo's master Thupka Zhonu, receives the mission to destroy Rudra, for which he is accompanied byVajrapani, himself a reborn Pramadeva or Denphak, Nakpo's servant and fellow disciple. They both assume thewrathful formsHayagriva andVajravarahi, who challenge Rudra with nine dances and battle him. Hayagriva turns diminutive and enters Rudra's anus, after which he becomes gigantic and destroys his body from inside out, submitting the demon and converting him to true dharma.[58][59]
In another version, Hayagriva impersonates Rudra and impregnates Krodishvari. As a result, he is reborn as the resultant child,Vajrarakshasa. He takes over Rudra's realm and defeats him by plunging a three-pointedkhaṭvāṅga into his chest. He then devours Rudra, purifies him in his stomach and excretes him as a protector of dharma, who hands over his army of demons to Vajrarakshasha as attendants.[60][61] Other versions replace Hayagriva withUcchusma, an emanation that Vajrapani draws from his own anus.[62]
The 10th Sikh Guru,Guru Gobind Singh, describes theincarnation of Rudra in a composition titled 'Rudra Avtar' in his book theDasam Granth.[citation needed]
The third meaning of Rudra is Vayu or air that causes pain to the wicked on the account of their evil actions...... Vayu or air is called Rudra as it makes a person weep causing pain as a result of bad deeds .
One who does this total destruction ( Pratardanah ) is the Lord in the form of Rudra at the time of great dissolution (Pralaya).
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