Rudra

Rudra (Sanskrit: रुद्रः) ("Howler") is a capricious Rigvedic deity who holds jurisdiction over varied aspects of reality, including wild animals, the storm, the hunt, disease, death, and the medicine. Alternatively, Rudra means "One who gives speech." Rudra also means "one who drives away sorrows." Rudra is frequently depicted in the Vedas as a terrifying entity, representing the numinous aspect of God with fear-inspiring abilities such as that which causes disease. In contrast, Rudra also possesses milder characteristics such as the ability to heal. This simultaneous ability to cause and cure disease illustrates Rudra's role possessing many antithetical traits. Rudra is thought to be an early form of Shiva, the lord of destruction in Hinduism.

Origins

Worship of Rudra seems to take root in the early pre-Aryan phallus worship. This theory is supported by the discovery of seals at Harappa which depict an ithyphallic deity. This deity has a pair of horns, and is attended on one of the seals by a number of creatures including a tiger and a rhinoceros. Thus, the erect phallus and close relation to animals suggests that this deity was a precursor to Rudra-Shiva, whose character would be further developed in Vedic times. Rudra also embodies many qualities of Varuna, the supreme god of the early Vedas who was eventually eclipsed by Indra. In the Great God of the later Vedas, Rudra seems to have inherited many of Varuna's essential attributes. For example, Varuna's power of maya, or the ability by which he created, gradually became Shakti one of Rudra-Shiva's paramount powers.

Attributes

Rudra is the divine archer, constantly in search of another being to devour. Rudra has arrows which cause disease in whomever he hits whether it be a god, human or animal. His arrows bring disease and death, therefore beings who are shot with one are prone to great suffering, including fevers, coughs and poisoning. Thus, every being lives in fear of Rudra. This includes the other gods, who recognize their inferiority to Rudra's immense power, since he can destroy any one of them, as well. Rudra is also notable for his unpredictability. Prescribed courses of actions do not always satisfy him, for he is not easily pleased. Even a minor transgression by one of his most faithful devotees can send him into a tempestuous rage. Due to this temperment, Rudra is related to nature's destructive forces, such as the storm and the wind. Rudra came to be portrayed even more viciously in the Brahmanas, where he is described variously as a murderer, thief, and cheater, as well as the lord of all robbers (see Atharva Veda 11.2.18 and VS 16.20-21).

On the other hand, Rudra is also described in milder terms. Not only does he possess immense potential for destruction, but also the power to heal. He is frequently described as the divine physician who possesses a thousands of remedies for any know malady. He is able to heal any illness bestowed upon humans by the other gods. This ability to heal wounds while also inflicting them exemplifies Rudra's role as the confluence of many diametric opposites. While he is related with all things terrible, Rudra also inspires a certain tenderness for that which is terrible.

Rudra is commonly associated with animals. In the Atharva Veda, for instance, he is given the title pasupati, or "Lord of the cattle." His jurisdiction spread beyond the bovine, however, as he was also said to rule over undomesticated animals, as well. He was commonly depicted as surrounded by creatures of the wild. Further, he took his residence outside of society in places of wild, such as the forest and the mountains.

In the Rig Veda, Rudra is infrequently associated with other deities, save for the Maruts (also known as the Rudras), who are his sons. With Diti he is the father of the Maruts.

Worship

Rudra was one of the more prevalently worshipped gods of the Vedic pantheon, particularly in his form as "lord of the cattle." In this form, devotees flocked to him, envisioning themselves as the herd of cattle over whom Rudra was the master. As such, numerous Vedic hymns are dedicated to Rudra, the most notable of which is the mantra Shri Rudram. This mantra celebrates the various health giving aspects of Rudra and asks for deliverance from Rudra's darker aspects:

O Rudra! Salutations to Your anger! Let that anger go towards our enemies, not towards us! Also let (our) salutations be to Your arrow. And also saluations be to Your bow. Also saluations be to Your two hands which hold the bow and arrow. Let all these be active in destroying enemies, but not in me (from verse 1.1).

Although Rudra has been replaced in contemporary Hinduism by the god Shiva, this mantra is still chanted by Hindus today.

Rudra & Shiva

In the Upanishads, Rudra begins to take on more typical traits of the Supreme Lord, such as omnipotence, omniscience, and trascendence. In the Svetsvara Upanishad particularly, Rudra-Shiva is proclaimed to be identical with Purusa and even Brahman. He is perceived to be protector and creator of all things. It is also at this point where he starts to more closely resemble the God currently recognized of Shiva. The importance of Rudra seems to suggest that Shiva is one the most ancient divinities in the Hindu tradition. In the Svetasvatara Upanishad, Shiva seems to be referred to as Rudra.

He who is the source and origin of the gods

The ruler of all, Rudra, the great seer,

Who of old created the Golden Germ

This verse foreshadows the importance that Rudra would attain after transforming into the deity Shiva. In the Rg Veda, the theonym "Shiva" was at first merely an epithet for Rudra's milder, more auspicious aspect, although he would later develop his own distinct character and supplant Rudra entirely. No doubt much of the macabre imagery related to Shiva was inherited from Rudra. As well, Shiva assumed Rudra's status as a divine "outsider", keeping his home away from society in the Himalyas. Although many opposites met in Rudra, they were never fully reconciled until the character of Shiva was fully developed.

Legacy

Although the deity Rudra has largely fallen out of currency in contemporary Hindu worship, he is still of immense importance. He represents an important phase in the evolution of the destroyer god Shiva, who is today one of the most widely worshipped Gods in the Hindu faith today. Rudra represents some of the first movements in the Hindu tradition to venerate the power of destruction, and all the macabre imagery associated with it, much of which still characterizes Shiva today. Rudra's terrifying traits, such as his irascible, unpredictable temperment and his ability to inflict death upon all beings illustrate one of Rudolph Otto's three important aspects of God — that of tremendum or the ability to invoke reverence by way of dread.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Davis, Richard H. "Introduction: A Brief History of Religions in India." In Religions of Asia in Practice. Donald S. Lopez. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2002.
• Dhallapiccola, Anna. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. London: Thames & Hudson, 2004. ISBN 0-500-51088-1
• Embree, Ainslee T. (ed.). The Hindu Tradition. New York: Vintage Books, 1966. ISBN 0394717023
• Zaenher, R. C. Hinduism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1962. ISBN 019888012

External Links

• Book on Rudra

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