PREFACE

trayl samkhyam yoqah pa&upatimatam vaisnavam iti

• • • *,r—l

prabhinne prasthane paramidamadah pathyamiti ca/

rucinam vaicitryad rlukutilananapathaiusam

• • •

nrnam eko qamyas tvamasi payasam arnava iva//

• « •

6ivamahirrnastotram, Vs.7.

With apt interest for the vedic studies m my

early career I became interested to work on the concept of

Rudra in Rgvedic texts for my M. Phil, dissertation. The

ground work in this context opened the probability of the

mine ho-se of interesting features ox Rudra in the whole of

the vedic texts. Gradually I went m to the samhitas and

allied texts of the vast vedic literature which attracted

me for studing the position of Rudra m details.

The present work “Rudra cult - A Study" is

an attempt to study the nature and personality of Rudra in

the vedic period. The evolution of Rudra in the religious

history of India has an age-long tradition. Unlike major

vedic gods like Agni, Indra, Savitr,Usas etc.. Rudra is a

deity who has in considerable major been emancipated from his

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connection with the phenomenon which produced the concept.

Hxs name does not bring back at once his essential character.

The obscure meaning of his appelation has made the genesis

of the concept of Rudra# the subject of manifold studies

leading to mutually contradictory results. Moreover# the

detailed view and understanding of the nature and background

of the £aivism of the present age in its entirity can be made

possible through intensive investigations into the various

implications of Rudra's personality in the vedic period.

This study aims at analysing some basic elements

in the concept and religion of vedic Rudra# which provides a

suitable background for the understanding of the present day

concept and practice of Saivism and refuting the views which

search for the beginning of £aivism in the prevedic non-Aryan

worship. It is also found that later vedic Indian religion has

essential characteristic similarities and affinity with the

vedic culture and idea of a deity and has retained the essence

in a modified and changed form.

It is to be further emphasised that the various

details of rituals, the purpose of offering and other practices

associated with vedic Rudra throw considerable light on the

origin# growth and basic character of Rudra cult. These practices

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can not be set aside, as a mere superstructure of religion

as they reflect the very fundamentals of the religion associated

with Rudra. No study of vedic Rudra is therefore, be complete

without the study of the religious practices associated with

Rudra. An attempt is thus made here to study the place of Rudra

in vedic sacrifices.

This Thesis is prepared mainly in the light of

the following considrations.

The work is divided into six chapters, of which

the first chapter serves as an introduction to the entire

study. It consists of two main sections, namely, a critical

estimate of the previous work on the subject, and secondly

the discussion on the necessity of the present study.

The second chapter is an exposition of the concept

of Rudra in various vedic texts starting from samhita to sutra

literature. The main objective of the study is to analyse the

visions of seers relating to Rudra as reflected in the vedic

literature, which led to the formation of the concept of Rudra.

Thus an attempt is made here to present the ideas about Rudra

as found in vedic literature along with the various implications

of the ideas associated with this deity and finally to show

how this Aryan divinity imbibes some characters outside the

Aryan domain and is ultimately crowned with an exalted

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position in the vedic worship. The physical depiction of Rudra

and the dimension of his different spheres of activities as

well as his essential characteristics are analysed-Rudra's

association with different allied cults as revealed from

Atharvanic mantras is also highlighted. The myth behind the

origin of Rudra along with its various significance form an

important study of the Brahmana period. An exhaustive account

of Rudra's position in the Upanisaaic literature constitute

an important feature of this chapter. Ryidra's concept in sutra

literature is also highlighted. All such analysis is made

with a view to find out the basis of later Rudra worship and

to determine his essential characteristic features.

The third chapter is an account of the different

names and epithets of Rudra in vedic samhita texts. The three

major samhita texts like Rgveda, Yaiurvada and Atharvaveda

form the main basis of this chapter. The inter^oretati011 of these

names in other vedic texts have been taken into account.

Different explanations of the meanings of the term 'Rudra' have

given rise to a number of controversies on the real nature of

Rudra. The importance and implications of the vast number of

names ascribed to him in the Yajurveda form an important feature

of this chapter. An analysis of the names brings out to it's effect

the cosmopolitan Character of Rudra worship and the growing

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popularity of the same. Besides, this chapter also gives

an idea about the dropping epithets and new epithets of

Rudra in the different vedic texts. Alphabetical index of

the names of Rudra in the above samhita texts is also

furnished in this chapter.

Chapter four deals with the position of Rudra

in vedic sacrifices. In Rqveda VI.49.10, the seer invokes

Rudra as kavina isitasah rdhak huvema which means'may we

" ' • ^ « *""*# --nniii n 1 "I-"1"

worship him in a particular way or in a special manner'.

Besides there are several instances, which show that there

were much peculiarities in the manner of worshipping Rudra.

Rudra*s place in the vedic sacrifice forms an important fgcet

for the study of Rudra cult. The peculiar manner of offering

oblations, the materials of oblations and bali offerings and

the purpose of offerings to Rudra are studied in this chapter.

For the viniyoqa of Rg mantras, Sayana's introduction to the

• •

concerned mantras as well as the Rgvidhana have been taken

into account. The analysis is done on the basis of Rqveda,

Yajurveda, Atharvaveda, Brahmana literature, £rauta sutras,

and Grhva sutras.

The fifth chapter is a garland of different

flowers as it centres round Rudra*s relation to different vedic

deities. Rudra is a comparatively detached and isolated deity

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m vedic pantheon bearing relation with only a few deities.

The mode of relation of Rudra with these deities and the

causes behind this association shed much light on the character

and nature of Rudra. This forms the main content of the fifth

chapter. An analysis of the relation of Rudra with Agni, Soma,

Indra, Maruts, Alvins, the tutelar deities like Ahirbudhnya,

Ajaekapad, Ksetrasyapatih, and the female deities like Ambika,

• •

Rodasi etc., brings outthe interesting features of the Rudra cult.

The work ends with a brief conclusion.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

While considering the evolution of the personality

of Rudra, the vedic evidence furnish a complete portrait of

Rudra's traverse from an insignificant deity to the height of

a supreme god. Any study of Rudra cult extends to a vast period

beginning from the pre-historic period to the present age. His

personality has travelled through all the stages of the

development of Indian culture and religion. But the scope of

the present study is made limited to the vedic period because

of the following reasons.

1. Vedic literature shows the complete evolution

of Rudra's personality to a supreme deity, on the background

of which the later Saivism has been moulded to a considerable

extent.

2. The study of Rudra's character m post-vedic

literature forms a different phase of study as it is considerably

influenced by the popular and folk practices, which gradually

paved the way for the complex fabric of later &aivism.

Subsequent importance of the lihqa cult is gradually to be

traced in the post-vedic representation of §iva. Thus Rudra's

personality m post-vedic literature requires a separate analysis

and hence not covered in the present scope of study.

3. Thirdly, the different &aiva sects though form

an important and significant aspect of the &aivism, still their

technicalities and richness with different maxims justifies

another study.

Considering this, the wide canvas of Rudra cult is

thus curtailed to it's first phase only in this project in order to

avoid prolixity.

Thus though the Rudra cult extends to a vast

period, yet the scope of the present study is restricted to the

consideration of Rudra's concept and religious ideas associated

with him in the vedic period.

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METHOD OF STUDY

It is not irrelevant to make some indications

regarding the method adopted in the present investigation.

The basic literary sources of this study are very vast

beginning from Rqveda to the sutra literature and ancilliary

works like Brhad-devata and Rgvidhana, etc.

• •

This study begins with the information supplied

by the hymns and verses, containing the term Rudra as well as

relating to Rudra in the vedic literature beginning from Rqveda

*

samhita to sutra literature. The main sources of such informations

regarding occurence of Rudra constitute the Vaikika Padanukramako^a,

Original Sanskrit Texts of J. Muir, Sacred Books of the East and

Vedic Concordance. For the interpretation of verses, the Sanskrit

commentary of Sayanacarya and available english translations of

m

the vedic texts have primarily been consulted. The contents of

the verses are grouped and separated according to their

implications which constitute the primary data and on the basis

of these, the concept of Rudra is analysed from historical,

etymological, liturgical points of view. Further, this analysis

is done on the basis of the views of different indological

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scholars bearing references to the topic, which are published

in various indologxcal and historical books and journals which

form the secondary data source.

The age old quandaries on Ruara cult have prompted

the scholars for manifold studies of which the present work is

but a step ahead which again opens issues for further studies.