Rudra
From Wikinfo
In Hinduism, Rudra ("howler") is a malicious storm, the hunt, death, wild nature and a wind god. He has arrows which cause disease in whomever they hit, god, human or animal. With Diti, he is the father of the Maruts.
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Origins
Lord Rudra did feature prominently in the Rhig Veda, but it is unkown to what extent, if at all he was a part of the Aryans' original tradition. The name Rudra is purely Sanskrit leading to the conclusion that he was indeed among the elite Gods of the Aryan Pantheon, but his name was ommitted from the list of Gods who were invoked during the Ashwamedh Ritual, and he did not partake of the Soma Sacrifice. This has lead some scholars to believe that he may have been part of Dravidian beliefs that later came to be absorbed into mainstream hinduism.
Although icons and idols were not used in Vedic times that we know of, descriptions of the Gods' including Rudra's physical appearence in the Vedas tended to be quite detailed and vivid. He is described in the Rhig Veda as Golden or Tawny, often nude, and with braided hair. He wears glittering ornaments and his animal companion is the boar. He keeps his own company, and presides over storms and disease. He is a hunter and carries a bow and arrows as well as the thunderbolt known as the Vajra. The fact that Rudra carries the Vajra is another argument for Aryan origins, because the Vajra, while being a symbolic weapon on the one hand, is also believed to be a fearsom weapon of iron, that the Aryans brought with them when they invaded. Supposedly, iron was unheard of in the subcontinent before this time.
Confusion with Shiva
During the Puranic era, Lord Rudra came to be identified as one and the same as Lord Shiva. Indeed most hindus and even some scholars, today have no concept of any distinction between the two. Due to the immense popularity of Lord Shiva, most hindu theologists identified Lord Shiva as that Very God Rudra from the Rhig Veda, seemingly to establish scriptural verification for the existence of Lord Shiva in Vedic times. Shiva may well have been worshipped in vedic times, but it is unlikely that he was worshipped by the Aryans as Lord Rudra. There are many stark differences between the two Gods. While Lord Rudra's name has a direct root in Sanskrit, Lord Shiva's name does not. In Puranic times the name Shiva came to be translated as meaning "auspicous", but there is no such name or word bearing any resemblance to the name "Shiva" in ancient Sanskrit. It is far more likely that the word came to be associated with auspicious qualities due to the popularity of the God himself, rather than the other way around. However there is a word in the Dravidian language that bears a striking resemblance to that of Shiva, and that is the word "Chiv"—a verb meaning roughly, "to cut". The fact that both the Gods' names carry vaguely frightening connotations, seems a bit weak for a parallel. Lord Rudra was not particularly associated with asceticism in the Vedic period, nor was he considered to be a member of the trinity. Lord Shiva, for his part has never been particularly associated with storms, hunting, or plagues. The respective weaponry of the two Gods also varies distinctly. Some scholars believe that the Trishul—Trident may have evolved out of the iron Vajra, but archeological evidence shows that the indigenous tribes of India did, in fact fight with bronze tridents, before the advent of the Aryan civilization, and it is unlikely that the two are the same.
Another parallel, which has been drawn between the two Gods, has to do with their hairstyles. The braided hair of Rudra has been cited as an early prototype for the later matted appearence of Lord Shiva's hair. However, it must be noted that braided hair, and matted hair, are symbolically quite different, if not polar opposite. Braided hair is essentially an elaborate style, especially if one considers the time period of Lord Rudra's worship. It represents an affectation. Matted hair, on the other hand, is basically symbolic of neglect. It seems far more likely, that Lord Shiva's hair is matted simply because he is an ascetic, and not because he evolved out of Lord Rudra. The primitive may evolve into the eloborate, but it is far less common for the reverse to occur. When Gods gain popularity over time, they tend to acquire more and more complex attributes, not lose them.
The most striking similarity between the two Gods is their habitual solitude. Both Gods were considered to be on the fringe of society. Neither took a great part in the rituals of mainstream worship, rather their rites tended to be clandestine. Rudra was mostly invoked to keep him away; to avert storms or plagues. Shiva has long been associated with the burial ground, and potent magic.
Post Vedic Rudra
After Lord Rudra became compounded with Shiva, he took on a very different character than the older Vedic version. While the Vedic Rudra carried both maleific and benevolent qualities, as an aspect of Lord Shiva, he is almost entirely associated with terror, and the name Rudra has become almost entirely synonymous with Shiva's darker facets. Since the Puranic era, Rudra has been revered, as the eleven wrathful aspects of Lord Shiva. These are known as The Eleven Rudras.
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Rudra" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudra, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
- The Hymns of the Ŗgveda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith
- The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography, by Margaret Stutley
- Ka: Stories of the Mind and Gods of India by Roberto Calasso
