Agni[edit] Rudra and Agni have a close relationship.[70][71] The identification between Agni and Rudra in the Vedic literature was an important factor in the process of Rudras gradual development into the later character as Rudra-Shiva.[72] The identification of Agni with Rudra is explicitly noted in the Nirukta, an important early text on etymology, which says, Agni is also called Rudra.[73] The interconnections between the two deities are complex, and according to Stella Kramrisch: The fire myth of Rudra-Śiva plays on the whole gamut of fire, valuing all its potentialities and phases, from conflagration to illumination.[74] In the Śatarudrīya, some epithets of Rudra, such as Sasipañjara (Of golden red hue as of flame) and Tivaṣīmati (Flaming bright), suggest a fusing of the two deities.[75] Agni is said to be a bull,[76] and Lord Shiva possesses a bull as his vehicle, Nandi. The horns of Agni, who is sometimes characterized as a bull, are mentioned.[77][78] In medieval sculpture, both Agni and the form of Shiva known as Bhairava have flaming hair as a special feature.[79] Indra[edit] According to a theory, the Puranic Shiva is a continuation of the Vedic Indra.[80] He gives several reasons for his hypothesis. Both Shiva and Indra are known for having a thirst for Soma. Both are associated with mountains, rivers, male fertility, fierceness, fearlessness, warfare, transgression of established mores, the Aum sound, the Supreme Self. In the Rig Veda the term śiva is used to refer to Indra. (2.20.3,[81] 6.45.17,[82][83] and 8.93.3.[84]) Indra, like Shiva, is likened to a bull.[85][86] In the Rig Veda, Rudra is the father of the Maruts, but he is never associated with their warlike exploits as is Indra.[87]
Posted on: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 01:54:59 +0000
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