Rudra-Shiva concept (Study)
by Maumita Bhattacharjee | 2018 | 54,352 words
This page relates 鈥楻udra as Nilagriva or Nilakantha鈥� of the study on the Rudra-Shiva concept in the Vedic and Puranic literature, starting with the concept of God as contemplated by the Rishis (Vedic sages). These pages further deal with the aspects, legends, iconography and eulology of Rudra-Shiva as found in the Samhitas, Brahamanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads Sutras and Puranas. The final chapters deal with descriptions of his greatness, various incarnations and epithets.
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2.11. Rudra as 狈墨濒补驳谤墨惫补 or 狈墨濒补办补峁囜弓丑补
In a mantra of the 痴腻箩补蝉补苍别测颈蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, Rudra is invoked in the form of 膧诲颈迟测补 or 厂奴谤测补.[1] Here, in this mantra, the rising and setting sun is identified with Rudra. In the 艢补迟补谤耻诲谤颈测补 section, Rudra is called 狈墨濒补驳谤墨惫补. 鲍惫补峁璦 illustrates this term as the sun when it is rising and setting, at that time it appears blue-necked.[2]
But 惭补丑墨诲丑补谤补 explains this word differently鈥�
苍墨濒补驳谤墨惫补岣� 惫颈峁诲丑腻谤补峁噀苍补 苍墨濒腻 驳谤墨惫腻 ka峁囜弓ho yasya...[3]
That means 狈墨濒补驳谤墨惫补 is depicted as one whose neck is blue in colour for holding poison in his neck. According to S膩ya峁嚹乧膩rya, Rudra is blue-necked for bearing 办腻濒补办奴峁璦 in his neck.[4] In the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉, 艢颈惫补 is extolled by the epithet 狈墨濒补驳谤墨惫补.[5]
Here, Rudra鈥檚 blue neck may have given rise to the post-Vedic story of 艢颈惫补 drinking 丑补濒腻丑补濒补 or poison. In the Pur膩峁噄c literature, 艢颈惫补 is mentioned as the swallower of 丑补濒腻丑补濒补 惫颈峁 at the time of the churning of the milk ocean for 补尘峁泃补. In the Pur膩峁噄c literature, a beautiful legend is delineated behind the name of 狈墨濒补办补峁囜弓丑补 or blue-throated. In Sanskrit, the word 苍墨濒补办补峁囜弓丑补 means 鈥榖luethroated鈥�. According to the Pur膩峁噄c literature, at the time of churning of the milk ocean, numerous valuable things came out from it, viz. goddess 尝补办峁颈, 碍腻尘补诲丑别苍耻, P膩rij膩t flower etc. Besides these, 办腻濒补办耻峁璦, a venomous poison emerged from the churning of the milk ocean. That very deadly poison spread out in the air. All gods and Asuras were afraid of it and searched for a solution. They went to 艢颈惫补 and prayed to him to protect them. Afterwards, hearing the prayer of gods and Asuras, lord 艢颈惫补 went to that place and drank the venomous poison which came out from the milk ocean. He held this deadly poison in his throat (办补峁囜弓丑补). For this reason his throat became blue in colour. Since that very day he got the name 狈墨濒补办补峁囜弓丑补.[6] He is ascribed by another name 狈墨濒补驳补濒补 (blue-neck).[7]
In the 尝颈峁単补 Pur膩峁嘺, the physical appearance of 狈墨濒补办补峁囜弓丑补 is described as having eight hands. He is said to be the bestower of boons and bearer of crescent moon on his head.[8]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
痴腻箩补蝉补苍别测颈-蝉补峁僪颈迟腻,16.6;7
[2]:
鲍惫补峁璦, Ibid.,16.7
[3]:
惭补丑墨诲丑补谤补, Ibid.
[4]:
厂腻测补峁嘺 on 罢补颈迟迟颈谤墨测补-蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, 5.4.3.8
[5]:
(a) 尝颈峁単补-辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 1.98.114; 痴腻测耻-辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 1.30.191 (b) pi峁単al膩k峁 hi bahvayo n墨lagr墨vo nir膩maya岣� || 艢颈惫补-辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 4.35.88
[6]:
(a) devadeva 尘补丑腻诲别惫补 艣ara峁嚹乬atavatsala | p膩hi na岣� 艣ara峁嚹乸ann膩nsarv膩n dev膩帽jaganti ca... samudro mathita艣caiva ratn膩n膩峁� ca vibh膩ga艣a岣� | k峁泃e devais迟补诲腻 艣ambho 驳峁沨墨迟补峁� garala峁� tvay膩 || 谤补办峁迟腻岣� sma 迟补诲腻 苍腻迟丑补 苍墨濒补办补峁囜弓丑补 iti 艣谤耻迟补岣� | 惫颈峁峁� p膩syasi no cetva峁� bhasm墨bh奴t膩s迟补诲腻khil膩岣� || Ibid., 3.10.32-35 (b) 迟补迟补岣� 办补谤补迟补濒墨办峁泃测补 惫测腻辫颈 丑补濒腻丑补濒补峁� 惫颈峁m | abhk峁an尘补丑腻诲别惫补岣� k峁沺ay膩 产丑奴迟补产丑腻惫补苍补岣� || tasy膩pi dar艣ay膩m膩sa svav墨rya峁� jalakalma峁岣� | yaccak膩ra gale 苍墨濒补峁� tacca s膩dhorvibh奴峁峁嘺m || 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补-辫耻谤腻峁嘺,4.7.43-44 (c) 痴腻测耻-辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 1.54.48-94; Matsya-辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 250.43-59; Brahm膩峁囜笉a-辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 2.25.45-90
[7]:
so鈥檚aub na d峁涐梗峁璷鈥檛ra 辫耻尘腻苍 pur膩峁噊 v峁涐梗adhvajo 苍墨濒补驳补濒补岣� 辫补谤别艣补岣� || 艢颈惫补-辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 2.2.27.28
[8]:
a峁ａ弓ahasta艣ca varado n墨laka峁囜弓ho 诲颈驳补峁僢补谤补岣� | pa帽catatvasam膩r奴岣峢o ardhacandradhara岣� 辫谤补产丑耻岣� || 尝颈峁単补-辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 2.50.21