Rudra
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| shiva rudra |
There are eleven Rudras. References— (i) Atharva Veda’s Brihajjabal Upanishad,
Brahman 6, verse no. 12; Nrisingh Tapini Upanishad, Canto 1, verse no. 3.
The eleven Rudras are actually eleven subtle forms of Lord Shiva. According to the
Srimad Bhagvat, 3/12/12, they are in the forms of Gods as follows—
- Mannu ,
- Manu ,
- Mahinas ,
- Mahaan ,
- Shiva ,
- Ritdwaj ,
- Ugraretaa ,
- Bhav ,
- Kaal ,
- Vamdeo ,
- Dhritvrat .
The eleven Rudras appear in Rig Veda 1/43/1, and Taiteriya Brahman
3/4/9/7. They are regarded as the father of the Wind God or the Maruts (Rig Veda,
2/33/1). The word Rudra literally means one who is angry, terrible and wrathful.
Amongst the Rudras, Lord Shiva is regarded as the most senior and enlightened.
According to Vishnu Puran, Ansha (Part) 1, Canto 8, verse nos. 1-11, when the
creator Brahma wished to create a son in his own likeness, a child with a blue (purple)
tone of the skin (resembling the colour of the sky) was born. The infant began crying
aloud and running here and there. At his behaviour, Brahma named the child ‘Rudra’—
one who cries aloud and causes a nuisance. The child cried again and again seven times,
and to calm him down Brahma gave him newer names.
This is how the word ‘Rudra’ originated. The other names are Bhava, Sharva,
Ishaan, Pashupati, Bhim, Ugra and Mahaadev. The other names are Lohitaanga,
Manojavaa and Skanda.
According to Shiva Puran, Rudra Sanhita, 18/20-27, Lord Shiva assumed the form
of eleven sons of sage Kashyap and his wife Surabhi to fulfill their wish. The names of
these eleven manifestations of Shiva are the following—Kapaali, Pingal Bhim,
Virupaaksha, Vilohit, Shaastaa, Ajapad, Ahir-burdhanya, Shambhu, Chanda and Bhava.
The various other names assigned to the eleven Rudras according to different
Purans are the following—
- Har ,
- Bahuroop ,
- Trayambak ,
- Aparaajeet ,
- Shambhu ,
- Vrishakapi ,
- Kapardi ,
- Raivat ,
- Mrigvyadh ,
- Sharva ,
- Kapaali .
The word ‘Rudra’, and its various connotations—
The word ‘Rudra’ is another name of Lord Shiva. This term has been defined inAtharvashir Upanishad of Atharva Veda tradition, in its Kandika 4 as follows—“Why is
he (Brahm) called ‘Rudra’? It is because the esoteric and secret form and nature of
Brahm which is most enigmatic and difficult to understand is easily known by
enlightened and self-realised Rishis who are exalted and wise sages, seers and ascetics;
the knowledge of Brahm as Rudra is within their easy reach and grasp. On the other hand,
this knowledge is very difficult for others to access. [It must be noted here that the
difference between the two terms ‘Brahm’ and ‘Rudra’ lies in the degree of subtlety.
While Brahm is the neutral divinity, its active and dynamic manifestation or its dynamic
principle is known as Rudra. Brahm in itself does not do anything, and being a neutral
entity is best addressed by the pronoun ‘it’ just as we would address light, sky, air, water,
fire, earth etc. with the pronoun ‘it’. On the other hand, when this Brahm lost its
neutrality and got engaged in activity of creating this world and regulating it, Rudra came
into being. This Rudra is the dynamic form of Brahm. Rudra is less subtle as compared to
Brahm, but otherwise they refer to the same divine Being who is supreme and
transcendental in creation. Since Rudra is deemed to be ‘male’ aspect of creation—not
because of any gender superiority or gender bias but because the initial ‘spark’ of life in
the form of a ‘sperm’ can only be provided by a male—he is addressed as ‘he’ and not as
‘it’. Rudra is one of the names of Shiva, and this Lord is the patron God of Rishis who do
meditation. Shiva is the greatest moral preacher, teacher and preceptor of spiritual
knowledge4
. Shiva is an exemplary renunciate and he himself remains eternally
engrossed in meditation and contemplation. He teaches the Rishis who spend their time in
meditation and contemplation about the Truth of Brahm. These Rishis repeat the Mantras
of Brahm known as OM while meditating, and this brings them closer to the principal
that this OM represents. They are totally immune to and free from all sorts of spiritual
contaminations and hurdles that an ordinary man faces while remaining engrossed in the
affairs of the material world and the temptations proffered by its sense objects which is
hard to resist if not impossible. That is why the term ‘difficult’ is used for ordinary
creatures when it comes to their realising the truth of Brahm—i.e. though it is not
impossible it is nevertheless hard and difficult.”
Rudra is the angry form of Lord Shiva. The word means ‘the terrible one; the
angry and ruthless one; one who roars and thunders; one who makes the enemy weep; one who destroys this trans-migratory world of birth and death; one who destroys
ignorance and delusions; one who eliminates evil and perversions.’
Rudra is a Vedic deity and has been eulogized in three full Suktas (hymns)
dedicated to him. These are Rig Veda’s 1/114/1-11; 2/33/1-15, and Yajur Veda’s 16/1-
66. Besides these Suktas, Rudra is honoured as a deity at a number of places in the
Vedas—viz. Rig Veda—1/43/1-4, 5/42/11, 7/46/1-4, 7/59/12; Atharva Veda—5/6/3-4,
6/55/2-3, 7/92/1, 11/2; and Yajur Veda—11/54.
Rudra is regarded as the father of Marut, the Wind God (Rig Veda, 2/33/1). Rudra
assumes many forms—usually it is eleven forms (Taitteriya Sanhita, 3/4/9/7), but
sometimes they are also said to be thirty-three in number (Taitteriya Sanhita, 1/4/11/1).
Rudra is regarded as having a close relationship with Agni, the Fire God (Shatpath
Brahman, 5/2/4/13). The Padma Puran, Swargakhanda, Chapter 8 mentions only eight
Rudras. These eight, eleven or thirty-three forms of Rudra might mean as many aspects
of Shiva.
However, in terms of the Upanishads, the eleven Rudras stand for the ten vital
winds called Prans + one Mana or mind. The ten Prans are five chief Prans such as Pran
(breath), Apaan, Samaan, Udaan and Vyan, and five subsidiary Prans such as Nag,
Kurma, Krikar, Devdutta and Dhananjay. [Refer—Trishikhi Brahmin Upanishad, Canto
2, verse nos. 77-87 of Shukla Yajur Veda tradition; Dhyan Bindu Upanishad, verse nos.
551/2-57 of Krishna Yajur Veda tradition.]
Rudra is said to have created such mythological figures as Bhuts (ghosts), Pretas
(disembodied spirits), Pishacha (goblins), Khusmaandas (malignant imps).
In iconography, he has been depicted as wearing long tresses coiled on the head,
has strong powerful arms, has a body decorated variously with serpents or priceless
ornaments, and holds a strong and invincible bow and arrow as well as a thunderbolt.
When necessary, he becomes ferocious and charges at his enemies on a chariot or on
foot, while at the other times he is full of mercy and compassion. He is closely associated
with forests and mountains, and is also the patron deity of herbs and medicinal plants.
Hence, he is the killer of diseases and a great healer. Here, ‘healing’ would mean spiritual
healing rather than physical ailments afflicting a creature.
He destroys sins and evil tendencies in the world, and grants the boon of
liberation and happiness.
According to the epic Mahabharata, Anushasanparva, Chapter 14, it is Shiva in
the form of Rudra who destroys this creation at the end of one cycle of creation.
The Sharav Upanishad of the Atharva Veda, in its verse no. 6, describes Rudra as
Sharav—the killer or destroyer. In this Upanishad, Lord Shiva had assumed this form to
liberate Vishnu from the form of Nrisingh (a half man and half lion form) which the Lord
had taken to kill the demon Hirnayakashipu who had been tormenting the devotees of
Vishnu to such an extent that he did not spare even his son Prahalad. After slaying this
demon, Nrisingh roamed around in the forests striking terror in other creatures. It was
then that Shiva, the universal Lord who has been honoured with the epithet of ‘Mahadev’
as he is the greatest and supreme God, had assumed the form of Sharav, the killer, and
liberated Vishnu from the body of Nrisingh. Thus liberated, Vishnu had thanked him a lot
and went to his divine abode called Vaikunth. So this ferocious form of Shiva known as
Sharav was also called ‘Rudra’, the angry and ferocious form of the Lord. One can imagine the fight that might have razed between Nrisingh and Rudra, and obviously
Rudra must have been more ferocious than Nrisingh in order to subdue the latter.
There is another connotation of the word ‘Sharav’. The word literally means the
killer or slayer. In other words, Sharav is that form of the Supreme Being which instills
fear in the heart of evil and pervert creatures, and kills or eliminates their evil tendencies.
The word also refers to ‘the Lord who shines in the heart of his devotees’ as their Atma
or pure consciousness.
The creature or the embodied soul is called ‘Shar’ or the form of the ethereal
spirit that has assumed a gross physical body having a head. One who cuts off the head is
known as ‘Sharav’. The head is a metaphor for pride and ego and their accompanying
traits of hypocrisy, haughtiness and arrogance. It is in the head that all evil planning is
done, and it is the head that inspires the creature to indulge in all sorts of vices and
inauspicious deeds. When this happens, the great God, the Parameshwar, makes it sure
that the soul of such a creature is liberated from the sinful body in which it has been
trapped by killing the gross body and liberating the soul.
So, while on the surface it appears to be a physical fight between two powerful
creatures, one being the Shar and the other being the Sharav, here referring to Nrisingh
and Rudra respectively, it is actually a system evolved by Nature whereby evil and
perversions are kept under check. It is a system instituted by the Supreme Being himself
to regulate and maintain balance, order and law in his creation. Though Nrisingh was
Lord Vishnu himself in that form, the latter forgot who he actually was once the Lord had
assumed a physical form. This is the effect of Maya—the overwhelming power of
delusions that automatically comes with having a gross body like that of ordinary
creatures. This situation also highlights the reason why all the creatures are under the
overpowering control of Maya—if Maya can delude Vishnu to forget about who he is and
wander in the forests as some cruel creature in his form as Nrisingh then it is little
wonder that ordinary creatures are held under the overpowering sway of Maya.
Now, who would liberate such primarily innocent souls trapped by Maya, and
who would provide protection to other innocent creatures who are being subjected to
torments by this single deluded and evil-possessed soul? Naturally it is their supreme
Father who is very merciful and who is greatly pained at the predicament in which his off
springs, the creatures, find themselves in. So this Father intervenes not only to free the
trapped soul in the evil body, but also to provide succour and solace to other creatures
who are being tormented by this single individual.
Thus, the Parameshwar assumed the form of Shrav or Rudra to liberate Vishnu
from the evil body of Nrisingh.
The Devi Upanishad of the Atharva Veda tradition, verse no. 4 says that the
Rudras are manifestations of the Mother Goddess, who actually represents the dynamism
of the supreme transcendental Brahm, the Supreme Being. The Goddess is the energy,
authority and powers of Brahm that are employed by the latter to create and control this
creation, both at the macrocosmic level as well as the microcosmic level.
The Rudra is this dynamism of Brahm revealed at the macrocosmic level.
Lord Shiva has eleven forms, and one of them is ‘Rudra’, which literally means
anger, wrath and vehemence. The Lord is considered to be the most enlightened of the
Trinity Gods, and is therefore called ‘Maheshwar’. He always remains in a meditative
posture, always contemplating and meditating on the supreme Soul and the Truth. But still he shows anger and mercilessness, because one of his tasks is to punish the evil and
sinful ones by ruthlessly slaying them in order to protect the good and righteous souls in
the creation. Further, when his meditation and peace is disturbed he also becomes angry.
He remains aloof and disinterested in the world, because he is very wise and enlightened,
and he stays in the form of an ascetic. Ordinary people think that he is proud, arrogant
and haughty because he does not give a damn to worldly formalities and niceties of
behaviour. Shiva’s failure to conform to set norms of proper and sane conduct makes him
look most odd God.
The word ‘Rudra’, which is literally used as a metaphor for anger, wrath,
vehemence and cussedness, is in fact a very misleading title for Shiva because there are a
number of great Upanishads which describe Rudra as none but the Supreme Being known
as the transcendental Brahm from whom the entire creation has emerged, who sustains it
and in whom the creation would finally collapse. It is this Brahm in the form of Rudra
who is treated at the supreme Lord God of creation, and hence is called Maheshwar. The
Rudra Hridaya Upanishad of the Krishna Yajur Veda tradition and Atharvashir
Upanishad of the Atharva Veda tradition are exclusively dedicated to this theme. The
Dakshin Murti Upanishad of the Krishna Yajur Veda describes the esoteric significance
of the Shiva Tattva or the essential knowledge of Shiva who is the greatest Guru or moral
preceptor and teacher of the creatures.
The Ram Uttar Tapini Upanishad of the Atharva Veda, Canto 5, verse no. 4/33
says that the eleven Rudras are manifestations of Lord Ram who himself is the supreme
transcendental Brahm. In other words, Lord Ram had assumed the form of Rudra or
Shiva in order to bring this creation to conclusion.
The Atharvashir Upanishad of Atharva Veda is especially relevant here because it
explains the various epithets used to describe the virtues and glories of the supreme
transcendental Brahm by Lord Rudra himself, and upon close reading it would be very
clear that Rudra is describing Brahm when he describes himself.
The Nrisingh Purvatapini Upanishad of the Atharva Veda, in its Brahman 1,
verse no. 3 says that the Rudras, along with the Vasus and Adityas etc., were born out of
the third step of the divine Anushtup Chanda in which the Mantra of Lord Nrisingh was
revealed to the creator Brahma when he did severe Tapa in order to initiate the process of
creation.
The Bhasma Jabal Upanishad of the Atharva Veda tradition, Canto 1, paragraph
no. 1, and Canto 2, paragraph nos. 3, 6-8 assert that Lord Rudra, also known as Lord
Shiva, is the Supreme Being himself.
The Rudra Hridaya Upanishad of the Krishna Yajur Veda tradition, verse nos. 3-
4, 7-11, 15 elucidates upon the ‘Rudra Tattva’ or the essential principles of the concept of
Rudra from metaphysical perspective.
Let us quote Rudra Hridaya Upanishad to learn about this eclectic concept of
‘Rudra Tattwa’ as follows—
“verse no. 3 = ‘All the Gods are incorporated in the divine form of Lord Rudra (a form of
Shiva) and they are different manifestations of this one Lord known as Rudra. In other
words, Rudra personifies all the divine virtues in creation represented or symbolised by
all the Gods independently and jointly.
On the right of Rudra1
are established the three Gods such as Surya (the Sun
God), Brahma (the creator of visible creation as well as of the Vedas), and the three forms of Agni3
(the Fire God; the three sacred fires). [There is great significance in this
statement. Brahma the creator, the Sun God and the Fire God are all metaphors for and
harbingers of life and creation; they stand as symbols of vitality and life-infusing energy.
Brahma is personified Supreme Being (Brahm) as the grandfather and patriarch of visible
creation who not only created the creatures but all the knowledge and codes needed for
proper regulation of this creation even for time in infinite future. The Sun is an evident
source of the basic requirements of life such as light, heat and warmth; the Sun regulates
the seasons and the year as well as the cycle of day and night. Its importance can be
fathomed from the fact that plant photosynthesis depends directly upon its light and heat,
and all forms of life depend on plants, directly or indirectly, for food without which life
would be extinct. We know that one primary reason why the dinosaurs vanished from
earth is the blocking out of sunlight due to dust that was raised when a meteor hit earth
long time ago. Not only this, the very existence of earth depends upon the Sun because it
keeps the earth from spinning out of control and getting lost in the bottomless void of the
cosmos by its gravitational pull which helps the earth to remain firmly tethered to its
position without any other thing to support its position in an empty void of space.
Similarly, ‘Fire’ is an important aspect of life—it provides the necessary heat and warmth
without which no life is imaginable on earth. The fire is present inherently in the earth
itself, and it is the fire that helps the earth to harbour life in all its myriad variations. That
the ‘fire’ and ‘life’ are synonymous with each other is proved when a man dies and his
body becomes cold. As long as this body is warm, it is deemed that vestiges of life
remain in it and when it becomes ‘dead cold’ it is a clear sign that the man has died. Fire
is needed to cook food, to digest this food, to produce food, to keep the body warm, and
so on and so forth that its importance need not be emphasized at length. If fact, these
three godheads—Brahma, Sun and Fire—are the symbolic Trinity Gods who bring about
the existence of creation into effect.] (3).
[Note—1
Lord Shiva has eleven forms called Rudras. Please refer to Section 1 of this
book.
Lord Shiva is considered to be the most enlightened of the Trinity Gods, and is
therefore called Maheshwar. He always remains in a meditative posture, always
contemplating and meditating on the supreme Soul and the Truth. But still he shows
anger and mercilessness, because one of his tasks is to punish the evil and sinful ones by
ruthlessly slaying them in order to protect the good and righteous souls in the creation.
Further, when his meditation and peace is disturbed he also becomes angry. He remains
aloof and disinterested in the world, because he is very wise and enlightened, and he
stays in the form of an ascetic. Ordinary people think that he is proud, arrogant and
haughty because he does not give a damn to worldly formalities and niceties of
behaviour. Shiva’s failure to conform to set norms of proper and sane conduct makes him
look most odd God. The word ‘Rudra’ is used as a metaphor for anger, wrath, vehemence
and cussedness.
One of the other names of Rudra is Kalagni-Rudra which literally means Lord
Shiva, the concluder, in his most ferocious form which is like the fire of dooms-day.
Shiva is the greatest ascetic, a great renunciate, most auspicious and regarded as an
enlightened God. So his invocation helps the spiritual seeker to burn all his worldly
delusions and taints arising out of ignorance and attachments to falsehoods. This paves
the path for his ultimate liberation and deliverance from the cycle of birth and death. Lord
Shiva is the designated Authority that controls death and destruction, not only of the
gross physical world and its visible objects but also metaphorically of all the evil tendencies, all the blemishes and faults that are characteristic of this deluding world and
which usually cover the soul of the creature like a layer of thick scum floating on the
surface of the otherwise crystal-clear waters of the mountain lake.
The Rudraaksha beads (seeds of the tree eleocarpus ganitrus) with five faces or
surfaces used in rosaries and necklaces are also called Kalagni-rudra beads because these
are very much liked by Lord Shiva.
Refer ‘Rudraaksha Jabal Upanishad’ of the Sam Veda tradition, and ‘Kalagni Rudra
Upanishad’ of Krishna Yajur Veda tradition.
2
The three fires referred to here are the following—(a) ‘Garhyapatya’ fire—i.e. the
fire of the household hearth; the main fire of the formal fire sacrifice; the fire that every
householder is supposed to keep alive and worship regularly and from which the first
spark is taken for the rituals associated with religious ceremonies), (b) ‘Dakshinagni’
fire—i.e. the fire used as a witness to making charities or any other religious festivity; the
fire lit at the site of a sacrificial fire ritual, near its south end, and (c) ‘Ahawaniya’ fire—
i.e. the fire lit to invoke the Gods during a ritualistic sacrifice.]
‘verse no. 4 = To the left of him (Rudra) are established the three divine entities such as
Goddess Uma (the divine consort of Shiva, also known by her more famous name of
Parvati), Lord Vishnu (the sustainer and protector of creation) and Som (the Moon God).
[Earlier verse no. had narrated what was to the ‘right of Rudra’. Now this verse describes
what is to his ‘left’. In other words, Rudra is in the center, and these Trinity divinities are
to his right and left just like we have the right and the left hands on either sides of the
torso. This is to say that these Trinity Gods help Rudra to carry out his functions of
creation, sustenance and conclusion of creation. Uma is a Goddess personifying the
dynamic power and energy of Brahm, in this case personified as Rudra or Shiva, to
actually implement his decision to create and then not only carry it out effectively but
exercise effective control over the vast creation which would have become unmanageable
had Brahm not exercised his overall controlling and veto powers. She represents the
female aspect of creation, and therefore is called the cosmic Mother. In this role she is
depicted as the divine consort of Shiva because the latter is Brahm, the cosmic Father,
personified. Once the creation was conceived in Uma’s womb and later on when it
emerged in the form of the visible world as we know it now necessitated an arrangement
for its perpetual sustenance, nourishment and protection. This Brahm did in his
manifestation as Vishnu. Som literally is the soothing elixir of life and eternity—and it is
appropriate to use this as an epithet for Vishnu in his role as the sustainer and protector of
creation. There is another way of looking at the concept of ‘Som’. Since the latter is also
the drink drunk during fire sacrifices and by the Gods as it provides bliss and ecstasy, and
its physical form resembles the viscous fluid responsible for creation, i.e. the male semen,
it is likened to these feelings during the course of sexual intercourse when the male
semen is implanted in the female sexual organ as a necessary part of the process of
creation. Since Vishnu is also the Viraat Purush from whom the entire creation is said to
have come into existence, and he had done the cosmic fire sacrifice in order to set this
chain reaction in motion, the epithet of Som for Vishnu is most apt.]
Uma is Lord Vishnu1
, and Vishnu is Som2
, the Moon God. [That is, all these three
are the different manifestations of the same Divinity revealed in different forms
according to the needs of the circumstance in creation as described above.] (4).
[Note—1
Lord Vishnu stands for the Viraat Purush, the macrocosmic gross body of the
supreme Brahm from whom the rest of the creation emerged. Since Brahm is neutral and does not do anything, so when he decided to initiate the process of creation he used his
inherent power, authority and energy to kick-start the process. This ‘dynamic energy,
strength, vitality, power and stamina’ of Brahm manifested itself in the form of Shakti
known as Prakriti. The latter revealed itself in a grosser form as Uma or Parvati, the
divine consort of Shiva when the Viraat Purush assumed the form of the Trinity Gods.
Therefore by extension, the divine husband of Uma, i.e. Shiva, is Vishnu by another
name. Uma is the dynamic principle of Brahm in the latter’s manifestation as Vishnu.
2
Moon God is said to be the custodian of Amrit, the elixir of eternal life drunk by
gods. More importantly, this elixir represents the primary life-infusing vital fluid (semen)
that was used by Brahm to implant his spark (sperm) in the womb of Prakriti (Mother
Nature) to initiate the process of creation. In other words, this Moon God was
symbolically a personification of Vishnu’s vital life-infusing and life-sustaining abilities
in the form of the white cosmic semen. That is also why the moon is white like the
semen.
The Moon God is known as ‘Chandrama’ in Sanskrit, and he appears first in the Rig
Veda, 10/85/19). He is the patron God of night. His origin is in the Mana (heart and
mind; the emotions and thoughts) of the Parmatma or the supreme Lord (the Viraat
Purush or Vishnu) (Yajur Veda, 31/12; Taiteriya Brahman, 3/10/8/5). His existence
depends upon the Sun God. On the dark night, he is supposed to enter the Sun (Aiteriya
Brahman, 8/28). Chandrama is synonymous with Som, the divine elixir and sanctified
drink drunk during the religious sacrifices as it gives its drinker peace and a long life
(Kaushatiki Brahman, 16/5; Aiteriya Brahman, 7/11). He is the controller of seasons and
months; he always changes so appear to be like a new born everyday. He gives peace and
long life to the ‘Stota’, the chanter of hymns as prayers (Rig Veda, 10/85/19).
Chandra or the Moon Gods appears in the Vedas as follows-- Rig Veda—
10/85/19; Yajur Veda—1/28; Atharva Veda—6/78/1-2; 19/1.
The Yogshikha Upanishad of Krishna Yajur Veda tradition describes this Moon as
being as the symbolic form of the water element. The moon is said to be the celestial
pitcher of Amrit, the elixir of eternity and bliss that is drunk by the Gods. In the human
body, it is represented by the Eda Naadi passing through the left nostrils and which is
used during do Pranayam. [Refer Canto 1, verse 166.] It is also present as the crescent
moon, the Ardha Chandrakar Chakra, which is said to be the shape of the water element
of which the patron deity is Vishnu, the sustainer of creation, and located from the knee
to the hip region. [Refer Canto 1, verse 176 and Canto 5, verse no. 13.] At other places it
describes the symbolic importance of creating a union of the moon and sun as metaphor
for the union of the creature with the supreme Brahm. [Refer Canto 1, verse nos. 56 and
68 for instance.] In the context of Pranayam it is used to indicate the bliss obtained by the
ascetic. [Refer Canto 1, verse nos. 120, 127.]
Canto 1, verse no. 133 of this Upanishad describes the great Mantra ‘So-a-ham’ and
asserts that the moon stands for the letter ‘sa’ of this Mantra. Other instances where moon
appears in Yogshikha Upanishad are Canto 1, verse nos. 133, 146, 176, Canto 3, verse
no. 11, and Canto 6, verse no. 4.]
“verse no. 7 = Rudra symbolises the ‘Beej’ or seed (represented by the sperm) which is
the basic unit carrier of life, while Janaardan (Vishnu) stands for the cosmic womb in
which this Beej is planted in order to develop the embryo of creation1
.
Rudra is Brahma the creator, and the latter is Fire God himself2
. [Refer verse no. 3
above.] (7).
[Note—1
That is why the Viraat Purush, the subtler form of Vishnu, is said to have done
the initial fire sacrifice and implanted the spark of creation in his own self. The one and the same entity became known as the male Viraat Purush and the female Prakriti by a
very subtle polarization of virtues. This is the primary form of asexual reproduction when
the Viraat Purush produced the Prakriti out of his own self.
With this holistic view-point, it is easy to understand this verse. That aspect of Brahm
which is neutral and totally oblivious of this world and remains self-contented is known
as Shiva, while when it took up a dynamic form in order to initiate the process of creation
it came to be known as Vishnu. Presently here, Shiva is regarded as the Viraat Purush,
and Vishnu is regarded as Prakriti or Mother Nature. This is because the Viraat was the
‘cosmic Father’ who provided the sperm, the ‘vital spark of life’. The cosmic bowl where
the creation was conceived was not a hollow devoid of the presence of the Viraat for the
simple reason that whatever that existed was nothing but Brahm, and this Viraat Purush
was Brahm’s gross macrocosmic body that was all-pervading and all-encompassing;
nothing existed outside of it. Therefore, this so-called ‘cosmic womb’ was also the body
of the Viraat Purush from which the sperm was produced. Hence, the Viraat acted as the
cosmic Father as well as the cosmic Mother called Prakriti. Again, since Vishnu and
Viraat Purush are the same entities, it follows that Vishnu and Prakriti are also the same.
Since the Mother is responsible for nourishing the offspring with her milk after it’s
born and with her own fluids when it was still in its formative stage in her womb, Vishnu
is called the Janaardan, the sustainer, nourisher and protector of creation, as opposed to
Shiva. That is, Vishnu is a manifestation of Shiva for the purpose of sustenance and
protection of creation.
2
It has just been said in this verse that Rudra or Shiva is the cosmic Father of creation
by providing the ‘seed’ or sperm of life. Since the function of creation is the duty of
Brahma, it is now confirmed that Rudra is none else but Brahma, or Brahma is a
manifestation of Rudra for the purpose of creation. An interesting thing is to be observed
here—whereas traditionally Rudra is regarded as the God responsible for death, in this
verse he is shown as being the cosmic father and creator. The ‘sperm’ inherently has the
dynamism, the strength and the vital life-creating powers and energy required to initiate
the process of creation, and since this is provided by Rudra it is obvious that he is the
Father of the entire creation, including the Gods and Goddesses. That is why he is
honoured with the title of ‘Maheshwar’, the great God—refer verse no. 9.
Now, ‘fire’ which stands for the eclectic virtues of light, heat, warmth, energy and
vitality is the most important requirement for life in all its forms. Life, heat and warmth
go hand in hand; one cannot separate the warmth and heat of fire from the earth and
imagine it to be habitable by any stretch of imagination. This is proved by the fact that no
life is sustainable in frigid conditions and sub-zero temperatures, while warm climate
teems with life in all its colourful hues. Since Brahma has the mandate of creation, he is
regarded as the personification of the Fire God. Or, by extension, Brahma and the Fire
God are both manifestations of Rudra (Shiva) for the purpose of creation. In fact, the
word ‘Rudra’ means the ferocious form of the otherwise calm, amiable and docile Shiva,
and ‘fire’ is a metaphor for anger and ferocity, the qualities opposite of Shiva.
This verse, like many others in this magnificent Upanishad of Advaita Vedanta, is a
remarkable exposition to prove the uniformity and non-duality of creation!]
“verse no. 8 = Lord Rudra (Shiva) is manifested as both Lords Brahma the creator and
Vishnu the sustainer and protector of creation. Besides this, the visible world overlooked
by the Agni (the Fire God represented by the celestial sun) and the Som (the Moon God
represented by the celestial moon) is also a manifestation of this same Rudra1
.
All the males of creation represent Rudra, while all the females symbolise
Bhagwati (one of the many names of Uma or Parvati, the divine consort of Rudra or
Shiva)2 (8).
[Note—1
This is why Shiva is often referred to as ‘Maheshwar’, the Great God,
essentially implying that he is senior to all the other Gods including the other two Gods
of the Trinity, i.e. Brahma and Vishnu. It is like the case of an equilateral triangle having
all the three sides equal and therefore all the angles also of equal degree, but to be a
‘triangle’ it must have an apex corner or point and two base corners or points. This ‘apex’
point is personified by Shiva, while the other two base corners are represented by Brahma
and Vishnu. Further, since the entire visible creation is not only created and pervaded by
Brahm, the Supreme Being, but also is considered as his visible revelation, it obviously
follows that whatever there is in this world is Brahm and by extension Rudra or Shiva.
Therefore, the sun and the moon are also within this sphere of definition of Brahm.
2
Rudra is one of the dynamic forms of Shiva. The latter represents the Viraat Purush who
is the male aspect of creation. From the Viraat was created the female counterpart called
the Shakti. As the process of creation progressed, the Viraat Purush came to be known as
Vishnu and Shakti as Bhagwati. The word ‘Bhag’ refers to the female genital where the
male sperm fuses with the female egg to form the embryo. Hence, the form of the Lord
that acted as the cosmic womb where the cosmic egg was conceived and nourished till it
emerged as the visible creation was called Bhagwati—i.e. one who is possessed of the
Bhag, one who is the Lord of the female as its rightful husband and therefore has full
right over the sexual process associated with her organs. In other words, the Supreme
Being revealed in the form of the Trinity Gods is the unquestioned Lord of creation that
has emerged from the cosmic womb represented by Mother Nature called Prakriti. Since
Prakriti has the magnificent ability to bear such a vast creation in her bosom, she is also
called Shakti, or the eclectic virtues of strength, energy and powers personified.
Earlier verse no. 7 has already stated that Rudra symbolises the cosmic sperm or
‘Beej’ representing the male aspect of creation while Vishnu stands for the cosmic womb
or the female aspect of creation. It has been said elsewhere that at the time of creation,
the Viraat Purush had assumed the form a man or male. Therefore, the Shakti aspect of
creation revealed as the female. Hence, all males are manifestations of Rudra, and all
females of Bhagwati. The basic idea in this verse is that one should not distinguish
between any two humans as one being of a higher class and the other being of a lower
class. The eclectic and well considered enlightened view is to treat all the creatures as one
or the other forms of the same macrocosmic form of the supreme transcendental Lord
who is the only truthful ‘One’ in creation and who is present in all the distinguishable
forms in which we see this world at our microcosmic level. Refer notes to earlier verse
nos. 3-8 also.]
“verse no. 9 = Similarly, the entire creation—both the animate as well as the inanimate—
is nothing but Rudra and Uma personified, a visible form of the invisible Rudra and
Uma1
.
The entire visible world symbolises Uma (the active principle of Rudra and
dynamic aspect of Brahm that is known as Prakriti), while the entire invisible world
stands for Maheshwar (literally the ‘great Lord’ referring to the Viraat Purush who is the
invisible macrocosmic manifestation of Brahm and represents the gross body of the
creation as a whole; the passive aspect of the supreme transcendental Brahm) (9).
[Note--1
This indicates that the entire creation having a male component and a female
component represents the two divine aspects of Brahm known as Rudra and Uma which
correspond to Brahm’s passive and active forms respectively.
The entire creation has come into being from the Viraat Purush. Had the Viraat
Purush not undergone self-mutation to produce a male and a female and then cleaving to
give them separate and independent existence, there would have been only one sex in
creation, and we would not have separate male and female. Since the Viraat had
metamorphosed himself as a male and a female in order to initiate and propagate creation
in the very beginning of creation itself, we still have these two forms of creatures who
continue with this basic function of creation even today. To ensure that his progeny did
not abstain from this task of procreation, the Lord was so clever that he made this
exercise of having sex as the most attractive of all deeds in this creation. A person who
can overcome this ‘natural instinct’ is therefore regarded as a personified Shiva because
he would be like Brahm himself who did not indulge in any sexual activity when he
decided to create. So, does this mean that a self-restrained ascetic has any less powers
than the man who exhibits his prowess by creating a new life in the form of his off
spring? Not at all for the simple reason that all Yoga Upanishads emphasise that a self-
realised ascetic acquires a number of mystical powers called the ‘Siddhis’ which
empower him with such great powers that even the Gods are no match for him.]
“verse nos. 10-11 = The cosmic union of Uma (Shakti representing the active and
dynamic aspect of the supreme Brahm and transcendental Divinity) and Shankar (Rudra
or Shiva representing the passive aspect of the supreme Brahm and Divinity) creates
Vishnu (the Viraat Purush—the macrocosmic and invisible gross body of Brahm from
which the rest of creation unfolded)1
.
Therefore, those who bow to Vishnu with great reverence and worship him with
great devotion are deemed to be knowledgeable about the three aspects of the Atma (the
divine entity known as the universal Soul and the quintessential Consciousness of
creation)—viz. the Atma, the Parmatma and the Antaraatma2
. This wisdom, erudition and
enlightenment helps them to know the eclectic quintessential Truth of creation and the
fundamental Reality behind all that exists, which in turn provides them with an
opportunity to become self-realised and Brahm-realised. In other words, they find shelter
in the supreme Atma which is the Truth representing their own self and the rest of the
creation3
(10-11).
[Note—1
When the passive aspect of Brahm known as Shankar or Rudra decided to
initiate the process of creation, he activated his own creative dynamic energy that was
hitherto in a latent and dormant format, thereby enabling himself to do so. This activated
dynamism of Rudra came to be known as Uma. The resultant off spring was the Viraat
Purush. Hence, the Viraat Purush is the result of the symbolic union of the male aspect of
Brahm as Shiva or Shankar or Rudra, and the female aspect as Uma.
2
The three aspects of the Atma, the pure consciousness, mentioned here are as
follows—(1) The word Atma’ refers to the divine cosmic entity that is pure consciousness
and without which no existence is possible. The Atma is universal, uniform, all-
pervading, all-encompassing, the ultimate Truth and Reality of creation, most divine,
magnificent and glorious, pure and uncorrupt cosmic Consciousness. It is the soul and
essence of existence; it is the base upon which everything is founded. In fact, what is
non-Atma is considered as non-truth in creation. This Atma is transcendental and beyond
the purview of time, space and definition. The glorious and eclectic virtues and divine
nature of this Atma is the subject matter of a number of Upanishads. (2) At the
macrocosmic level, this Atma is known as the supreme Atma or Parmatma. This refers to
the superior macrocosmic version of the Atma that was revealed when Brahm decided to
initiate the process of creation and manifested his own self as the all pervading and all encompassing Viraat Purush, or as the different Gods of the Trinity such as Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva or Rudra. This is the Parmatma or the supreme Atma or the supreme
Lord at the macrocosmic level who is being referred to in this verse. (3) Finally, when the
creation came into being, this supreme Consciousness represented by the Supreme Being
known as Parmatma took up residence in the inner being of the individual creature as its
Atma or soul. This aspect of the Atma was called Antaraatma as it resides in the inner
self of the individual creature. This is the microcosmic aspect of the Atma known as the
Parmatma at the macrocosmic level, and as the Atma in its primary and fundamental
level that transcends all these known forms of creation. The term ‘Atma’ in its principal
and elementary form is the Consciousness in its purest and most sublime form.
Therefore there is no fundamental difference between these three forms of the Atma
just like there is no difference between the basic nature and identity of an entity known as
‘water’ whether it is in a cup, in an ocean or as invisible moisture which is uniformly
distributed in the atmosphere but not visible to the naked eye. The water in the cup is like
the individual Atma of the creature that is limited by the space of the cup representing the
body of the creature, the water of the ocean is like the macrocosmic counterpart of this
individual Atma because of its vastness and infinite dimensions, and the water molecule
of the water vapour or moisture is the Atma in its microscopic and atomic form as the
basic element called Consciousness.
3
This wisdom is called ‘self awareness and enlightenment’. It is the awareness of the
ultimate Truth and Reality of creation. Once a wise man comes to know this truth, he
would abhor all delusions and falsehoods pertaining to the gross body and the material
world as if they were the spiritual plague.]
“verse no. 15 = Dharma (the virtues of righteousness, auspiciousness, probity and
propriety) personifies Rudra. The Jagat (the world, both the animate and the inanimate) is
a symbolic representation of Vishnu. And Gyan (knowledge, wisdom and erudition)
stands for Brahma1
(15).
[Note—1
Dharma is like Rudra because it is very strict and uncompromising in its
discipline. If any violation is observed in the implementation of the virtues represented by
Dharma, such as the good virtues of righteousness, auspiciousness, probity and propriety,
then it would immediately get angry and cast death and destruction upon the perpetrators
of evil and misdeed. It is uncompromising in this aspect even as death symbolised by
Shiva is unrelenting in its job. Here Dharma is a personified form of all the good virtues
of Rudra.
The living world is like Vishnu because it throbs and pulsates with vibrant and
colourful life. It sustains itself in a perpetual manner if it is auspicious and righteous.
Noble virtues are always at a premium and given due respect even today in this world,
indicating that Vishnu is hidden in this world imperceptibly because the world would not
accept the unrighteous and corrupt, and it treats with disdain everything not auspicious
and according to the righteous code of conduct and ethics. The visible creation is self-
sustaining. Once having come into existence, it moves ahead on its own steam. The father
takes care of his son when he is young, and the son takes of the father when the latter
grows old and infirm. The world creates its own resources, makes discoveries and
innovations as and when the need arises, it builds, destroys and re-builds again in an
endless cycle of creation, sustenance and destruction. This ability of the world to sustain
itself is a personified virtue of Vishnu whose mandate is to support the creation on a
perpetual basis.
Finally, since Brahma had created the Vedas, the repositories of all available
knowledge needed for mankind, he is regarded as a personification of Gyan meaning
knowledge, erudition, sagacity, wisdom and awareness of the truth.]”