SmartSurat  #  Hinduism

Rudra

Rudra, ' The Red One ' or ' Howler ', was a relatively unimportant god in Vedic times but was destined to become one of the great Gods of Hinduism. In the Vedas he is depicted as a ruddy, swarthy man with a wild temper and the murderous temperament of a wild beast. He rode a boar and was a robber god, the lord of thieves. He was also the divine archer who shot arrows of death and disease at gods, men and cattle. He thus personified the dangerous elements of nature; indeed, he was equated with the terrible, destructive form of Agni. In the Atharva Veda he is called Pasupati ,' Lord of Cattle ', and his association with animals here is reminiscent of the so-called Proto-Siva of the Harappan culture. His unusual nature has caused some to suggest that he was a pre-Aryan deity, perhaps a Dravidian god. But if Rudra's roots lie in the past in ancient India, there is much in his character which points forward to the character of Siva, in particular, the paradox of opposites in his nature. For not only was Rudra the cause of death and disease, he was also the divine physician who took away ailments infected by other gods: Thus his gracious hand is said to give wealth and bring comfort. In many ways he symbolizes the dualities of life - its good and bad, happiness and sadness and so on, just as all opposites are united in the deity Siva.