Notes on the viShNu-virachita rudra stotram http://manasataramgini.wordpress.

com/2011/04/28/notes-on-the-vishnu-virachita-ru dra-stotram/ The early history of the imagery of rudra within the Indo-Aryan tradition (as an ortholog of the deities elsewhere in the Indo-European world, like Apollo and O din) can be traced through a large body of texts. These include in approximate c hronological order: 1) The earliest layer in the R^igveda RV 1.43; 1.114; 2.33 and 6.74 among others . 2) The nIlarudra and atharva-rudra sUkta-s of the AV-P and and AV-vulgate respec tively. 3) The shatarUdrIya and the tryaMbaka homa mantra-s of the yajur-veda saMhitA-s. 4) The vrAtya rudra sUkta (AV-vulgate 15.5). 5) The shUlagava mantra-s/kaushItakI shUlgava section. 6) The mahAnArAyaNopaniShat. 7) The shvetAshavataropaniShat. 8) The atharvashiras. 9) The AV parishiShTha on the pAshupata vrata. 10) The mahAbharata the ajAnana-virachita rudra stotra. 11) The harivaMsha viShNu-virachita rudra stotra. These offer an opportunity to examine the continuity and evolution in the emerge nce of the imagery of rudra. We shall now briefly examine the last of the abovementioned texts. In several ways it is related to the ajAnana-virachita rudra st otra attributed to dakSha after he was revived with the head of a goat by rudra. It is found in the 87th chapter of the 3rd parvan of the vulgate text of the ha rivaMsha and is supposed to have been composed by viShNu to praise rudra. The en tire stotra is given below: namaste shitikaNThAya nIlagrIvAya vedhase | namaste shochiShe astu namaste upavAsine ||3-87-13 namaste mIDhuShe astu namaste gadine hara | namaste vishvatanave vR^iShAya vR^iSharUpiNe ||3-87-14 amUrtAya cha devAya namaste.astu pinAkine | namaH kubjAya kUpAya shivAya shivarUpiNe ||3-87-15 namas tuShTAya tuNDAya namas tuTituTAya cha | namaH shivAya shAntAya girishAya cha te namaH ||3-87-16 namo harAya viprAya namo hariharAya cha | namo.aghorAya ghorAya ghora-ghora-tarAya cha ||3-87-17 namo.aghaNTAya ghaNTAya namo ghaTighaTAya cha | namaH shivAya shAntAya girishAya cha te namaH ||3-87-18 namo virUparUpAya purAya purahAriNe | nama AdyAya bIjAya shuchaye.aShTasvarUpiNe ||3-87-19 namaH pinAkahastAya namaH shUlAsidhAriNe | namaH khaTvA~Nga-hastAya namaste kR^ittivAsase ||3-87-20 namaste devadevAya nama AkAsha-mUrtaye | harAya hari-rUpAya namaste tigmatejase ||3-87-21 bhaktapriyAya bhaktAya bhaktAnAM varadAyine | namo.abhramUrtaye deva jagan-mUrtidharAya cha ||3-87-22 namash-chandrAya devAya sUryAya cha namo namaH | namaH pradhAna-devAya bhUtAnAM-pataye namaH ||3-87-23 karAlAya cha muNDAya vikR^itAya kapardine | ajAya cha namastubhyaM bhUtabhAvanabhAvana ||3-87-24 namo.astu harikeshAya pi~NgalAya namo namaH | namaste.abhIShuhastAya bhIrubhIruharAya cha ||3-87-25 harAya bhItirUpAya ghorANAM-bhItidAyine | namo dakSha-makhaghnAya bhaga-netrApahAriNe ||3-87-26 umApate namastubhyaM kailAsa-nilayAya cha | AdidevAya devAya bhavAya bhavarUpiNe ||3-87-27 namaH kapAlahastAya namo.aja-mathanAya cha | tryambakAya namastubhyaM tryakShAya cha shivAya cha ||3-87-28

varadAya vareNyAya namaste chandrashekhara | nama idhmAya haviShe dhruvAya cha kR^ishAya cha ||3-87-29 namaste shaktiyuktAya nAgapAshapriyAya cha | virUpAya surUpAya madya-pAna-priyAya cha ||3-87-30 shmashAna-rataye nityaM jaya-shabda-priyAya cha | khara-priyAya kharvAya kharAya khara-rUpiNe ||3-87-31 bhadra-priyAya bhadrAya bhadra-rUpa-dharAya cha | virUpAya surUpAya mahAghorAya te namaH ||3-87-32 ghaNTAya ghaNTabhUShAya ghaNTa-bhUShaNa-bhUShiNe | tIvrAya tIvra-rUpAya tIvra-rUpa-priyAya cha ||3-87-33 nagnAya nagna-rUpAya nagna-rUpa-priyAya cha | bhUtAvAsa namastubhyaM sarvAvAsa namo namaH ||3-87-34 namaH sarvAtmane tubhyam namaste bhUtidAyaka | namaste vAmadevAya mahAdevAya te namaH ||3-87-35 kA nu vAk-stuti-rUpA te ko nu stotuM prashaknuyAt | kasya vA sphurate jihvA stutau stutimatAM vara ||3-87-36 kShamasva bhagavan-deva bhakto.ahaM trAhi mAM hara | sarvAtman-sarvabhUtesha trAhi mAM satatam hara||3-87-37 rakSha deva jagannAtha lokAn sarvAtmanA hara | trAhi bhaktAn sadA deva bhaktapriya sadA hara ||3-87-38 . - - . . - . ~ . . . . - - ~ - - - - - -

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The attributes that can be traced to earlier texts are: shitikaNTha (the fair-throated one): YV saMhitA nIlagrIva (the blue-throated one): YV saMhitA; AV-P mIDhuShaH (bountiful): RV saMhitA; YV saMhitA; Apastamba mantra-prashna vR^iSha (the bull): RV saMhitA deva (the god): RV saMhitA; AV-vulgate; tANDya brAhmaNa pinAkin (the holder of the pinAka bow): AV-vul; AV-P; YV saMhitA; AV-parishiShTh a shiva (the auspicious one): RV saMhitA; YV saMhitA; AV-vul; AV-P; shvetAshavatar a girisha (mountain rover): YV; AV-P hara (destroyer): maitrAyaNIya saMhitA; shvetAshavatara; AshvalAyana gR^ihyasUtr a; bodhAyana mantraprashna; ApastaMba mantraprashna aghora (benign): YV-maitrAyaNIya; mahAnArAyaNa; AV-parishiShTha ghora (terrible): YV-maitrAyaNIya; mahAnArAyaNa; AV-parishiShTha ghoratara (most terrible): YV-maitrAyaNIya; mahAnArAyaNa; AV-parishiShTha virUpa (many formed): YV-saMhita purahAriN (destroyer of the 3 cities): as in tripurAntaka brAhmaNa, i.e., YV-tai ttirIya brAhmaNa aShTasvarUpin (8 formed): The 8 names come in the shUlagava mantra, e.g. Apastam ba mantraprashna; kaushItakI brAhmaNa; shatapata brAhmaNa pinAkahasta (holder of the pinAka): YV-saMhitA kR^ittivAsas (clad in hides): YV-saMhitA bhUtAnAMpati (lord of the beings): as bhUtapati in AV-Vulgate; AV-P; aitareya-br AhmaNa muNDa (clean shaven): AV-parishiShTha; as in vyuptakesha in YV-saMhitA kapardin (with knotted locks): RV-saMhitA; YV-saMhitA; AshvalAyana gR^ihyasUtra; AV-parishiShTha aja (unborn): shvetAshavatara harikesha (green/yellow haired): YV-saMhitA pi~Ngala (tawny): mahAnArAyaNopaniShat; AV-parishiShTha (e.g. uchChuShma and gos hAnti) dakSha-makhaghna (destroyer of dakSha's ritual): alluded in gopatha-brAhmaNa as de stroyer of prajApati's yAga and AV-parishiShTha in graha-saMgraha bhaga-netrApahArin (destroyer of bhaga's eyes): gopatha-brAhmaNa umApati (husband of umA): mahAnArAyaNopaniShat bhava (all existence): RV-saMhitA; RV-khila; AV-vul; AV-P; YV saMhitA; Apastamba mantra-prashna; kaushItakI brAhmaNa; shatapata brAhmaNa; AV-parishiShTha kapAlahasta (skull-wielder): as in kapAlin AV-parishiShTha tryambaka (the three eyed one): RV-saMhitA; YV-saMhitA; YV-brAhmaNa-s; gopatha b rAhmaNa; AV-parishiShTha dhruva (firm): shvetAshavatara khara-priya/khara-rUpin (with donkeys): equivalent of the gardabhau mentioned in the AV-P vAmadeva (the beautiful god): mahAnArAyaNopaniShat

mahAdeva (the great god): AV-vul; AV-P; YV saMhitA; kaushItakI brAhmaNa; AV-pari shiShTha The above analysis shows that the majority of epithets of rudra in this stuti ar e of Vedic provenance and cover the entire temporal spectrum of Vedic developmen t all the way from the RV to the late upaniShat and parishiShTha texts. However, the stuti shows some developments that have no apparent precedence in much of t he surviving Vedic corpus: 1) rudra as the bearer of the shUla. Right in the RV, rudra is repeatedly descri bed as tigmAyudha or tigmaheti, i.e., one with a sharp weapon (may be a cognate of Odin's spear). However, nowhere is this weapon specified as being a shUla or a trishUla. The word shUla itself occurs in the RV and means a stake, such as that used to roast sacrificial meat in the ashvamedha ritual (could be a doubtful co gnate of greek Xulon). In the shUlagava ritual described in the gR^ihya sUtra-s the term again is for the sacrificial stake. But as the name for the sharp weapo n of rudra it becomes apparent only in the epic. This points to a semantic expan sion of the word shUla to include a sharp weapon. With this expansion, it appear s to have taken the place of the tigmAyudha of the veda, perhaps via its use in the shUlagava of rudra. However, it should be noted that the vajra or the thunde r-bolt is regarded as a weapon of rudra right from the RV itself. Similarly, tri dents are archaeologically attested in depictions on Indus and Mesopotamian site s that overlap temporally with the Vedic period. The bronze age deities of the M iddle East are routinely shown with tridents: e.g. Enlil. In many of these bronz e age Eurasian icons the trident held by a deity actually stands for the thunder -bolt, which is an equivalent of the vajra (e.g. the iconography of the Hittite Tarhun=Teshub). Hence, it is possible that the trishUla in the classical Agama/p urANa iconography of rudra is a conflation of the original vajra, which was hist orically shown as three-pronged, and the tigmAyudha, which had come to be known as the shUla (as in the above stuti). 2) The khaTvA~Nga/kapAla. The skull as an attribute of rudra is not mentioned in the core saMhitA-s of the shruti and only finds mention in the AV-parishiShTha. Now, the khaTvA~Nga or the skull-topped brand as an attribute of rudra is clear ly mentioned for the first time in the texts of great epic layer, for example, a s seen in this stuti. Apastamba states in his dharmasUtra (APS 1.28-29) that a m urderer who has committed the great sin of killing a brAhmaNa should use a kapAl a as a bowl and carry a khaTvA~Nga. Similar gautama states that a brAhmaNa kille r should live a celibate life for twelve years carrying a kapAla and a khaTvA~Ng a and proclaiming his sin while begging for food (GDS 22.4). A similar statement is found in the baudhAyana dharmasUtra (BDS 2.1.3.1) along with the further inj unction that the sinner lives in the cremation ground. The tale of rudra killing prajApati is seen in the RV itself and is repeatedly described in the brAhmaNas. This act might have associated rudra, even in the vedic period, with brahmaha tyA, as it is done in the purANa-s. This appears to have been the precedence for the transference of the brahmaghna's attributes to rudra. The celebration of the skull as a positive attribute of rudra rather than as a mark of his dark side emerge s in the purANa-s like the skanda puraNa (vulgate). In the avantikhANDa there is tale of how kapAla-s repeatedly appear in the middle of the vedI when the brAhm aNa-s are performing a ritual to rudra. The brAhmaNa-s place these skulls outsid e the yaj~nashAlA each time one appears as they were thought to be desecrating t he fire. This resulted in a pyramid of skulls accumulating outside the yaj~nashA lA in a particular spot. The brAhmaNa-s later discovered that these skulls were marking the site of the great li~Nga of mahAkAla. 3) The cremation ground dweller/delighter, shmashAna-rati. In the pAraskAra gR^i hyasUtra (3.15) it is declared that one should invoke rudra with the initial R^i k-s of the shatarudrIya, especially when one is passing by cross roads or a crem ation ground. This suggests that there was an ancient link between rudra and the cremation grounds, among other wild places, which was more explicitly developed in the texts of the epic layer. 4) chandrashekhara. Right from the veda, rudra was identified with the sun and t he moon. Thus, in the rudra recitation of the kaushitaki brAhmaNa we have: yan ma hAn deva Adityas tena | and yad rudrash chandramAs tena |. This is reproduced in th

e above stuti in: namash-chandrAya devAya sUryAya cha namo namaH |. However, in th e texts associated with the great epic we have for the first time an iconographi c regarding rudra as the bearer of the lunar digit. A lunar association of rudra might be concealed under the vaidika dvandva somArudrA. Also related to this link is the fact that in the Eurasian bronze age we find several horned deities. At least in Mesopotamia the bovine horns are taken to represent the crescent moon ( e.g. on Nannar or Marduk's headgear). Hence, it is possible that the lunar crest o f rudra is a more direct representation of the horns that are so common in the i conography of bronze age Eurasian deities. 5) The lover of liquors, madya-pAna-priya. The use of psycho-active substances b y rudra and his followers is not unknown in the veda itself. In the famous sUkta of the keshin-s (RV 10.136) the keshin drinks the viSha prepared from the kunan namA seeds. While the above stuti explicitly associates liquor with rudra, we ca n trace the beginning of this association to a special ritual action in the prep aration of the beer offered in the Vedic sautramaNI ritual. The shatapata brAhma Na states (12.7.3.20) that the powdered hair of the lion, tiger and wolf are mix ed into the beer because if he mixed the powder into the milk cups he would offe r his cattle to rudra pashupati. The liquor is associated with rudra because it makes one raudra upon drinking. By putting the hair powder in the beer the rituali st unites the animals which belongs to rudra with him. Thus, pashupati only goes with the wild animals and spares the yajamAna's domestic animals. In any case the explicit mention in this stuti is an important point because it marks a develop ment in the direction of worship that was to become typical of the vama and bhai rava srotas and their kaula evolutes. 6) kubja, the crooked one. This appellation is striking because it was to reappe ar much later in the tradition of the kubjikA-mata,where rudra is called kubjIsh ana. At first sight this might seem convergent and based on the name of the shak ti kubjikA. But we strongly suspect this is not a coincidence. In fact we suspec t that the name has a long history that goes back to the earliest Vedic layers. In RV 1.114 he is called va~Nku that has a meaning similar to kubja. Thus, kubja in the context of rudra and his shakti kubjikA in the mantra-mArga appear to ha ve descended from this old epithet. The historical importance of this stuti is in establishing the relative era when the classical iconography of rudra became prevalent and also providing evidence for the emergence of certain attributes that were magnified in the non-saiddhAn tika srotAMsi. The saiddhAntika srotas emphasizes the benign facets, and clean of rudra (now transcending his previous rudra forms as the supreme deity of the Urd hvasrotas, sadAshiva). The other srotAMsi emphasize the terrible, the ferocious and unclean aspects of rudra in different combinations and degrees or all of them together. There is hardly any doubt that in the veda the dread of rudra is repea tedly alluded to. To consider a few examples: 1) In the agnihotra ritual the hotar holds out the sruk two times to the north. With this he pleases rudra in his own direction (north) and rudra goes away plea sed. If the yajamAna were to stand to the north when the offering is being made he comes in the way of the fierce rudra and could be seized by him (kaushitaki b rAhmaNa 2.2, also mentioned in the kaTha and maitrAyaNIya saMhitA-s, gopatha brA hmaNa of the AV tradition, and in the shA~NkhAyana brAhmaNa the northward offeri ng is combined for rudra with Ursa Major). The kaTha and maitrAyanIya texts expl ain that during this agnihotra offering rudra must be implored for mercy using t he mantra-s that contain the special names of rudra, anAbhu (ruthless; anArbhava among the North Indian kaTha-s) and dhUrta (roguish; subsequently this dhUrta m antra is transferred to kumAra). These names are said to be dreadful manifestati ons of rudra that destroy animals. By using these names he pleases rudra and pac ifies him with respect to the yajamAna. At the same time he destroys or drives a way those who illegitimately partake of the offerings and harm his ritual. 2) In the tradition of the kaTha-s and the maitrAyaNIya-s a special agnihotra of 12 days is offered if rudra seizes his animals. In this ritual as per the kaTha -s he makes a recitation of an offering mantra where he replaces the name rudra with jAtavedas an euphemism to avoid the dread of rudra. In the KS and MS it is mentioned that rudra smears the plants with poison and so the cattle are unable

to eat it. The poison is removed by prajApati via the action of agni. This is gi ven as reason for the samidh offered to prajApati, and at the same time evokes t he dread to rudra. 3) The tradition of the aitareya brAhmaNa the hotar introduces peculiar vikR^iti -s to the R^ik RV 2.33.1 so that the fury of rudra does not fall on the yajamAna : In place of the actual mantra he recites: A te pitar marutAM sumnam etu mA naH sUryasya sandR^iSho yuyothAH | tvaM no vIro arvati kShameta pra jAyemahi rudriya prajAbhiH || This brAhmaNa tradition holds that by using tvaM naH in place of the original abhi naH rudra is not directed toward the yajamAna's family and cattle. By using rudriya instead of rudra he reduces the terror arising from the mention of the real nam e of rudra, who has just been described in the brAhmaNa as having slain prajApat i. Alternatively the hotar might entirely drop this mantra and substitute it wit h the gAyatrI to rudra composed by gotamo rAhUgaNa (RV 1.43.6): shaM naH karatyarvate sugaM meShAya meShye | nR^ibhyo nAribhyo gave || The brAhmaNa explains this substitution by indicating that this mantra does not mention rudra by name and thereby averts the terror arising from the mention of his name. Secondly, it begins with the positive word shaM, which indicates auspi ciousness. From these points a paradoxical point of note emerges: On one hand, the veda, wh ile stressing the dread of rudra, avoids any detailed description of the dreadfu l and unclean forms of rudra and tries to primarily describe his benign facets. The tendency is amplified in the tradition outlined in the aitareya in the subst itution followed in the rudra mantra. This is in keeping with the general tenden cy in the vedic ritual where there is a strong tendency to avoid the mention of dreadful aspects of rudra in ones vicinity. On the other hand, there appears to be a countercurrent (e.g. the agnihotra mantra-s of the KS and MS) to specifical ly mention the dreadful names of rudra as a means of appeasing his dreadful aspe cts (also seen to certain degree in the shatarudrIya of the YV saMhitA-s). This appears to represent an ancestral paradox in the rituals to rudra, a dimorphism that appears to have continued in course of the development of the sectarian sha iva system and Hindu literature. In the early layers of the shiva shAsana, there was an emphasis on the benign face of rudra (e.g. his name shiva) and a stress on ritual purity in his worship. This trend is dominant in the shvetAshvatara, a tharvashiras and the system of the pAshupata vrata expounded in the AV parishiSh Tha-s and the pAshupata sUtra-s. It was this tendency that continued with the la kula-s and their kAlAmukha successors and eventually came to be the mainstay of the siddhAnta tantra-s of the mantra mArga with sadAshiva as their central devat A. The above stuti suggests that there was probably a counter-current wherein th e emphasis was on the terrible and the unclean aspects of rudra (the stuti gives both sides of the coin) even within the early shiva shAsana. This is encapsulated in the names like kapAlin, khaTvA~Ngin, shmashAna-rati, madya-pAna-priya, nagna and making of frightening noises: ghaTighaTa or tuTituTa (compare with names of early bhUta tantra-s of the pashchima srotas: hAhAkAraM, shivAravaM, ghorATTahA saM and ghurghuraM). This led to the kApAlika tradition of the atimArga that was a mirror of the more purity emphasizing pAshupata-s (that is the version of the atimArga based on the somasiddhAnta texts).