Rudra-Shiva concept (Study)
by Maumita Bhattacharjee | 2018 | 54,352 words
This page relates ‘Atharvaveda-samhita (f): Rudra as a Physician’ 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.
4. Atharvaveda-saṃhitā (f): Rudra as a Physician
Rudra is said to have some healing remedies. There is a spell in the Atharvaveda Saṃhitā which is chanted against disease and here Rudra is said to have a healing remedy against vraṇaroga. By the medicine of Rudra oneshafted, hundred tipped arrow can be spell away.[1]
Sāyaṇācārya in his commentary states that:
bheṣajaṃ asya vraṇarogasya nivarttakam auṣadham | idameva rudrasya bheṣajam.[2]
In the introduction of the hymn Atharvaveda Saṃhitā 6.57, Sāyaṇācārya states that:
... mukharahitavraṇabhaiṣajārthaṃ gomūtreṇa vraṇaṃ marhayet
Or one should smear cow’s urine on vraṇa to cure this.[3] Kauśika Sūtra describes it as a healing rite, while treating an abscess with foam of urine.[4]
Dārila in Kauśika Sūtra, also says that—
akṣita vraṇabhaiṣajyamucyate |... gomutramabhimantra tena vraṇamardayati.[5]
It means that vraṇa or abscess has been cured by sprinkling cow’s urine. Rudra is called Jalāṣa Bheṣaja.[6] According to Sāyaṇa, jalāṣa means sukh or happiness and Jalāṣabheṣaja is one who has the medicine of happiness. And also jalāṣa means water. The one, upon remembering whose name, water changes in to medicine is known as Jalāṣabheṣaja.[7] According to P. M.Rath, ‘jalāṣa is the cow urine.’[8] Rudra is invoked by the worshippers to be gracious to them along with jalāṣa.[9]
There is another mantra of the Atharvaveda Saṃhitā, where it is said that the water where gośṛṅga is poured that very water is addressed as Rudra’s urine. That very water is called viṣāṇakā as well as navel of immortal.[10]
An entire hymn is found which is dedicated for safety from Rudra’s arrow[11] and this is used by Kauśika[12] in a healing rite against sharp pain or śula. The role of Rudra as a physician is more vividly depicted in the Atharvaveda Saṃhitā.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
idamid vā u bheṣajamidaṃ rudrasya bheṣajam | yeneṣumekatejanāṃ śataśalyāmapavravat || Ibid., 6.57.1
[2]:
Sāyaṇa, Ibid.
[3]:
Ibid.
[4]:
idamidvā ityakṣataṃ mūtrafenenābhyudya | Kau.Sū., 31.11
[5]:
Dārila on Kauśika-sūtra, 31.11
[6]:
Atharvaveda-saṃhitā, 2.27.6
[7]:
[9]:
jalāṣeṇābhi ṣiñcata jalāṣenopa siñcata | jalāṣamugraṃ bheṣajaṃ tena no mṛḍa jīvase || Atharvaveda-saṃhitā, 6.57.2
[10]:
[11]:
Ibid., 6.90
[12]:
yāṃ te rudra iti śūline śūlam | Kauśika-sūtra, 31.7