Rudra-Shiva concept (Study)
by Maumita Bhattacharjee | 2018 | 54,352 words
This page relates ‘Rudra as Bhava’ 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.
2.2. Rudra as Bhava
A single hymn has been found in the Atharvaveda which depicts Rudra in the form of Bhava and Śarva.[1] In this hymn of the Atharvaveda, Sāyaṇācārya derives the word bhava as one who generates the entire world at the very beginning.[2] Bhava is referred to as king.[3]
Sāyaṇācārya construes the term rājan as—
rājan sarvasyādhipate
“One who is the lord of all.”[4]
In his another commentary of the Atharvaveda, Sāyaṇācārya states that Bhava’s skin colour is nīlapītādivarṇāya or bluish and yellowish.[5]
Footnotes and references:
[3]:
[4]:
Sāyaṇa, Ibid.
[5]:
Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 11.2.5