Shiva: Encyclopedia II - Shiva - Origin Theories

Shiva - Origin Theories

Śiva does not occur in the Vedic hymns as the name of a god, but as an adjective in the sense of "kind", or "auspicious". One of his synonyms, however, is the name of a Vedic deity, the attributes and nature of which show a good deal of similarity to the post-Vedic Rudra, the god of the roaring storm, usually portrayed in accordance with the element he represents, as a fierce, destructive deity, terrible as a wild beast, whose fearful arrows cause death and disease to men and cattle. He is also called Bapardin (wearing his hair spirally braided like a shell), one of the synonyms of Śiva. The Atharva Veda mentions several other names of the same god, some of which appear even placed together, as in one passage where Bhava, Sarva, Rudra and Pasupati are conjunct. Some were possibly the names under which the same deity was already worshipped in different parts of Northern India. This was certainly the case in later times, since it is expressly stated in one of the later works of the Brahmana period that Sarva was used by the Eastern people and Bhava by a Western tribe. It is also worthy of note that in the same work, composed at a time when the Vedic triad of Agni, Indra-Vayu and Surya was still recognized, attempts are made to identify the Śiva of many names with Agni; and that in one passage in the Mahabharata it is stated that the Brahmins said that Agni was Śiva.

It is in his character as destroyer that Śiva holds his place in the triad, and in this he is identified with the Vedic Rudra. Another very important function appears, however, to have been assigned to him early on. In his modern worship, the role of a destroyer is especially exhibited in his consort Mahakali, whereas Śiva becomes a generative power, symbolized in the, (lingam). The non-Aryans had worshipped the linga as a phallic symbol, but its relation to the Vedic Rudra is less certain. Plausible conjecture has been put forth that linga symbol was originally prevalent among the non-Aryan population and later introduced into the worship of Śiva due to similarities. On the other hand, there can be little doubt that Śiva, in his generative faculty, is the representative of another Vedic god whose nature and attributes account for this particular feature of the modern deity Pushan.

The Vedic Śiva was frequently invoked as the lord of nourishment, to bestow food, wealth and other blessings. With the divine Soma, he was called the progenitor of heaven and earth, and is connected with the marriage ceremony, where he is asked to lead the bride to the bridegroom and make her prosperous (Skt: Civatama). Additionally, he has the epithet Bapardin, as has Rudra and the later Śiva, and is called Par Upa, or guardian of cattle, whence the latter derives his name Parupati. Parupa is a powerful and even fierce deity, who with his goad or golden spear, smites the foes of his worshipper, and thus in this respect offers some similarity to Rudra, which may have favored the fusion of the two gods into a monotheistic conception of God as Śiva.

In the mid 20th century, scholars like Ragula Sangiruthiyayan attempted to show how the various ancient religious practices were consolidated together by the rigourous effort of the Rishi Chanakya during the Gupta Dynasty. According to this school of thought, Rudra and other hunter and forest divinities were collectively brought into the charecteristics of one Godly personage: Śiva. This God was then accepted as originating from Brahman. Similarly, various other smaller gods of southern and western india were related to one single God, namely Vishnu whom then related to Rama of Aryan tribes who also was accepted as created by Brahma. However, such consolidation was incomplete for many centuries and several communities within India could never come under one umbrella till the period of British colonial rule, when all the Indians other than those who converted to Islam and Christianity were collectively labelled as Hindus.

There is however, the matter of he Pashupati (Lord of the Beasts) emblem on a seal discovered in Mohenjodaro, a major city-state in the Indus Valley Civilization. It puts forward a strong case for Shiva to be a God not of Indo-Aryan roots, but rooted in the people of the Indus valley, and the indigenous Dravidian and tribal peoples who inhabited the subcontinent. Shiva occupies an exalted, supreme position in Hinduism, making the case that Hinduism is not an Aryan religion, but a synthesis of Aryan, Dravidian and other influences.

Also see: Jyotirlinga

References to Śiva as female may have these origins:-
(1) Europeans guessing wrong from the -a on the end of his name.
(2) Sometimes, his consort Pārvatī is called Shivā (with the end vowel long).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Origin Theories", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki