Rudra, God of Storms

 

Rudra, God of Storms

 

 

Agudengba met an old donkey by chance in India. The old donkey chatted with Agudengba about the legends of Hinduism and Lord Shiva.

The old donkey told Agudengba:

Lord Shiva is a pan-Hindu deity widely worshiped by Hindus in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. But when talking about the Hindu god Shiva, we must talk about Rudra. Because the god Shiva we know today shares many characteristics with the Vedic god Rudra, Shiva and Rudra are considered to be the same person in Hindu scriptures.

Rudra is a god of terrible power in the Rigveda and the god of roaring storms. He is often described as a ferocious and destructive god. He is also described as the "Father of Rudra", the leader of a group of storm gods.

Rudra is an ambiguous god, peripheral to the Vedic pantheon, perhaps indicating its non-Vedic origins. Nonetheless, both Rudra and Shiva are similar to Vardan, the Germanic god of wrath and wild hunter. According to some accounts, during the development of the Hindu complex, the attributes of Buddha were transferred to Shiva by Brahman. Also associated with Rudra.

The old donkey told Agudumba: I have read some relevant cultural books. In the Rivedic hymns, Rudra is feared because he is associated with fierce and cruel natural phenomena and storms, but he is beneficial. Rainfall is considered an aspect of Lord Shiva. And in post-Vedic literature the ultimate combination of destructive and constructive, terrible and benevolent forces is the ultimate in all existence.

There is no mention of bulls or animals as vehicles of Rudra or other gods in the Vedic texts. However, post-Vedic texts such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas specifically mention the Nandi bull, the Indian zebu, as the carrier of Rudra and Shiva, explicitly identifying them as one and the same thing.

The cow is the mount of the main god "Lord Shiva"; therefore it is regarded as a "sacred animal" by Hindus.

Early etymological texts state that Agni was a bull and that Shiva owned Nandi, a bull, as his vehicle. The horns of Agni are mentioned and he is sometimes depicted as a bull. In medieval carvings, both Agni and Shiva feature fiery red hair.

It is also said that some of Saivite's fertility myths and Shiva's phallic characteristics were inherited from Indra. The reasoning is that both are associated with mountains, rivers, male fertility, ferocity, fearlessness, war, violation of established customs, echoes of parrots and the supreme self. In the Rigveda, the word Shiva is used to refer to Indra. Indra, like Shiva, is also compared to a bull.

The old donkey said to Agudengba again:

Indra is the subject of 250 hymns, a quarter of which are included in the Rigveda. Jain texts and artwork show Indra as a dancer, and they are not exactly the same as Hindu artwork of dancing Shiva, but the similarity of the dancing images suggests a possible connection between Indra and Shiva in ancient times .

Vedic beliefs and practices of the preclassical era were closely related to the supposed Indo-European primitive religions, and to the pre-Islamic Indo-Iranian religions.

Shiva's iconographic and theological similarities to Greek and European gods led to Indo-European connections between Shiva and ancient Central Asian cultures, as well as lateral interactions with ancient Central Asian cultures.

Shiva has aspects similar to the Greek god Dionysus, as do his symbolic associations with bulls, snakes, anger, courage, dance and a carefree life.

Similar to ancient Greek texts from the time of Alexander the Great, Shiva was referred to as the "Dionysus of India" or Dionysus as the "God of the East".

The old donkey smiled again and said: Similarly, the use of phallic symbols as icons of Lord Shiva is similar to the Aryans of early India, as well as the Irish, Scandinavian, Greek (Dionysian) and Indians. The idea of a symbolic pillar connecting heaven and earth. This is also seen in the world of gods. But others dispute this claim, arguing that Shiva emerged from pre-Aryan indigenous tribal origins.

Agudenba fell into deep thought. But the old donkey sang the song "I Stand in the Storm" at the top of his lungs:

 

How many people died in the storm,

How many people roared in the storm.

The storm will destroy the flowers,

After the storm, everything continues to grow.

 

I will always curse the storm,

It should not abuse weak creatures.

But I also love the roughness of mountains, wind, thunder and rain,

Because the storm is testing my character.

 

I stand in the storm and show no weakness,

I stood firm in the thunderstorm.

Although the storm creates turmoil,

But it also cleanses away the filth of the world.

 

Let the storm come more violently,

I swear to Shiva, the storm god:

The original intention of the storm is not to destroy;

But let us learn to be strong.