BHARATVARSH

VEDIC MAHADEV

One of the most famous hindu gods is Mahadev, he is the most kind-hearted, compassionate and benevolent of all gods.

I remember the song from my favourite serial, a childhood classic Devo ke dev Mahadev -

Shankar Shiv Bhole, Umapati Mahadev,
Paalanhaar Parmeshwar, Vishwaroop Mahadev....

But do you know the people in Vedic India, feared him very much ?

In vedas Mahadev is known by the name of Rudra, he is associated with Vanaspati that is plants, herbs, medicine and also associated with hunt, storms etc.

Rudra is shown as the divine archer, who shoots arrows of death and disease but also as a healer and a source of 1,000 remedies. Basically he is a very contradictory god in himself.

The earliest mentions of Rudra occur in the Rig Ved, where three entire hymns are devoted to him. It is said that there are as many as seventy-five references to Rudra in the Rig-Ved Samhita.

He doesn't have a physical form, he is nirakar just like Narayan and Brahma. (The tridevs didn't had a physical form during Vedic times.)

But reading his description he seems to be an extremely powerful God who lurks far away in the shadows unlike Indradev and Suryadev who are in spot-light during the vedic times.

Vedic people feared him very much but at the same time worshipped him. In the yagyas his awahan was done at the last because it was believed he would cause chaos and destruction if called upon at the beginning or middle so when yagya was about to get over they offered their prayers to him.

But that doesn't mean that he was worshipped only for the namesake. He also had his followers, the Aghoris, the chandals etc. worshipped him with full devotion.

But the common people had very much fear for him. Here he is not shown as bholenath, bhole-bhandari, rather a very scary god.

It was during the Puranic period when Rudra got a physical form of an ascetic and the character of kind-hearted Bholenath as we know him today.

I think one of the reasons for this change can be that during Vedic times Mahadev had lost Mata Sati, and maybe in the puranic times they both were united. So union with Mata Parvati made him benevolent. And hence this change can seen.

I remembered one more song from Devo ke dev Mahadev -

Sarvo pari premi Shiv Shankar
Sarvottam priye Parvati.

Sarva shresht pati Parmeshvar Shiv
Sada Suhaagani Parvati.....

Adbhut prem ki adbhut mahima
Shabdo mei na varnit ho

Teeno lok mei, chaaro dham mei
Pujit hai Shiv Parvati....

BOLO UMAPATI MAHADEV KI JAI !

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A/N

THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN IN THE DRAFT SINCE SO LONG !! I NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO PUBLISH IT FOR SOME REASON.

FOR ANYONE WANTING TO HEAR THE SHIV-PARVATI SONG -

1000/10 recommended. Right vedvaani ?