Article:
How Siva evolved over the years
By Rohini Bakshi
daily O

In truth the divine is unknowable, and to try and find his origins is a reckless task.

In part 1 of this series on Siva we touched upon the presence and development of Rudra as he appears in texts before the beginning of the common era. In this article, I'd like to walk you through what might have been the process by which Rudra became Siva in the millennia that followed. Scholars like Nilima Chitgopekar and Benjamin Fleming have written extensively on this complex journey. Others like Stella Kramrisch have presented an ahistorical portrayal which makes it difficult to analyse the process.
Indologists agree broadly that the by the 4th century CE the epics were in the form as we know them today. In the epics Siva, though respected, was not yet a major deity. Many of the legends associated with his classic Puranic form are not fully formed. For instance, having combed references in the Mahabharata, Dr Lynn Thomas suggests that his "destroyer" aspect is yet to take exclusive hold. References to destruction, death and the end of creation are diffused and Yama continues to hold a larger share of the antaka (ender, destroyer) aspect. Other stories associated with Siva where they do appear are brief and not anywhere as developed as in the Puranas. Phyllis Granoff points to the destruction of the sacrifice of Daksa, the decapitation of Brahma and the decimation of Tripura (three cities) as scant or absent in the epics.

Yet, Kalidasa who is supposed to have lived around the same time, had no trouble at all penning the mahakavya "Kumarasambhava" in which Siva appears in full Puranic glory, even though explanatory myths are not elaborated (see KS 5.65-81). Why this disconnect? Well, three basic elements underlie the transformation of Rudra to Siva, in which absolutely central is the role of theologian-redactors who decided when and in what form a deity would be placed in the brahminical texts. Other factors include the absorption of the belief systems of autochthonous groups into the Vedic fold and the inclusion of regional gods, each of whom added their features to the developing deity. This led to the re-casting of references that appear in stem form in early Vedic texts.

Some new aspects that were added to Rudra came naturally to him. For instance asceticism. Rudra/Sarva, the hunter, lived in the forest, rejected the Vedic sacrifice and way of life. He is the god mentioned in the Kesi-sukta (RV 10.136) which enunciates the earliest expression of heterodox, mendicant ways. The transformation to the Mahayogi in the wake of the systemisation of yoga (circa 6th-4th cen BCE) is then easy to comprehend. But what about other features? Here Nilima Chitgopekar's scholarship shows the way. She feels certain characteristics were grafted deliberately onto Rudra in what is now known as the Puranic Process. As the footprint of Aryavarta expanded, the Vedic religion came directly into contact (hegemonically) with other cultures, which had their own gods. These gods were not discarded or rejected, but integrated into the brahminical pantheon with their features.

Read more:

http://bit.ly/1OQX2W9

Image:
Shiva as the Cosmic Pillar
India, Tamil Nadu, early 12th century
Sculpture
Granulite with traces of paint

Source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art