Caturvyūha or Chatur-vyūha ( Sanskrit : चतुर्व्यूह , romanized : Caturvyūha , lit. 'four emanations'), is an ancient Indian religious concept initially focusing on the four earthly emanations ( Vyūhas ) of the Supreme deity Nārāyaṇa , and later Viṣṇu . The first of these emanations is the hero-god Vāsudeva , with the other emanations being his kinsmen presented as extensions of Vāsudeva himself. From around the 1st century CE, this "Vyuha doctrine" ( Vyūhavāda ) developed out of the earlier Vīravāda cult of the Vrishni heroes , in which the five heroes Saṃkarṣaṇa , Vāsudeva , Pradyumna , Samba and Aniruddha had remained mostly human in character. Still later, around the 4th century CE, it evolved into the Avatāravāda system of incarnations of Vishnu , in which Vishnu was the primordial being and the Vrishni heroes had become his avatars.
47-600: The four earthly emanations, or " Vyuhas " , are identified as Samkarshana ( Balarama -Samkarshana, son of Vasudeva by Devaki ), Vāsudeva krishna (son of Vasudeva by Devaki ), Pradyumna (son of Vasudeva Krishna by Rukmini ), and Aniruddha (son of Pradyumna). They are probably similar the legendary Vrishni heroes of the Mathura region, minus Samba (son of Vasudeva by Jambavati ). Originally, several of these earthly deities, particularly Vāsudeva , seem to have formed one of several major independent cults, together with
94-582: A vyūha an army re-sets its different able warriors and weaponry into a specific arrangement as per battle demands, the Supreme Being re-sets the contents of consciousness through yogamaya with each formation concealing yet another formation. The five layers of matter ( prakrti ) that constitute the human body are the five sheaths ( pañcakośa ), one moves inwards from the visible layers through more refined invisible layers in search of own true self. The Pāñcarātra Āgama , which are based on Ekāyana recension of
141-664: A cucumber, may I be freed from the bonds of death, not reft of immortality. In the Taittiriya Aranyaka of Yajur Veda (10.24.1), Rudra is identified as the universal existent ('all this') and thus as the Purusha (Supreme Person or inner Self) of the Vedas: sarvo vai rudrastasmai rudrāya namo astu puruṣo vai rudraḥ sanmaho namo namaḥ viśvaṃ bhūtaṃ bhuvanaṃ citraṃ bahudhā jātaṃ jāyamānaṃ ca yat sarvo hyeṣa rudrastasmai rudrāya namo astu ॥ 1॥ All this verily
188-660: A distance). The sage declares that the Truth is concealed in the Vedas , covered by a golden lid or vessel Bādarāyaṇa , by declaring – utpatty-asambhavāt (उत्पत्त्यसम्भवात्) (Owing to the impossibility of origin) - Brahma-Sūtras (II.ii.42) refutes the Bhāgavata view that the Catur-vyūha forms originate successively from Vasudeva , for any origin for the soul is impossible, an implement cannot originate from its agent who wields it. Whereas in
235-440: A kind of cringing fear, as a deity whose wrath is to be deprecated and whose favor curried'. RV 1.114 is an appeal to Rudra for mercy, where he is referred to as 'mighty Rudra, the god with braided hair'. In RV 7 .46, Rudra is described as armed with a bow and fast-flying arrows, although many other weapons are known to exist. As quoted by R. G. Bhandarkar, the hymn declare that Rudra discharges 'brilliant shafts which run about
282-508: A thousand medicines (RV 7.46.3). So he is described with an alternative name, Vaidyanatha (Lord of Remedies). A verse from the Rig Veda ( RV 2 .33.9) calls Rudra 'The Lord or Sovereign of the Universe' ( īśānādasya bhuvanasya ): sthirebhiraṅghaiḥ pururūpa ughro babhruḥ śukrebhiḥ pipiśehiraṇyaiḥ īśānādasya bhuvanasya bhūrerna vā u yoṣad rudrādasuryam (RV 2.33.9) With firm limbs, multiform,
329-618: Is Rudra. To Rudra who is such we offer our salutation. We salute again and again that Being, Rudra, who alone is the Purusha and the Soul of creatures. The material universe, the created beings, and whatever there is manifoldly and profusely created, in the past and in the present, in the form of the world—all that is indeed this Rudra. Salutations be to Rudra who is such. The Taittiriya Aranyaka of Yajur Veda 1.10.1 identifies Rudra and Brihaspati as Sons and companions of Bhumi (Earth) and Heaven: Rudra
376-674: Is not a sectarian deity, but the Supreme Being who is omnipresent and manifests Himself in myriad forms for the sake of the diverse spiritual aspirants'. Shri Rudram occurs in the fourth Kanda of the Taittiriya Samhita in the Yajurveda. It is a preeminent Vedic hymn to Shiva as the God of dissolution and it is chanted daily in Shiva temples throughout India. The prayer depicts the diverse aspects of
423-530: Is referred to as 'Father of the Maruts' (RV 2.33.1). Rudra is mentioned along with a litany of other deities in RV 7 .40.5. Here is the reference to Rudra, whose name appears as one of many gods who are called upon: This Varuṇa , the leader of the rite, and the royal Mitra and Aryaman , uphold my acts, and the divine unopposed Aditi , earnestly invoked: may they convey us safe beyond evil. I propitiate with oblations
470-664: Is the Vaiṣṇava doctrine of Vyūha or the doctrine of formation . The Chatur-vyūha forms of Viṣṇu are related to four of the six causes of creation which six are God Himself as the final cause of creation and His five aspects – Narāyaṇa (thinking), Vāsudeva (feeling), Sankarśana (willing), Pradyumna (knowing), and Aniruddha (acting) successively. Each divinity controls its specific creative energy. The six gunas – jnana (omniscience), aishvarya (lordship), shakti (potency), bala (force), virya (virtue) and tejas (self-sufficiency), acting in pairs and in totality, are
517-521: Is the one who does the total destruction at the time of great dissolution. This is only the context known where Vishnu is revered as Rudra. The earliest known mentions of the Vedic deity Rudra, occur in the Rigveda , where three entire hymns are devoted to him (RV 1.114, 2.33, and 7.46). Two further hymns are devoted to Rudra jointly with Soma (RV 1.43 and 6.74). There are about seventy-five references to Rudra in
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#1732876606404564-515: Is used both as a name of Shiva and collectively ('the Rudras ') as the name for the Maruts . Maruts are 'storm gods' associated with the atmosphere. They are a group of gods whose number varies from two to sixty, sometimes also rendered as eleven, thirty-three or a hundred and eighty in number (i. e., three times sixty. See RV 8.96.8.). The Rudras are sometimes referred to as 'the sons of Rudra' while Rudra
611-718: The Rudram . This litany was recited during the Agnicayana ritual ('the piling of Agni'), and it later became a standard element in Rudra liturgy. A selection of similar stanzas is included in the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā of the Atharvaveda (PS 14.3–4). This selection, with further PS additions at the end, circulated more widely as the Nīlarudra (or Nīlarudra Upaniṣad ). Lubin suggests that in
658-865: The Yajurveda is dedicated to Rudra and is important in the Shaivite sect. In the Prathama Anuvaka of Namakam ( Taittiriya Samhita 4.5), Rudra is revered as Sadasiva (meaning 'mighty Shiva') and Mahadeva . Sadashiva is the Supreme Being , Paramashiva , in the Siddhanta sect of Shaivism. The etymology of the theonym Rudra is uncertain. It is usually derived from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root rud- (related to English rude ), which means 'to cry, howl'. The name Rudra may thus be translated as 'the roarer'. An alternative etymology interprets Rudra as
705-482: The Caturvyuha concept, although interpretations vary. It is dated to the 2nd century BCE on stylistic grounds, being quite similar in style to the monumental Yaksha statues. The main figure is bigger than the others, wears a crown and earrings, as well as an ornate necklace and bracelets, and raises his hand in " abahaya mudra ", a symbol of deification, and holds jar in the left hand. The figure would be Vāsudeva . To
752-406: The Nīlarudra , lightning is envisioned both as Rudra's arrows and as the deity himself: 1. I saw you descending from the sky, down to earth; I saw Rudra shooting [his arrows], blue-necked, crested. 2. From the sky the mighty one has descended; he has taken his stand upon the earth. O people, look at him: the blue-necked, the red one. ... 10. They have seen you descending, blue-necked, red: both
799-475: The Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra . The term "Sukhāvatīvyūha" may translated as "description of Sukhāvatī ". The Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra has been translated as "The Basket’s Display". Rudra Traditional Rudra ( / ˈ r ʊ d r ə / ; Sanskrit : रुद्र ) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva , the wind or storms , Vayu , medicine, and the hunt . One translation of
846-630: The Śukla Yajurveda , is later than the Vedas but earlier than the Mahabharata . The main āgamas are the Vaiṣṇava (worship of Vishnu ), the Śaiva (worship of Shiva ) and the Śākta (worship of Devi or Shakti ) āgamas ; all āgamas are elaborate systems of Vedic knowledge. According to Vedanta Desika , the Pāñcarātra āgama teaches the five-fold daily religious duty consisting of – abhigamana , upādāna , ijyā , svādhyāya and yoga ,
893-430: The 'red one', the 'brilliant one', possibly derived from a lost root rud- , 'red' or 'ruddy', or alternatively, according to Grassman, 'shining'. Stella Kramrisch notes a different etymology connected with the adjectival form raudra , which means 'wild', i.e., of rude (untamed) nature, and translates the name Rudra as 'the wild one' or 'the fierce god'. R. K. Śarmā follows this alternative etymology and translates
940-481: The Almighty. The Shri Rudram hymn is unique in that it shows the presence of divinity throughout the entire universe. We cannot confine the qualities of the divine to those that are favourable to us. The Lord is both garden and graveyard, the slayer and the most benevolent one. The Almighty is impartial and ubiquitous. In the hymn, Rudra is described as the most dreaded terroriser (frightening). Shri Rudram describes Rudra
987-640: The Caturvyuha shows the Vrishni heroes, but already associates them with their animal form. This seems to prefigure the Vishnu Chaturmurti , in which Vishnu , crowned with a halo, is also flanked by the images of Narasimha and Varaha , with Kāpila in back as seen in the examples from Kashmir . The general style of the figures is quite similar to that of the early Yakshas , and it has been suggested that their role might have been understood as parallel: just as
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#17328766064041034-545: The God. Epigraphically, the deified status of Vāsudeva in particular is confirmed by his appearance on the coinage of Agathocles of Bactria (190-180 BCE) and by the devotional character of the Heliodorus pillar inscription (circa 110 BCE). Later, the association with Narayana ( Vishnu ) is suggested by the Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions of the 1st century BCE. By the 2nd century CE, the " avatara concept
1081-465: The Rigveda overall. In the Rigveda (RV) are verses which speak about the form of Rudra. Some of them are: In the Rigveda, Rudra's role as a frightening god is apparent in references to him as ghora ('extremely terrifying'), or simply as asau devam ('that god'). He is 'fierce like a terrific wild beast' (RV 2.33.11). Chakravarti sums up the perception of Rudra by saying: 'Rudra is thus regarded with
1128-540: The Vedic deity as the personification of 'terror'. The name Rudra comes from ru , meaning 'Roar or howl' (the words dreaded or fearsome could only be used as adjectives to Rudra and not as Rudra because Rudra is the personification of terror) and dra , which is a superlative meaning 'the most'. So Rudra, depending on the poetic situation, can mean 'the most severe roarer/howler' or a hurricane or tempest or 'the most frightening one'. Shiva as known today shares many features with Rudra, and Shiva and Rudra are viewed as
1175-557: The Yakshas are considered as emanations of the Supreme deity Brahman , the four Vyuhas are similarly emanations of Narayana . Vyuha Vyūha ( Sanskrit : व्यूह) means - 'to arrange troops in a battle array (formation)', 'to arrange, put or place in order, to dispose, separate, divide, alter, transpose, disarrange, resolve (vowels syllables etc.)'. Its root is व्यः which means - a 'cover' or 'veil'. This word also refers to emanation and to
1222-475: The berry of the rudraksha tree and a name for a string of the prayer beads made from those seeds. Rudra is one of the names of Vishnu in Vishnu Sahasranama . Adi Shankara in his commentary to Vishnu Sahasranama defined the name Rudra as 'One who makes all beings cry at the time of cosmic dissolution'. Author D. A. Desai in his glossary for the Vishnu Sahasranama says Vishnu in the form of Rudra
1269-534: The cults of Narayana , Shri , and Lakshmi , before they later coalesced to form Vishnuism . The actual cult of Vishnu only developed after these initial cults were established. The heroes would then have evolved into Vaishnavite deities through a step-by-step process: 1) deification of the Vrishni heroes 2) association with the God Narayana - Vishnu 3) incorporation into the Vyuha concept of successive emanations of
1316-423: The front legs joint in the namaskāra gesture of prayer and devotion. This could be Aniruddha , later identified with Varaha . The figure on the reverse is devoid of ornamentation, the hair is parted in the middle and falls loosely, but both arms are broken, making it impossible to identify their attributes. This could be Pradyumna , later associated with Rudra and the fierce-looking Kāpila. This sculpture of
1363-714: The god, e.g., in the Pāśupata ascetic tradition, lay devotees preferred to address him as Śiva, Maheśvara ('Great Lord'), or Mahādeva ('Great God'), as in the Śivadharma literature, the Sanskrit epics , and the Purāṇas . Those epithets come to be the primary names of the deity. The president of the Ramakrishna Mission , at Chennai , in commentating on the foreword to Swami Amritananda's translation of Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam , states, 'Rudra to whom these prayers are addressed
1410-487: The hand, his elder brother Balarama to his right under a serpent hood and holding a drinking cup, his son Pradyumna to his left, and his grandson Aniruddha on top. An ancient statue from Bhita near Allahabad ( 25°18′29″N 81°47′38″E / 25.308°N 81.794°E / 25.308; 81.794 ), with four figures facing in four directions, now in the Lucknow Museum , has been proposed to represent
1457-705: The heart of the gods, showing that he is the inner Self of all, even the gods: देवानां हृदयभ्यो नमो । devānāṃ hṛdayabhyo namo Salutations to him who is in heart of the gods. In a verse popularly known as the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra , both Rig Veda (7.59.12) and Yajur Veda (3.60) recommend worshipping Rudra to attain moksha (liberation): त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगंधिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् उर्वारूकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मा अमृतात। tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugaṃdhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam urvārūkamiva bandhanān mṛtyormukṣīya mā amṛtāta We worship Tryambaka, sweet augmenter of prosperity. As from its stem
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1504-454: The heaven and the earth' (RV 7.46.3), which may be a reference to lightning. Rudra was believed to cure diseases, and when people recovered from them or were free of them, that too was attributed to the agency of Rudra. He is asked not to afflict children with disease (RV 7.46.2) and to keep villages free of illness (RV 1.114.1). He is said to have healing remedies (RV 1.43.4), as the best physician of physicians (RV 2.33.4), and as possessed of
1551-420: The herdsmen have seen you, and the women fetching water [have seen] you, and all beings [have seen] you: Homage to you who are seen! ..." The Hindu god Shiva shares several features with Rudra. The theonym Śiva ('kind') originated as a euphemistic epithet for Rudra, who is similarly invoked as Aghora ('not frightful') and Abhayaṅkara ('providing safety'). Although Rudra remains the primary designation of
1598-518: The instruments and the subtle material of pure creation. Vyūhas are the first beings created, and they represent the effective parts of a coherent whole. Here, vyūha means – projection; the projection of the svarūpa ('own form') as bahurūpa ('manifest variously'). The Mahabharata and the Manu Samhita list by name and formation many vyūhas ('battle formations'), some were small in size and others, gigantic, such as: In Mahāyāna Buddhism,
1645-588: The manifest power of Lord Vishnu . It has different meanings depending on the doctrine of the treatise and the context, such as revealing of the knowledge of Vedas, and the war formations of Mahabharata. In the Upanishads the word vyūha occurs once, in śloka 16 of the Isha Upanishad : Pūṣann ekarṣe yama Sūrya Prājāpatya vyūha raśmin samūha, tejo yat te rūpaṁ kalyāṇatamaṁ tat te paśyāmi yo 'sāv asau puruṣaḥ so 'ham asmi. In this passage vyūha means "remove" (to
1692-409: The name Śarva as 'One who can kill the forces of darkness'. The names Dhanvin ('bowman') and Bāṇahasta ('archer', literally 'Armed with a hand-full of arrows') also refer to archery. In other contexts the word rudra can simply mean 'the number eleven'. The word rudraksha (Sanskrit: rudrākṣa = rudra and akṣa 'eye'), or 'eye of Rudra', is used as a name for both
1739-688: The name as 'the terrible' in his glossary for the Shiva Sahasranama . Mallory and Adams also mention a comparison with the Old Russian deity Rŭglŭ to reconstruct a Proto-Indo-European wild-god named *Rudlos , though they remind that the issue of the etymology remains problematic: from PIE *reud- ('rend, tear apart'; cf. Latin rullus , 'rustic'), or *reu- ('howl'). The commentator Sāyaṇa suggests six possible derivations for rudra . However, another reference states that Sayana suggested ten derivations. The adjective śiva ( shiva ) in
1786-494: The name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda , Rudra is praised as the "mightiest of the mighty". Rudra means "who eradicates problems from their roots" . Depending upon the period, the name Rudra can be interpreted as 'the most severe roarer/howler' or 'the most frightening one'. This name appears in the Shiva Sahasranama , and R. K. Sharma notes that it is often used as a name of Shiva in later languages. The " Shri Rudram " hymn from
1833-621: The name of this āgama is derived on account of its description of the five-fold manifestation of the Supreme Being viz, para (supreme or the transcendental form), vyūha (formation or manifestation as the four vyūha ), vibhava (reincarnation or descent to earth as avtāra), arcā (visible image of God) and antaryāmi (cosmic form of God). Lakshmi accompanies Vishnu in His Chatur-vyūha (four-fold manifestation) as Vāsudeva (creator), Saṅkarṣaṇa (sustainer), Pradyumna (destroyer), and Aniruddha (spiritual knowledge promulgator). This
1880-401: The proper right side of the crowned figure appears an unidentifiable face, and below it a seated lion. This part could identified with Samkarsana , combining anthropomorphic and theriomorphic characteristics, and later associated with Narasimha . On the proper left side of the crowned figure also appears an unidentifiable face, and below it a boar on a pedestal, standing on its hind legs, with
1927-603: The ramifications ( vayāḥ ) of that divine attainable Viṣṇu , the showerer of benefits. Rudra , bestow upon us the magnificence of his nature. The Aśvins have come down to our dwelling abounding with (sacrificial) food. One scholiast's interpretation of the Sanskrit word vayāḥ , meaning 'ramifications' or 'branches', is that all other deities are, as it were, branches of Vishnu , but, Ralph T. H. Griffith cites Ludwig as saying, 'This [...] gives no satisfactory interpretation' and cites other views which suggest that
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1974-501: The same personality in Hindu scriptures . The two names are used synonymously. Rudra, the god of the roaring storm, is usually portrayed in accordance with the element he represents as a fierce, destructive deity. The oldest surviving text of Hinduism is the Rig Veda , which is dated to between 1700 and 1100 BC based on linguistic and philological evidence. A god named Rudra is mentioned in
2021-487: The sense of 'propitious' or 'kind' is first applied to the Rudra in RV 10 .92.9. Rudra is called 'the archer' (Sanskrit: Śarva ) and the arrow is an essential attribute of Rudra. This name appears in the Shiva Sahasranama , and R. K. Śarmā notes that it is used as a name of Shiva often in later languages. The word is derived from the Sanskrit root śarv - which means 'to injure' or 'to kill', and Śarmā uses that general sense in his interpretive translation of
2068-497: The strong, the tawny adorns himself with bright gold decorations: The strength of Godhead never departs from Rudra, him who is Sovereign of this world, the mighty. A verse of Śrī Rudram (= Yajurveda 16.18) speaks of Rudra as Lord of the Universe: जगताम् पतये नमः । jagatam pataye namaḥ । Homage to the Lord of the Universe. Another verse (Yajurveda 16.46) locates Rudra in
2115-525: The text is corrupt at that point. In the various recensions of the Yajurveda is included a litany of stanzas praising Rudra: Maitrāyaṇī-Saṃhitā 2.9.2, Kāṭhaka-Saṃhitā 17.11, Taittirīya-Saṃhitā 4.5.1 and Vājasaneyi-Saṃhitā 16.1–14. This litany is subsequently referred to variously as the Śatarudriyam and the Namakam (because many of the verses commence with the word namaḥ , meaning 'homage'), or simply
2162-531: The word vyūha means "arrangement", the like of marvelous, supernatural, magical arrangements, or supernatural manifestations. It is also extant in the Pali language, where it means "an array" or "grouping of troops." The term is also found among the titles of some Buddhist texts . In Pure Land Buddhism , the character of Amitābha Buddha is elaborated upon in both the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra and
2209-503: Was in its infancy", and the depiction of Vishnu with his four emanations (the Chatur-vyūha ), consisting in the Vrishni heroes minus Samba, starts to become visible in art at the end of the Kushan period. Starting with the art of Mathura , Vāsudeva (avatar of Vishnu ) fittingly appears in the center of the sculptural compositions, with his decorated heavy mace on the side and a conch shell in
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