Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.1954

c9.1954

(i) At the begining of the Kalpa, while Brahmā was meditating upon the birth of a son like himself, a child deep blue in colour, appeared on his lap, and the child began running about crying aloud. Brahmā asked the child why it was crying; then the child asked Brahmā to give him a name. Though Brahmā told him that his name was Rudra and asked him not to cry, he cried seven times more. Then Brahmā gave him another seven names, and for the total eight names eight Mūrtis (forms) wives and children were allotted. Bhava, Śarva, Īśāna, Paśupati, Bhima, Ugra and Mahādeva were the additional seven names, and Sun, Water, Earth, Wind, Fire, Sky, the Brahmin who has taken dīkṣā and Moon were the eight Mūrtis and the presiding deities allotted to them. To these deities the following wives were also allotted, i.e. Suvarcalā, Uṣā, Vikeśī, Śivā, Svāhā, Diśā, Dīkṣā and Rohiṇī. The world is full with their progenies. Śanais-cara, Śukra, Lohitāṅga, Mano-java, Skanda, Sarga, Santāna and Budha are the sons of the above eight wives. This Rudra married Satī, daughter of Dakṣaprajāpati. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Part 1, Chapter 8).