The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c17.s10.1

v1.c17.s10.1

Still less than Viṣṇu has Rudra the greatness which in the later literature attends him. He is the subject of but three hymns in the Rigveda, shares one with Soma, and is mentioned in all only about seventy-five times. In the Rigveda he has braided hair, like Pūṣan, beautiful lips, firm limbs; his colour is brown, and he is multiform. He is essentially radiant (*çuci*), bright as the sun or gold, resplendent, the Asura of heaven; he wears golden ornaments and sits on a chariot seat. The Yajurveda and the Atharvaveda have much more to tell of his appearance: the latter⁶ calls his belly blue, his back red, his neck blue, and mentions his mouth and his teeth. The Yajurveda⁷ calls him copper coloured and red, and his neck is blue-black (*nīlagrīva*), though his throat is white (*çitikaṇṭha*);¹ it mentions that he is clothed in a skin and dwells in the mountains.