The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c17.s10.12

v1.c17.s10.12

In the later Saṁhitās and in the Brāhmaṇas Rudra has become, like Viṣṇu, and with him, one of the two great gods of the Brahmans. Some of his aspect as a god of healing is still remembered: the Sūtras⁶ prescribe offerings to him for the sake of the cattle, and he is lord of cattle; doubtless in part this attribution of cattle to his care may be due to the anxiety of their owners to induce him to spare them from his wrath, but the other side of his figure may also be a factor in producing the result. On the other hand his malevolence is very prominent: his wrath is continually deprecated, he is invoked not to assail his worshippers with celestial fire, and to make his lightning fall elsewhere. He is said in the Atharvaveda¹ to attack with fever, cough, and poison, and that Veda² also conjures up the image of his wide-mouthed howling dogs, who swallow unchewed their prey. In the Çatarudriya litany³ he bears the most remarkable epithets, which designate him as the patron of robbers, highwaymen, cheats, swindlers, and other similar people.