The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c17.s10.17

v1.c17.s10.17

The express and complete identification of Rudra with Agni, which is first found only incidentally in the Rigveda, is now a received feature of his nature and the principle is widely extended. In the Yajurveda⁴ the names of Çarva and Bhava are ascribed to him, while in the Atharvaveda⁵ these two seem still to be separate gods, who, however, have destructive arrows and lightnings. In a later passage⁶ they are called his sons, as Mahādeva, and compared with wolves. A late part of the Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā⁷ enumerates as forms of the one god Agni, Açani, Paçupati, Bhava, Çarva, Mahādeva, Içāna, and Ugradeva with others. In the Brāhmaṇas⁸ is found a list of names of Agni as Rudra, Çarva, Paçupati, Ugra, Açani, Bhava, and Mahān Deva, while Çarva, Bhava, Paçupati and Rudra are said to be names of Agni.⁹ Açani obviously means lightning, and is so explained by the Çatapatha Brāhmaṇa, but according to the Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇa it is equivalent to Indra. The Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā¹⁰ also gives Ambikā as the sister of Rudra: she seems to be derived from the epithet Tryambaka: later on she appears as his mother; his wife, Umā Haimavatī or Pārvatī, appears first in the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka¹¹ and the Kena Upaniṣad.¹²