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KRK
I stare down the abyss of the synthetic dreams.

Jun 25, 9 tweets

Note on the dual nature of rudra's sons:
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Rudra having the dual nature - that of a disease bringer, killer of men (pūruṣaghna) and killer of cattle (goghna) vs the best of the healers and bringer of medicine in vedic literature is quite well known. AV 6.90

Associates his arrows with diseases and the mantra is meant to remove his darts that struck the limbs and heart. The shatarudrīya alludes to his ghora form - the chant during agnichayana is to pacify this terrible form.

Perceptive readers may also note that this dual form of rudra is inherited by his sons skanda and vināyaka - Both are great seizers. The former especially of children (hence the bālagraha kumāragraha etc.). Skanda's pacification thus naturaly is important in pediatric cures rites

Likewise the vināyakas are obstacle makers but when pacified are obstacle removers. All this is fine but what about the vedic sons - the maruts? In ṛgveda, they maybe impetuous, shakers of oceans, mountains and earth and great stormtroopers, but where is their dual nature like

Rudra? The answer is well known to those familiar with śrauta ritualism. caturmāsyas, featuring in the 7 haviryajñas are seasonal sacrifices. There are 4 parvans - vaiśvadeva, varuṇapraghāsa, sākamedha, śunāsīrīya. In vaiśvadeva, a sacrificial cake on 8 kapālas to agni, charu

For soma, pūśan, sarasvatī and maruts svatavats (Impetuous maruts) as well as a cake to savitṛ (on 8 or 12 kapālas). Now, the śānkhāyana brāhmaṇa 5.2 explicitly mentions this - "In that he sacrifices to the impetuous maruts, ghora/terrible indeed are maruts,

He verily makes a healing". This is the most direct rudrian attribute reference to maruts. Taittiriya brāhmaṇa on the same vaishvadeva parvan has this: In the past Prajāpati created offsprings. The maruts killed them. Note the child-killing motif.

Prajapati perceived the sacrifice to maruts on 7 kapāla, not just for accomplishing the sacrifice but for the "non-killing" of the offspring. 7 fold indeed are the marut troops (explanation in the usual brāhmaṇa manner).

Thus maruts, just like their father rudra has the dual facet - a ghora aspect of killing of prajas and pashus but with appropriate vaiśvadeva performance, non-killing of offpring, cattle (paśūnām aghātāya) and healing is achieved by their appeasement.

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