"'Vasudeva said, "O mighty-armed Yudhishthira, listen to me as I recite to
thee the many names of Rudra as also the high blessedness of that
high-souled one. The Rishis describe Mahadeva as Agni, and Sthanu, and
Maheswara; as one-eyed, and three-eyed, of universal form, and Siva or
highly auspicious. Brahmanas conversant with the Vedas say that that god
has two forms. One of these is terrible, and the other mild and
auspicious. Those two forms, again, are subdivided into many forms. That
form which is fierce and terrible is regarded as identical with Agni and
Lightning and Surya. The other form which is mild and auspicious is
identical with Righteousness and water and Chandramas. Then, again, it is
said that half his body is fire and half is Soma (or the moon). That form
of his which is mild and auspicious is said to be engaged in the practice
of the Brahmacharya vow. The other form of his which is supremely
terrible is engaged in all operations of destruction in the universe.
Because he is great (Mahat) and the Supreme Lord of all (Iswara),
therefore he is called Maheswara. And since he burns and oppresses, is
keen and fierce, and endued with great energy, and is engaged in eating
flesh and blood and marrow, he is said to be Rudra. Since he is the
foremost of all the deities, and since his dominion and acquisitions are
very extensive, and since he protects the extensive universe, therefore
he is called Mahadeva. Since he is of the form or colour of smoke,
therefore he is called Dhurjati. Since by all his acts he performs
sacrifices for all and seeks the good of every creature, therefore he is
called Siva or the auspicious one. Staying above (in the sky) he burns
the lives of all creatures and is, besides, fixed in a particular route
from which he does not deviate. His emblem, again, is fixed and immovable
for all time. He is, for these reasons, called Sthanu. He is also of
multiform aspect. He is present, past, and future. He is mobile and
immobile. For this he is called Vahurupa (of multiform aspect). The
deities called Viswedevas reside in his body. He is, for this, called
Viswarupa (of universal form). He is thousand-eyed; or, he is
myriad-eyed; or, he has eyes on all sides and on every part of his body.
His energy issues through his eyes. There is no end of his eyes. Since he
always nourishes all creatures and sports also with them, and since he is
their lord or master, therefore he is called Pasupati (the lord of all
creatures). Since his emblem is always observant of the vow of
Brahmacharya, all the worlds worship it accordingly. This act of worship
is said to gratify him highly. If there is one who worship him by
creating his image, another who worships his emblem, the latter it is
that attains to great prosperity for ever. The Rishis, the deities, the
Gandharvas, and the Apsaras, worship that emblem of his which is ever
erect and upraised. If his emblem is worshipped, Maheswara becomes highly
gratified with the worshipper. Affectionate towards his devotees, he
bestows happiness upon them with a cheerful soul. This great god loves to
reside in crematoria and there he burns and consumes all corpses. Those
persons that perform sacrifices on such grounds attain at the end to
those regions which have been set apart for heroes. Employed in his
legitimate function, he it is that is regarded as the Death that resides
in the bodies of all creatures. He is, again, those breaths called Prana
and Apana in the bodies of all embodied beings. He has many blazing and
terrible forms. All those forms are worshipped in the world and are known
to Brahmanas possessed of knowledge. Amongst the gods he has many names
all of which are fraught with grave import. Verily, the meanings of those
names are derived from either his greatness or vastness, or his feats, or
his conduct. The Brahmanas always recite the excellent Sata-rudriya in
his honour, that occurs in the Vedas as also that which has been composed
by Vyasa. Verily, the Brahmanas and Rishis call him the eldest of all
beings. He is the first of all the deities, and it was from his mouth
that he created Agni. That righteous-souled deity, ever willing to grant
protection to all, never gives up his suppliants. He would much rather
abandon his own life-breaths and incur all possible afflictions himself.
Long life, health and freedom from disease, affluence, wealth, diverse
kinds of pleasures and enjoyments, are conferred by him, and it is he
also who snatches them away. The lordship and affluence that one sees in
Sakra and the other deities are verily his. It is he who is always
engaged in all that is good and evil in the three worlds. In consequence
of his fullest control over all objects of enjoyment he is called Iswara
(the Supreme Lord or Master). Since, again, he is the master of the vast
universe, he is called Maheswara. The whole universe is pervaded by him
in diverse forms. It is that deity whose mouth roars and burns the waters
of the sea in the form of the huge mare's head!"'"[618]