[Advaita-l] Shiva as Prajapati, वेधाः

[V Subrahmanian]

Shiva as Prajapati

In the Taittiriya Aranyaka there is a mantra that Sayanacharya comments as
being addressed to Parvathivallabha, Shiva:

*प्रजापते नत्वदेतान्यन्यो* विश्वा जातानि परिता बभूव। यत्कामास्ते
जुहुमस्तन्नो अस्तु वयग्स्याम पतयो रयीणागुम् स्वाहा। प्रजापतये इदं न मम॥

See here for the commentary of Sayanacharya:

https://www.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/2018-March/048778.html
<https://www.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/2018-March/048778.html>

There are countless scriptural sources where Rudra is addressed/referred to
as Prajapati.

https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_shiva/rudrAbhiShekastotra.html?lang=sa

The Mahabharata has several such instances, out of which here are just a
few:

॥ रुद्राभिषेकस्तोत्रम् महाभारतान्तर्गतम् ॥


कुमारगुरवे तुभ्यं *नीलग्रीवाय वेधसे* । पिनाकिने हविष्याय सत्याय विभवे
सदा ॥ ५.८०.५७॥ ब्रह्मवक्त्राय सर्वाय शंकराय शिवाय च । नमोस्तु
वाचस्पतये *प्रजानां पतये *नमः ॥ ५.८०.६२॥


The Shiva Sahasranama stotram of the Mahabharata too has this name:

http://stotrasamhita.net/wiki/Shiva_Sahasranama_Stotram

Bhishma says, in the prelude to the SSS:

prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ caiva kṣōbhayitvā svatējasā|
brahmāṇamasṛjat tasmāddēvadēvaḥ prajāpatiḥ||6||

Within the stotram two occurrences:

abhivādyō mahākarmā tapasvī bhūtabhāvanaḥ|
unmattavēṣapracchannaḥ sarvalōka*prajāpatiḥ|*|4||

nakṣatravigrahamatirguṇabuddhirlayō'gamaḥ|
*prajāpati*rviśvabāhurvibhāgaḥ sarvagō'mukhaḥ||29||

The term 'prajapati' is generally understood  to mean Brahma, the
four-faced. The Amarakosha gives these names, among others, for Brahma:

 स्रष्टा प्रजापतिर्वेधा विधाता विश्वसृट्विधिः।   34

The name 'vedhaah' is also important, for this name is also used for Shiva,
even as the name 'prajapati' is.  There are instances of 'vedhaah' being
used for Shiva.

Harivamsha:   https://sa.wikisource.org/s/1d4g  :

श्रीभगवानुवाच
नमस्ते शितिकण्ठाय नीलग्रीवाय वेधसे ।  (vedhase is the chaturthi vibhakti of
vedhaah)
नमस्ते शोचिषे अस्तु नमस्ते उपवासिने ।। १३ ।।

That name appears in the Śivasahasranāma of the Śivapurāṇa:

http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_trial/fortransfer/shivasahasranAmastotrashivapurANa_sa.html

*वेधा *विधाता धाता च स्रष्टा हर्ता चतुर्मुखः ।

कैलासशिखरावासी सर्वावासी सदागतिः ॥
The Shiva purana has been cited by Shankara in the Vishnu Sahasra Nama for
the name 'rudra' as 'shivah parama kaaranam.' Sridhara Swamin has cited two
verses from the Shvia Purana in the Vishnu purana bhashya, again to bring
out Shiva's paratva. Sri Raghavananda, a 13 CE commentator of the
Bhagavatam and the author or several works, has cited several verses from
the Shiva purana to bring out Shiva paratva in the 'sarva mata sangraha'.

Sureshwaracharya has referred to Shankaracharya at the end of his
Br.Up.Bhashya Vartika as 'he who bears the name of vedhaah':

तं वन्देऽत्रिकुलप्रसूतममलं वेधोऽभिधं मद्गुरुम् ॥

[In the mangala shloka for his Taittiriya Up. Bha.vartika too Sureshwara
refers to Shankara as 'bhava-naama-bhrti', one who bears the name of
'Bhava', Shiva.  Therefore it is undoubtedly clear that Sureshwara uses the
word 'vedhaah' with reference to Shiva alone.]

Thus we see several instances of the name 'Prajapati' and 'Vedhaah', its
synonym, used for Shiva.  The above references also bring out the fact that
Sayanacharya's commentary on the Aranyaka mantra 'prajapate...' as a prayer
to Shiva has the basis in Veda Vyasa and his purvacharyas.

Om Tat Sat