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Rudras refer to the forms of the god Rudra, whose traditions have since been associated with lord Shiva. They make up eleven of the thirty-three gods in the Vedic pantheon.Hopkins pp. 172-3 They are at times identified with the storm deities referred to as Maruts, while at other times considered distinct from them.
While the Vamana Purana describes Rudras as the sons of Kashyapa and Aditi, Maruts are described distinct from the Rudras as the 49 sons of Diti, sister of Aditi, and the attendants of Indra, rather than Rudra.Mani pp. 489-90
The Harivamsa, an appendix of the Mahabharata, makes Kashyapa and Surabhi – here, portrayed as his wife – the parents of the Rudras.Hopkins p. 173 In another instance in the Mahabharata, it is Dharma (possibly identified with Yama) who is the father of the Rudras and the Maruts.
The Vishnu Purana narrates that Rudra – here identified as Shiva . The furious Rudra was in Ardhanarishvara form, half his body was male and other half female. He divided himself into two: the male and female. The male form then split itself into eleven, forming the eleven Rudras. Some of them were white and gentle; while others were dark and fierce. They are called:
From the woman were born the eleven Rudranis who became wives of the Rudras. They are:
Brahma allotted to the Rudras the eleven positions of the heart and the five Sense, the five organs of action and the mind. Other Puranas call them Aja, Ekapada, Ahirbudhnya, Tvasta, Rudra, Hara, Shambhu, Tryambaka, Aparajita, Ishana, Tribhuvana.
In one instance in the epic Mahabharata, the Rudras are eleven in number and are named:
While Kapālin is described the foremost of Rudras here, in the Bhagavad Gita, it is Śankara who is considered the greatest of the Rudras. Both Kapalin and Śankara are epithets of Shiva. In another instance, they are described as sons of Tvashtr and named:
While usually the Rudras are described to eleven, in one instance in the Mahabharata; they are said to be eleven thousand and surrounding Shiva, which is another name for Rudra. The eleven groups of hundred are named:
The Bhagavata Purana Canto 3 Chapter 3 mentions that Rudra is born from the anger of Lord Brahma. The names are mentioned in Canto 3 Chapter 3 and Verse 12 as follows:
Aiding the god Vishnu in his fight against the demons and killing all of them along with him. They wear lion-skins, matted-hairs and serpents around their necks. They have yellow throats, hold tridents and skulls and have the crescent moons on their foreheads. Together headed by Kapali, they slay the elephant demon Gajasurasamhara.
The Rigveda and the Krishna Yajurveda makes the Rudras the gods of the middle world, situated between earth and heaven i.e. the atmosphere. As wind-gods, the Rudras represent the life-breath. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the eleven Rudras are represented by ten Prana ( rudra-prana) in the body and the eleventh one being the Ātman (the soul).
The Rudras are said to preside over the second stage of creation and the intermediary stage of life. They govern the second ritual of sacrifice, the mid-day offering and the second stage of life – from the 24th to the 68 year of life. The Chandogya Upanishad prescribes that the Rudras be propitiated in case of sickness in this period and further says that they on departing the body become the cause of tears, the meaning of the name Rudra being the "ones who make cry". The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad explicitly states the fact that since the Rudras leaving the body – causing death – makes people cry, they are Rudras.
The Mahabharata describes the Rudras as companions of Indra, servants of Shiva and his son Kartikeya and companions of Yama, who is surrounded by them. They have immense power, wear golden necklaces and are "like lighting-illuminated clouds". The Bhagavata Purana prescribes the worship of the Rudras to gain virile power.
Some scholars believe that Rudras and Maruts could be distinct groups, Rudras being the true followers of Rudra and daivic (Godly) in nature. But poets of the Rigveda declared the Maruts to take the position of the Rudras in order to give status to the Vedic god Rudra. Later in post-Vedic literature like the epics and Puranas, Maruts were associated with Indra, while Rudras gained their former status as followers of Rudra, who had evolved into Shiva. (2025). 9788174881687, Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. ISBN 9788174881687 However, other scholars disregard this theory and consider that originally Rudras and Maruts were identical. A theory suggests that slowly in the Vedas two classes of Maruts came into existence: the friendly and beneficent, and the roaring and turbulent; the latter grew into the distinct group of deities called the Rudras, who were associated only with the wild Rudra.
In the Marut Suktas (RV 1, 2, 5, 8) and Indra-Suktas (RV 1, 3, 8, 10) of the Rigveda (RV), the epithet "Rudras" – originating from the verb root rud or ru and meaning howlers, roarers or shouters – is used numerous times for the Maruts – identifying them with the Rudras even when associated with Indra, rather than Rudra. There are some hymns in the Rigveda (RV 2, 7, 8, 10) that explicitly distinguish between the Maruts and the Rudras.
While the Vamana Purana describes Rudras as the sons of Kashyapa and Aditi, Maruts are described distinct from the Rudras as 49 sons of Diti, sister of Aditi and attendants of Indra.Mani pp. 489–90
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