“Be gracious unto us, o Rudra, bring us bliss!” (Rigveda, I.114.2).
Out of 6 main Shaiva-sampradayas five are Agamic and one is Vedic. This one is Pashupata-shaivism (see G.V.Tagare, “Saivism: Some Glimpses”, Delhi, 1996, p. 3). Pashupatism is the earliest Hindu cult that survived till present time.
Worship of Shiva (as Bhava, Rudra or Pashupati) was prominent already in Vedic times.
Rigveda (I.43.5) calls Rudra “luminous like the Sun, gratifying like gold, best among the Gods”. The famous Mrityunjaya-mantra of Shiva occurs both in Rigveda (VII.59.12) and Yajurveda. The great mantra of Shiva, Panchakshari, appears in already in Yajurveda, in a Rudradhyaya section of Taittiriya-samhita (IV.5.7) and Satarudriya of Vajasaneyi-samhita (Ch. 16,18). Five mantras of Shiva, corresponding to five letters of Panchakshari, are found in Taittiriya-aranyaka (17.1-5); Sayanacharya, a famous Rigveda commentator, regards that the first words of these mantras are the names of the five Shiva’s faces. Parts of these five mantras were taken by Lakulisha (100 B.C.E.), a Pashupata-shaiva teacher and reformer, into his Pashupata-sutra (1.40-44). Rudra is identified with Indra and Agni, main deities of Rigveda: Maitrayani-samhita of Samaveda (II.1.10) and Shatapatha-brahmana of Yajurveda (VI.1.3.10) say “agnirvai rudraH”, while Rigveda (II.33.3) and Atharvanaveda (IV.28.3; II.2.7; X.1.23) describe Him as a thousand-eyed God, a holder of vajra and a killer or Vritra, i.e. Indra. Vedas identify Rudra with Rigvedic (X.90) primal Purusha: Taittiriya-aranyaka (X.14) calls Purusha as Bhutanamadhipati, i.e. Rudra; Yajurveda (Taittiriya-samhita, IV.5.1) describes Him in a same manner as a Virat-Purusha, and same is repeated in Shvetashvatara-upanishad (which belongs to Taittiriya-brahmana). Sayanacharya while commenting upon the verse IV.28.1 of Atharvanaveda, tells us that the Lord is called Bhava for having everything coming out of His body, and that He is called Sharva, because of His destructive character at the time of dissolution. Shatapatha-brahmana (VI.1.3.17) says that Ishana, the highest form of Rudra, is same as Aditya. Shvetashvatara-upanishad clearly describes Rudra as the Supreme God, Maheshvara (IV.10), Purusha of Rigveda and Vishvakarman who is seated in the hearts of all human beings (IV.17). Thus, Rigvedic Vishvakarma-daivata hymn (X.81) also describes Rudra and no other god. Rudra is identical to Soma, who was worshipped in a pillar, very similarly to Shivalinga worship.
Mandukya-upanishad (verse 7) names the fourth, the highest pada of Brahman, as Shiva.
Mahabharata mentions Krishna’s initiation into Pashupatism (Anushasana-parvan, 14.379-380). In the same chapter Yajnavalkya and Vedavyasa are said to have been Pashupata-shaivas. Gautama and Kanada, founders of Nyaya and Vaisheshika schools respectively, were Pashupatas (see Prof. R.K. Siddhantashastri, “Saivism Through the Ages”, Delhi, 1975, p. 99).
To conclude with, Shaivism is essentially Vedic religion (as Pashupatism), which later got developed with the independent Agamic revelation. This Agamic revelation is considered to be the essence of Vedas.
In Bhairava-Agamas Shaivism takes a Shakta form, but this Agamic Shaktism has its root in Vedas again. Shakta-Agamas view Vedic Agni (who is said to be all Gods together: Aitareya-brahmana, II.6.3) as Devi, Durga, Bhairavi or Kundalini. Durga is invoked with Vedic Rik (I.99.1) connected with Agni. In Devi-upanishad, also known as Devyatharva-shirsha (verse 9), Durga is called Agnivarna and Tapasa-jvalanti.
Agni and Soma of Vedas (invoked in pair, for example, in Rigveda, I.93), or Agni and Indra (similarly coming in pair: Rigveda, I.21), are Shakti and Shiva of Tantras.
Sri Bhaskararaya in Lalitasahasranama-bhashya (Name 407) quotes Shruti: “One Rudra hidden in all beings, he is with Maya, with parts and without parts. He is Devi herself, and is not separated from her. By knowing this, one attains immortality.”
Supreme Shakti of Tantras was known in Vedic times as Aditi, mother of gods, and her manifestations were Sarasvati, Ushas (“Face of Aditi” — Rigveda, I.113.19) and alike. Rigveda (I.89.10) says: “Aditi is Heaven, Aditi is Mid-region, Aditi is Mother (Earth), Father and Son. She is all the Gods; she is the Five peoples. Aditi is all that is born and what is to be.” In Rigvedic Devi-sukta (X.125.3-4) the Goddess says: “The Queen, I am the dispenser of wealth; conscious, I am the first among the Gods… They that ignore me run to ruin.”
Kena-upanishad (which belongs to Tandya or Jaimini-brahmana of Samaveda) shows Uma revealing the knowledge of Brahman to the gods (according to Mahavasishtha, “Uma is so called because it contains the essence of the Pranava”).
In Muktika canon there are eight Upanishads devoted specifically to Shakti: Bahvricha, Bhavana, Devi, Saubhagyalakshmi, Savitri, Sita, Tripura, Tripuratapini.
The worship of Shakti as the Yoni has also got Vedic roots: Aitareya-brahmana (II.6.3) says that “Agni is the womb of the Gods”; Shvetashvatara (V.5) calls Rudra as “Yoni”; and Brihadaranyaka (Kanva VI.4.2) refers to worship of women’s Yoni by Prajapati. Both Brihadaranyaka (Kanva VI.4.3; VI.2.13) and Chandogya (II.13.1-2) view sexual act as holy practice. Tantric doctrine of divine nature of women also finds support in Vedic Shruti (Brihadaranyaka, Kanva III.9.11).
“May the Goddesses favour us with increase and great happiness!” (Rigveda, I.22.11).
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