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Vaishnavas believe that only Lord Vishnu can grant Moksha. If that is the case, then how do they explain this mantra from the Rig Veda which clearly says that Lord Shiva can grant Moksha?

Om tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam urvārukamiva bandhanānmṛtyormukṣīya mā'mṛtāt

Translation:

We worship the Three-eyed Lord who is fragrant and who nourishes and nurtures all beings. As is the ripened cucumber freed from its bondage (to the creeper), may He liberate us from death for the sake of immortality.

"Three-eyed Lord" is a clear reference to Lord Shiva, is it not? If so, then how can one say only Lord Vishnu can grant Moksha?

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  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – The Destroyer
    Commented Oct 16, 2017 at 17:10
  • But how does it matter how some people interpret it? Each Mantra has limbs associated with them like Deva, Rishi, Chandah etc and from Deva we already know the Mantra belongs to which deity.
    – Rickross
    Commented Oct 23, 2018 at 6:53
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    I think Vaishnavas interpret 3 eyed lord to mean Narasimha.
    – user16581
    Commented Feb 11, 2019 at 19:36

6 Answers 6

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Lord Narasimha is described as Mrityumrityu (Death's death) in the Nrisimha Mantra. Accordingly, Sri Vaishnavas interpret tryambaka - the three-eyed one as Narasimha. This is supported in various places including Shruti, Smriti and works of Acharyas (whether or not they subscribe to Vishishtadvaita philosophy). Here are a few examples:

  1. Nrisimha-Purva-Tapaniya Upanisad (NPTU) refers to Narasimha as three-eyed one and also as Mrityumrityu. The NPTU is pre-Sankaran as Sankara himself has written a commentary on it. See English translation here.

  2. Adi Sankara in his commentary on the NPTU There he says that the Lord Nrisimha is three-eyed and is referred to by names commonly used for the Lord Shiva such as pinAkI and nIlakaNTha "tasmāt nṛsiṃhaḥ parameśvaraḥ trinetraḥ nīlakaṇṭhaḥ pinākī iti siddham"

  3. The Ayushya Sukta of the Rigveda which is chanted in the Ayushya Homa and in the Udaka Shanti ceremony prays to Narasimha for a long life "suvarṇarambha grahamarkamarcam" referring to the "One who came out of a golden pillar"

  4. Vedanta Desika in his Kamasikashtakam verse 2, refers to Lord Lakshmi Narasimha as the three-eyed one - tapana indu agni nayanaH - One who has the Sun, Moon and Fire as his eyes. He also connects it with the Tapaniya Upanisad.

tapanēndvagni-nayanaḥ tāpānapacinōtu naḥ |
tāpanīya-rahasyānāṃ sāraḥ kāmāsikāhariḥ ||

tapana indu agni nayanaḥ – He has three eyes – the Sun, the Moon and the Fire
tāpanīya rahasyānām sāraḥ – He is the esoteric essence of the Nṛsimha Tāpanīya Upaniṣad
kāmāsikā hariḥ – He is Lord Narasimha of Tiruveḷukkai
naḥ tāpān apacinōtu – May He destroy our suffering.

Apart from these, there are several verses in the Pancharatra Agamas, etc. supporting this view.

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  • I don't know what can be added to Tejaswee's answer to hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/21632/… ; on top of it Siva also gives the mrityunjaya mantrato Sukracharya in the puranas - But hey - revisionism floats some peoples' boats.
    – S K
    Commented Feb 12, 2019 at 22:52
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    The question was "How to Vaishnavas interpret" this mantra especially in the context of the word "tryambakam" and I provided an answer with references to Vedic texts and works of revered Acharyas such as Adi Sankara and Vedanta Desika. Tejaswee's answer is irrelevant. The current question doesn't ask "What is the right interpretation of this mantra?". If you'd like to debate that point, we can do it on a separate thread.
    – hashable
    Commented Feb 12, 2019 at 23:21
  • @hashable Thanks for the answer. What about Tejaswee's answer where the says the mantra is dedicated to Rudra according to the Anukramani?
    – Ikshvaku
    Commented Sep 13, 2019 at 14:34
  • @Iksvaku The anukramani doesn't have any special status. It is an interpretation by an editor. Existence of one interpretation, even if it be the dominant interpretation of the day doesn't prevent another from existing. Your question is about the Vaishnava interpretation.
    – hashable
    Commented Sep 16, 2019 at 0:22
  • @hashable I agree there are references to Lord Nrsimha being portrayed as Mrtyunjaya. In addition to the list you have provided, Sri Nrsimha Purana also has a Mrtyunjaya Mantra on Lord Nrsimha (recited by The sage Markandeya), and that goes very close to the one on Lord Rudra as Mrtyunjaya (rudram pashupatim sthAnum nIlakanTam umApatim). That said, the one I disagree with you is, it is not conclusive that Sri Adi Sankara wrote the bhashyam for Nrsimha Tapinya Upanisad. The Sankara Matams don't include that, though some publications do, and neither does the Advaita Ashram. Contd in next msg.
    – Vidyarthi
    Commented Apr 8, 2020 at 1:37
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Disclaimer: The following answer has been written from a Ramanandi Vaishnava perspective.

Ramanandi Vaishnavas have absolutely no problem in accepting the fact that Lord Shiva is the deity being extolled in the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra since Jagadguru Ramanandacharya and great Ramanandi saints such as Tulsidas has accepted Hari-Hara-abheda and that Shiva, like Vishnu, is indeed a bestower of moksha.

However, Ramanandi Vaishnavas also believe that the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra can also be interpreted to be referring to Sri Rama Himself. This is how Swami Ramabhadracharya interprets the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra in one of his lectures:

Vashishthaji is its Rishi. Meaning Vashishthaji is the one who recieved this mantra...He said "Tryambakam Yajamahe". What did he say? "Tryambakam". What does "Tryambakam" mean? Generally, Vedic scholars will interpret it to be referring to the three-eyed Shiva. That is indeed the correct interpretation but it also has another interpretation. "Tryambakam Yajamahe". Three Ambas i.e. the one who has three mothers: Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra. "Tryambak", what does "Amba" mean? Mother. So what does "Tryambakam" mean? The one who has three mothers, that person "yajamahe" i.e. Lord Sri Rama we worship..."Tryambakam Yajamahe"- we worship the one who has three mothers...sugandhim pustivardhanam. From who's body is the sacred fragrance being emanated. Pustivardhanam, who is healthy. What does "Pusti" mean? To nourish. The dependence of devotees over the Lord and the Lord's blessings over His devotees is what "Pusti" refers to. (Translated from Hindi)

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  • Rama had three mothers!?!?!!? Commented Feb 11, 2019 at 19:31
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    @NaveenKick In a way, yes. Why are you so startled?
    – user9969
    Commented Feb 11, 2019 at 19:51
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    See this hinduism.stackexchange.com/q/20321/11510.Tryambaka means three eyes ambak means eye and ambika means mother.Lord shiva is called tryambaka not tryambika plus the diety Is Rudra not anyone else and there are evidence from puranas and vedas also ,It is dedicated to Lord shiva only. Commented Feb 12, 2019 at 4:38
  • @Partha Swami Ramabhadracharya has categorically stated that it also does refer to Shiva. He believes Vedic verses can have multiple interpretations and all can be correct. Also, nobody is disputing the fact Rama worshipped Shiva. Tulsidas Himself states in the Ramcharitmanas that Lord Shiva's body embodies the knowledge of Brahman and is Supreme.
    – user9969
    Commented Feb 12, 2019 at 5:39
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    @SuryaKantaBoseChowdhury but In mantra shiva is called Tryambaka not tryamba 'ambak' means eye!nowhere Shri Rama is called tryambaka in valmiki ramayana rather shiva is only called tryambaka in Valmiki Ramayana.that verse diety is also Lord Rudra.It is only dedicated to Lord shiva. Commented Feb 12, 2019 at 6:41
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Narayana

The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Has been used in the Vaishnava agamas in the praise of Lord Vishnu, for instance

enter image description here

~ Shesha Samhita, chapter 46

rishyasringa samhita 2.7.2

~ rishyasringa samhita 2.7.2

While the Vimanarcha kalpa declares it to be a vaishnava mantra as "रुद्रमन्य' मितिबन्धयेत् 'त्र्यंबक' (ऋ. सं. ५-४-३०) मितियुगं, लांगलंच, वैष्णवं मन्त्रमुच्चार्यतां भुवं"

सप्तवारं प्रतिसर'मस्त्रमन्त्रे'ण मन्त्रितम्।`त्र्यम्बकेन' ऋचालिप्य चन्दनक्षोदवारिणा ।। 14.14 ।। ~ bharagav Tantra 14.14

पञ्चगव्यं शिवञ्चेशमव्यक्त' मिति पूजयेत्। जपित्वा विष्णुसूक्तञ्च 'रुद्रमन्यं-त्र्यम्बकम्' ।। ~ kriyadhikar 33.46

Obj : The Anukramika names Rudra as the deity of the sukta, while The panchabrahman mantras Clearly say that Rudra can Grant moksha

Resp : It is not necessary that the deity Mentioned in the Anukramika is the same you Have to talk about, because Shastras say "रुद्रो रोदयते तस्मात्ब्रह्मा बृंहणकर्मणा" (Bhrigu.sam.36.221) i.e Visnu Makes Us Weep hence he is Rudra, "ब्रह्मरुद्रादिदेवानामगम्या सूक्ष्मतावधिः" (Sankarshan.Sam.2.1.21) i.e Visnu is denoted by all names of Rudra, brahma etc. "रोगनाशो भवेद्रुद्रो" (Vridh.Har.smriti) i.e Visnu is called Rudra, since he dispels all diseases And so on. Further, Even the panchabrahman mantras as a whole is not an issue for us, since multiple shatsras attribute the usuage of Panchabrahman mantras in worship of Visnu, which includes smriti shastras as well. For instance "ईशानेन तु मंत्रेण शिरस्येव विनिक्षिपेत् । तत आदायतद्भस्म मुखेतत्पुरुषेण तु ॥२४।। अघोराख्येन हृदये ततस्तद्भसितं क्षिपेत् । सद्योजाताभिधानेन भस्मपातद्वये क्षिपेत् ॥२५॥....स्मरन्नारायणं तिष्ठंद्यावर्द्धल्यावृतं पुनः" (Bharadwaj.smr.5).

Moreover, as per Kriya kairava agama, Rama gita of skanda puran, Narayana tapniye etc, Visnu is the Essence of all five faces of sadasiva, hence all Mantras of the panchabrahman must actually denote Nārāyaņa only.

The same goes of Other rudra suktas, Sri rudram etc as well. The shastras very well talk of Visnu being the devata and beholder of these Hymns, which I will address in a separate answer, in a detailed fashion.

Rest, this explaination was from the POV of a vaishnava, you are free to disagree with it ofc and the objective was Not to decide who gives moksha or not, but the deity of the mantra in question, but Before levelling objections, one must be thorough with the Facts before hand.

Obj : The Term pinaki is used, Which refers to Siva alone

Resp : Not so. The Term pinaki has been used by Not only shastras like narada puran, nrisimha tpaniye, Nrsimha puran etc to denote Narayana, but even Acharaya shankar has Done the same in his bhasyam to NTU. Therefore, this is not a Nirvaksha linga for Lord Siva.

Obj : Krishna himself explains and hails Siva as Tryambaka in Harivansha Puran

Resp : And why did he do so, Has not only been explained by Lord Siva himself in Harivansha 3.88, but also by several other shastra vakyas. enter image description here

enter image description here Śiva undergoes a realisation just like prahalada in Visnu puran and mentions that since he is an expansion of Visnu, he too is the Lord of all. This is the reason which he recounts for him also having All names of Visnu, one of them being Tryambka as well. Hence it has been said :

ऋग्यजुस्सामार्थर्वभिर्मन्तैः वैष्णवैः देवं संस्तूय नमोऽन्तैर्नामभिः प्रणमेत्... 11 Vişnu is praised in the mantas of Rg, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharvavedas in His infinite names.~ Vaikhānasa Grhyasūtra 3.13.4

And

सर्वेषामेव देवानामनादिः पुरुषोत्तमः 11 Purusottama alone is the beginning of the names of all the deities. ~ Vrddha Hārītasmrti 1.56

Obj : Not giving any other pramana outsides Shrutis as they are svatah pramana when there is no challenge in interpretation.

Resp : This is not a new statement which i have heard ; often people with no understanding of shastras and with an inbuilt negative notion about Purnas, Itihasa, smritis, agamas etc Often end up making such statements, whereas the Truth is, Shrutis are to Be interpreted in the light of Vedangas, smritis, Purans, itihas and agamas. Srutis are Svataha pramana is fine, but Why should one agree with the meaning which you are giving? From where did you get to know that Rudra is clad with Skin and is pinaki? Obv you saw that in Other texts and you are applying the same here. Hence, this logic is inappropriate.

Obj : These upadhis are clear on Shiva/Rudra. Rudra is the Devata associated with medicine and healing in Rigveda especially with healing and protecting cattle. And Rudra is the one clad in skin with Pinaka residing on the mountains (if only wielding Pinaka is not enough to conclude). In Tryambaka Homa (SB 2.6.2), the extremely fierce form of Rudra is also mentioned and satisfied that may protect the Yajaman from his fury on his descendants and cattle (also corroborated with mantras of similar nature in Rigveda addressed to Rudra).

Resp : Nrisimha tapniye Upanishad, Mahabharata etc mentions the Lord Residing on the mountain top. So the assertion is quashed once again. Further, not only Purans, but even Upanishads like Nrisimha tapniye Praise Vishnu with the mantras of Rudra sukta. Even purvacharyas like adi Shankaracharya has Quoted The rudra sukta in his bhasyam to Visnu sahasranama, saying that Vishnu is the one who cures. Hence, neither the Fury Form of Rudra, nor his Characteristics nor his sukta, is exclusive to him.

Obj : Pancharatras are sectrain texts and not accepted as pramanas

Resp : when all the shastras, starting from Purans, Itihasa, Vedas and smritis hail panchartaras, when Even the Abhedvadi acharayas like Shankaracharya, have accepted the Rituals, stutis and practices of pancharatra, so on what basis is this statement made?

Obj : An equal number of completely counter and opposite assertions can be thrown from one side to the other that kills the debate.

Resp : That's not going to happen, because Saiva Shastras don't even Know any murty of Visnu beyond the Karaneswara, who is the Manifestation of sadyojata Mukha of Sadasiva, while vaishnava sastras elaborate clearly upon the entire Hierarchy of Saiva murtys, starting from Paramsiva himself. Moreover, the Vigraha of Siva itself is a result of Sayujya with Sankarshan javalamali Nrisimha, hence all of the mantras dedicated to Rudra, will obviously be the praise of Nārāyaņa only.

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    great answer. hari om
    – blue_ego
    Commented Jul 25 at 12:56
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There is no need of Vaishnava's interpreting this mantra.Interpretation is given only by someone who is interested in the mantra.Vaishnavas have assurance from Sri Vishnu that He will liberate His devotees from mrityu and give mukti (Uddhaar)

Tesham aham samudharta mritysamsaarasagarat (Gita,12/7).

So why would Vaishnavas even chant the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra? They have surrendered to Sri Vishnu for their salvation!

By the way, the ajectives sugandhi and Pustivardhana are adjectives of Urvaruka and not of Tryamvaka.

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  • Sri Vaishnavas do chant this mantra. It is commonly chanted during the Raksha Bandhana ceremony which is done before every major function such as a wedding.
    – hashable
    Commented Feb 12, 2019 at 22:42
  • @hashable pl check this answer. If Sri Vaishnavas utter it than it IS very surprising : hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/21632/…
    – user17294
    Commented Feb 17, 2019 at 7:43
  • you are assuming that answer is the only valid interpretation. There are no doubt mantras in the Vedas that are addressed to other deities but according to Visistadvaita philosophy, the results are always given by Vishnu who is the indweller of all those deities who are all jivatmas. Srivaishnavas chant all Vedic mantras without sectarian exclusion for this reason. Like I said, this particular mantra is chanted in the Raksha bandhana ritual.
    – hashable
    Commented Feb 17, 2019 at 16:46
  • @hashable I wish this is how all Sri Vaishnavas interpreted and included The Vedas. But I will have to differ based on how you stated (unless you can qualify it saying not all Sri Vaishnavas take this position). The question posed by OP is hard to answer because that requires answering & speaking for "all vaishnavas" (not restricted to Sri Vaishnavas). I have come across Tamil Sri Vaishnavas who tend to avoid some parts of The Vedas because according to them they glorify anya dEvatas (like for example, Sri Durga Suktam of Sri Maha Narayana Upanisad, part of which also appears in The Rg Veda)
    – Vidyarthi
    Commented Apr 12, 2020 at 2:36
  • I am also interested in understanding the origins of this (Tamil) Vaishnavite theology claiming Lord Rudra cannot grant mOksha (which I don't personally agree with), but I would have stated this question differently. As stated, this question is too broad, seeking an answer that applies to all vaishnavas. It is easier to answer with precision if it is qualified & restricted for Sri Vaishnavism or applied to some institution (like how do the followers of Sri Ahobhila Matam interpret this Mrtyunjaya Mantra?). Such questions restrict the scope, promoting the possibility of precision in the answer.
    – Vidyarthi
    Commented Apr 12, 2020 at 2:45
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Not all Vaishnavas say that only Lord Vishnu can grant Moksha. Below is spoken by Lord Chaitanya, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in his prayer named Shivashtakam.

sutapta-cāmīkara-candra-nīla-
padma-pravālāmbuda-kānti-vastraiḥ
sunṛtya-rańgeṣṭa-vara-pradāya
kaivalya-nāthāya vṛṣa-dhvajāya

I offer my obeisances to you who resemble a moon of molten gold, who are dressed in garments colored like a group of budding blue lotuses or lustrous rain clouds, who bestow the most desirable boon to your devotees by your delightful dancing, who offer shelter to those who desire Kaivalya (Moksha), and whose flag bears the image of the bull.

Lord Shiva is the Guru of all living entities including great Vaishnava sages such as Narada and can thus also grant Hari-Bhakti and not just material boons.

śrī-nāradādyaiḥ satataḿ sugopya-
jijñāsitāyāśu vara-pradāya
tebhyo harer bhakti-sukha-pradāya
śivāya sarva-gurave namaḥ

I offer my respectful obeisances to you, Sri Siva, who are forever inquired of confidentially by Sri Narada and other great sages, who very easily bestow boons on them, who bestow the happiness of Hari-bhakti to those who seek boons of you, who thereby create auspiciousness and are thus the guru of everyone.

So there isn't a need to interpret the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra to attribute it to Lord Vishnu for all Vaishnava sects.

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The problem lies in the statement "Only a particular manifestation/form of Bhagwan" can give Moksha or in trying to prove one form is superior to other. Before delving into that, let's analyse the Tryambaka Mantra.

Samhita Mentions: RV 7.59.12 , YV Tattriya Samhita 1.8.6, YV Vajasneyi Samhita 3.60, AV XIV.1.17

In Rigveda, the mantra occurs in Mandala 7, Sukta 59 and concludes the Sukta. Now, the Sukta is in praise of Maruts. Rudra is commonly known as the father of Maruts (notwithstanding the esoteric meaning). By the context, ie. conclusion of a Sukta praising Maruts by saluting Rudra is pretty logical. Further, the 'anukramani' of Rigveda clearly addresses the Devata of the Mantra as Rudra.

If that was not clear enough, the Mantra in Yajurveda comes in the salutations and offerings to Rudra. The complete text leaves no shadow of doubt.

Yajurveda 1.8.6

Another extremely important fact that confirms the Devata of this Mantra as Rudra is the Shatpatha Brahmana. Shatpatha Brahmana 2.6.2 details the Tryambaka Yajna. The Yajna (2.6.2.1) glorifies the Yajna as "By which the devatas defeated Vritra and by which they gained the supremacy they now enjoy". The Yajna is devoted to Rudra and again the procedure involves chanting of the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra (2.6.2.11). The mention of Rudra in the Yajna (the same as YV VS 3.60) is the carrier of Pinaka, clad in a skin. There is no doubt left by this following sukta in YV and SB that the Devata is Shiva as Rudra and Tryambaka here.

Harivamsa (2.75), the prayer of Krishna himself to Shiva mentions:-

"O foremost of the lords of the Paradise, O Infinite one! O god, in as much as you are the cause of production and of the thirteen elements (such as earth, sky, space, sun, fire and the wind, &c., &c.) therefore art you principally called Tryambaka of immeasurable fame"

Unless ofcourse, you want to twist your head around the mantra or want to make the Vedic Suktas fit as per definition or sectarian preferences, the Devata of Mahamrityunjaya is not even a question of debate. There is literally no chance that the mantra which is sandwiched in a Sukta that is dedicated to Rudra as holder of Pinaka (YV, SB) is addressing anyone else other than Shiva/Rudra.

The Vedic Rishis were not affiliated with any particular 'ism' or sect. They were seers of Mantras and delivered the Vedas in this physical plane as they saw or heard in their tapasya. As they saw the one eternal truth (Parabrahman), that way they described and prayed to it. Hence one can find all possible ways, ranging from the 'nirguna unmanifest' to Shiva, Vishnu and Devi being mentioned as supreme.

Shiva and Moksha

The Tryambaka/Mahamrityunjaya mantra in itself is a prayer to grant Moksha. It is very similar to the prayer from Taittriya Upanishad "मृत्योरमा अमृतम् गमय", both aspiring to go from Death to Immortality (and immortality is equated with Moksha). As we have shown, the mantra is addressed to Rudra/Shiva, the conclusion of Shiva as granter of Moksha is easy to follow.

The Sadyojata Mantra of Yajurveda, TA 10.17 prays for Moksha in the clearest way possible from the Sadyojata form of Shiva.

"सद्योजातं प्रपद्यामि सद्योजाताय वै नमो नमः। भवे भवे नाति भवे भवस्व मां भवोद्भवाय नमः॥"

"O Sadyojata, do not consign me to repeated birth; lead me beyond birth, into the state of bliss and liberation. For you are the source of this cycle of existence (Bhavodbhayaya)"

"स्थि॒रेभि॒रङ्गै॑: पुरु॒रूप॑ उ॒ग्रो ब॒भ्रुः शु॒क्रेभि॑: पिपिशे॒ हिर॑ण्यैः । ईशा॑नाद॒स्य भुव॑नस्य॒ भूरे॒र्न वा उ॑ योषद्रु॒द्राद॑सु॒र्य॑म् ॥" (RV 2.33.8)

Rudra is Ishana, Ishvara himself. (Refer Ishavasya Upanishad 'Ishavasya Sarvamidam..")

"भुव॑नस्य पि॒तरं॑ गी॒र्भिरा॒भी रु॒द्रं..." RV 6.49.10

Exalt Rudra, the father of the universe (Bhuvanasya Pitrah..)

What is clear is that Shiva is one of the Saguna manifestations of Prabrahman himself (just like Vishnu, for whom similar suktas can be found). And that is why upasana and will of both can give Moksha.

To end with, one can refer to Harivamsa (Chapter 127) where Brahma asserts

"shivaya vishnurupaya vishnave shivarupine |

yathantaram na pashyami tena tau dishatah shivam ||(2-125-29)"

Shiva is the form of Vishnu and Vishnu is the form of Shiva. There is no difference between both. Both provide auspiciousness to the world (and should I say, Moksha).

PS. Not giving any other pramana outsides Shrutis as they are svatah pramana when there is no challenge in interpretation.

Elaboration on Yajurveda 1.8 and Shatpatha Brahmana 2.6.2

The question of referring to either Pancharatra texts or Shaiava Agamas or even Puranas doesn't exist if the Shrutis are itself clear on a matter. Yajurveda and Shatpatha Brahmana has itself given closure on the Mantra. Yet, since objections are raised on upadhis and characteristics, the entire Sukta has to be elaborated to dispel doubts.

YV 1.8.6 (Taittriya Samhita):-

Thou art the protector of cattle. Give us medicine for our cattle and men. Thou art weilder of Pinaka and clad in skin, resident atop the mountains.

These upadhis are clear on Shiva/Rudra. Rudra is the Devata associated with medicine and healing in Rigveda especially with healing and protecting cattle. And Rudra is the one clad in skin with Pinaka residing on the mountains (if only wielding Pinaka is not enough to conclude). In Tryambaka Homa (SB 2.6.2), the extremely fierce form of Rudra is also mentioned and satisfied that may protect the Yajaman from his fury on his descendants and cattle (also corroborated with mantras of similar nature in Rigveda addressed to Rudra).

PS. Smriti and sectarian texts including Agamas are not complete pramanas while interpreting Shrutis which are clear on the matter, any counter to arguments from Shrutis must come from them and respectfully, there is none to come yet. An equal number of completely counter and opposite assertions can be thrown from one side to the other that kills the debate. Same with Puranas, they will satisfy everyone who thinks his chosen form of Bhagwan is superior (which is eventually true anyways because there cannot be any original name or form, doing so would go against the very defining features of the supreme).

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