The Linga-daivata Hymns- A Rigvedic Riddle
Summary
This detailed study tackles the so‑called "Linga‑daivata" hymns of the Ṛgveda, which some scholars have interpreted as evidence of early phallic worship. In Rigvedic manuscripts, certain hymns carry superscriptions labelling their deities as linga‑daivata, and later commentators have linked these to the Śiva‑liṅga cult. The author scrutinises every hymn with such a superscription, noting that the deities honoured are traditional Vedic gods like Indra, Agni, Savitṛ and Nirṛti. The word linga does not occur in the hymns themselves. The paper argues that in Vedic contexts linga means a mark or characteristic sign rather than a phallic emblem. Ritual commentaries used linga‑daivata as a cataloguing term to distinguish hymns by their distinctive features. The author reviews occurrences of Rudra‑Śiva names in the Ṛgveda and finds them rare and unconnected to phallic imagery. Comparative evidence from the Atharvaveda, Brāhmaṇas and Sūtra literature shows that linga is used for signs, characteristics or symbols rather than ritual objects. The study criticises attempts to project later Śaiva iconography onto early Vedic texts and warns against anachronistic readings. By situating the superscriptions within the history of Vedic exegesis, the author resolves the "riddle": the linga‑daivata hymns do not attest to a pre‑Vedic phallic cult but reflect a classificatory practice of scribes and commentators.
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Conclusion
Examining the superscriptions and contents of the so‑called linga‑daivata hymns alongside ritual literature, the article argues that these labels denote distinctive marks of deities, not phallic worship. The supposed Rigvedic riddle disappears once the philological context is understood, demonstrating the need to avoid projecting later religious developments onto early texts.