Vedic Science International Multidisciplinary Peer-reviewed Journal 

Article  Information

Journal: Vedic Science
Volume: 28 | Issue: 1 | Year: 2026
Pages: 45–50
DOI:  https://doi.org/10.66718/vsj.v28.i1.05    
Received: 15 Feb. 2026
Accepted:  25 March, 2025
Published: 20 April, 2025

The DNA of Śiva: Examining Śiva through a Linguist Lens

Dr Bisraam Rambilass (M.A. Ph.D Sanskrit) Vidyāvācaspati, Ex HoD: Sanskrit – University of Durban, Westville, Academic Director Hindi Shiksha Sangh (S.A.);Founder & Director: Westville Hindu School; Director – School of Vedic Studies (South Africa); President Emeritus- Arya Samaj South Africa, 87 Harbottle Rd, Sydenham, Durban, 4091, South Africa

Abstract

This paper examines the theological evolution of the deity Śiva through a linguistic methodology grounded in traditional Indian exegetical schools. By analyzing a sequence of epithets from the Vedic corpus—Sambhu, Śaṅkara, Śiva, Śivatara, and Śivatama—the study demonstrates a systematic progression from verbal root (dhātu) to nominal form (nāma) to adjectival gradation (viśeṣaṇa). These are also qualifying epithets of Śiva as ‘mayo bhu’ and śānta. This grammatical unfolding, metaphorically termed the "DNA" of Śiva, reveals how an abstract Vedic concept of auspiciousness progressively crystallizes into the fully anthropomorphized deity of the Purāṇas. The paper argues that this linguistic evidence, drawn exclusively from Vedic texts themselves, validates the principle of svataḥ-pramaṇah—that the Vedas are self-validating and contain within their own structures the hermeneutic keys for their interpretation.

Keywords

Śiva, Vedic linguistics, dhātu, etymology, Yajurveda, Patañjali, Yāska, theological evolution, Sanskrit grammar.

References

How to cite this article

Rambilass, B.  (2026). The DNA of Śiva: Examining Śiva through a Linguist Lens . Vedic Science, 2026 (1), 45-50. ISSN: 0975-0312. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66718/vsj.v28.i1.05