RUDRA"THE GREAT GOD OF VEDAS"

RUDRA

Rudra is a vedic god mentioned in rig veda,saam veda,yajurveda,atharveda
In bhramans,aryanaks and in upnishads.
Three entire hymns are devoted  to rudra in rigveda.
He is said to be " mightiest of mighties" and "best of physicians".
He is a fierce god with bairded hairs and one with three eyes.The word rudra means roarer/howler.
He is said to cure people.And to make villages free from illness. (similar as lord shiva's epithet"i.e. vaidyanath")
God rudra is said to not harm people.may be for their sins he punish them and they ask for mercy.
The great yajurvedic hymn SRI RUDRAM/SATARUDRIYA is devoted to rudra .(sri rudram/satarudriya can be found in yajurveda chapter16).

From here the infrormation from wikipedia stars.  for the wikipedia rudra page click here.


Epithets of supreme rule

a verse from the rig veda:

(rv 2.33.9)calls rudra "the lord or sovereign of the universe"(īśānādasya bhuvanasya)

sthirebhiraṅghaiḥ pururūpa ughro babhruḥ śukrebhiḥ pipiśehiraṇyaiḥīśānādasya bhuvanasya bhūrerna vā u yoṣad rudrādasuryam(rv 2.33.9)

with firm limbs, multiform, the strong, the tawny adorns himself with bright gold decorations:the strength of godhead never departs from rudra, him who is sovereign of this world, the mighty.


A verse of Śrī Rudram(=Yajurveda 16.18)speaks of Rudra as Lord of the Universe:

जगताम् पतये नमः ।
jagatăm pataye namaha।
Homage to the Lord of the Universe.
Another verse (Yajurveda 16.46)
locates Rudra in the heart of the gods, showing that he is the inner Self of all, even the gods.
देवानां हृदयभ्यो नमो ।
devănăm hridayebhyo namo
Salutations to him who is in heart of the gods.


In a verse popularly known as theMahamrityunjaya Mantra, both Rig Veda (7.59.12) and Yajur Veda (3.60)recommend worshipping Rudra to attain moksha (liberation):

tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanamurvārukamiva bandhanān mṛtyormukṣīya mā'mṛtāt

We worship Tryambaka, sweet augmenter of prosperity. As from its stem a cucumber, may I be freed from the bonds of death, not reft of immortality.

From here the infrormation from wikipedia ends. Click here for the wikipedia rudra page.

Rudra is also known as "Pashupati". And he is said to rule on both two footed(may be humans) and four footed animals.
Maybe pashupati means the the lord of all pashu(i.e.all living being(jiva)).Rudra do five important works of universe.

Rudra perford five important work of universe.
Bhava-creates the universe(creator).
Sharva- destroys the universe(destroyer).
Pashupati-lord of all creatures which are created. (i.e. two footed"humans" and four footed "animals").(may be the  maintaner).
Rudra- one who gives punishment for sins and also grant humans free from illness and to grant salavation.(maintaner)
Ishan- the one from whom the world came. Ishan also means "the ruler".
(The grase giver ;unknown even to seers.)

Above things prove that the rudra creates,destroys,give punishment, cure people as maintainer</b> and grants salavation as grase giver or ruler.

In atharveda book 2.28 it is mentioned that rudra do shrishti(creation) adi(etc.)
Means srishti,stithi,samhar,tirobhav,anupgrah.
And atharveda book 7.92 tells that rudra is able to create all bhutas (earth,water,fire,air,sky).

RUDRA HAS CONNECTION WITH DEVI

The earliest evidence of the tradition of reverence for the feminine with Rudra-Shiva context, is found in the Hindu scriptureRigveda, in a hymn called the Devi Sukta:

I am the Queen, thegatherer-up of treasures, most thoughtful, first of those who merit worship.Thus gods have established me in many places with many homes to enter and abide in.Through me alone all eat the food that feeds them, – each man who sees, breathes, hears the word outspoken.They know it not,yet I reside in the essence of the Universe. Hear, one and all, the truth as I declare it.I, verily, myself announce and utter the word that gods and men alike shall welcome.I make the man Ilove exceeding mighty, make him nourished, a sage, and one who knows Brahman.I bend the bow for Rudra [Shiva], that his arrow may strike, and slay the hater of devotion.I rouse and orderbattle for the people, I created Earth and Heaven and reside as their Inner Controller.(...)— Devi Sukta,Rigveda10.125.3 – 10.125.8(source-wikipedia shiva page.)

Rudra is the father of maruts

Rudra is the father of maruts. It has been mentioned many times in rigveda ,yajurveda and atharveda.

Maruts are companions of indra, son of rudra and prithwi(earth).
Maruts are voilent strom gods,which causes rain. Rigveda book7.66. May be gives an account on natural phenomena caused by strom gods to rain.

RUDRA AND SOMA

Rudra has a relationship with soma plant. May be because,Rudra is best of physicians and soma is the best; herbal plant of vedic times.so they both are invoked as soma-rudr to keep men free from illness.

RIG VEDA BOOK 7.66 gives an account of soma-rudra.

RUDRAS
Rudras are forms and followers of the god Rudra-Shiva and make eleven of theThirty-three gods in the Hindu pantheon.They are at times identified with theMaruts– sons of Rudra ; while at other times,considered distinct from them.
Associations In Vedic mythology
Rudras are described as loyal companions of Rudra, who later was identified with Shiva. They are considered as friends, messengers and aspects of Rudra. They are fearful in nature. The Satapatha Brahmana mentions that Rudra is the prince, while Rudras are his subjects. They are considered as attendants of Shiva inlater mythology.The Rig Veda and the Krishna Yajur Veda 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 theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad, the eleven Rudras are represented by tenvital energies(rudra-prana) in the body and the eleventh one being theĀtman(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.

SRI RUDRAM CHAMKAM
It consists of two texts from book four of theTaittiriya Samhita (TS 4.5, 4.7), which is a recension of the Krishna Yajurveda.Shri Rudram or the Namakam(chapter five) describes the name or epithets of Rudra, which represent his aspects. Additionally, the devotee asks for the benevolent aspect of Shiva to be invoked rather than the terrible aspect and requests forgiveness of sins. The Chamakam(chapter seven)asks for the fulfilment of wishes. Each part consist of eleven anuvaka or hymns. Traditionally Rudra is assigned the number 11, and among the thirty three deities of the Vedic pantheon, eleven are considered forms of Rudra.
Shri Rudram
The anuvakas of Shri Rudram correspond to the eleven hymns of TS4.5, with the final anuvaka extended by an additional eight verses, including the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. The central Shaivite mantra,Om Namah Sivaya is also derived from the Shri Rudram, it appears (without the om) in TS 4.5.8.l.There are eleven hymns; each has its own purpose and meaning. For instance, the seventh anuvakam is for education, progeny; the eighth anuvakam is for destruction of enemies and possession of one's own things from them.
Chamakam
The second part of the text, corresponding toTS 4.7, asks God for fulfillment of wishes. The repeated phrase,cha méliterally means, "and to me [be this granted]", accompanied by a list of desirables, which are primarily necessary appurtenances for Vedic sacrifices.The original context of theChamakam is the piling up of the fire-altar of the Vedic religion. The hymn invokes, apart from Agni and Vishnu at the beginning, a pantheon of Vedic deities that are successively linked with Indra to enable the yajamana or sacrificer/patron to successfully perform Vedic fire sacrifices or yagnyas, such as the Agnishthoma, Somayaga, and the Ashwamedha. The Chamakam can be interpreted both as a preparatory for a physical external sacrificial ritual, and the inner, possibly yogic sacrifice involving pranic control, since the yogic "vital airs" are explicitly mentioned as sacrificial adjuncts in anuvaka, or stanza 10.


RUDRA IS PURUSH
The thinking of making a persnal god as purush developed in late vedic period all around the times of aranyakas,bhramanas and upnishads. But not in samhitas!!!.
Vedic Sanskrit corpus
The corpus of Vedic Sanskrit texts includes:
*.The Samhitas (Sanskritsaṃhitā,"collection"), are collections of metric texts ("mantras"). There are four "Vedic" Samhitas: theRig-Veda,Sama-Veda,Yajur-Veda,and Atharva-Veda, most of which are available in several recensions(śākhā). In some contexts, the termVedais used torefer to these Samhitas. This is the oldest layer of Vedic texts, apart from the Rigvedic hymns, which were probably essentially complete by 1200 BC, dating to c.the 12th to 10th centuries BC. The complete corpus of Vedic mantras as collected in Bloom field's Vedic Concordance(1907) consists of some 89,000padas(metrical feet), of which 72,000 occur in the four Samhitas.
*.The Brahmanas are prose texts that comment and explain the solemn rituals as well as expoundon their meaning and many connected themes. Each of the Brahmanas is associated with one of the Samhitas or its recensions.[49][50]The Brahmanas may either form separate texts or can be partly integrated into the text of the Samhitas. They may also include the Aranyakas and Upanishads.
*.The Aranyakas, "wilderness texts"or "forest treaties", were composed by people who meditated in the woods as recluses and are the third part of the Vedas. The texts contain discussions and interpretations ofceremonies, from ritualisitic to symbolic meta-ritualistic points ofview.[51]It is frequently read in secondary literature.
*Older Mukhya Upanishads (Bṛhadāraṇyaka,Chandogya,Kaṭha,Kena,Aitareya, and others).
The Vedas (sruti) are different from Vedic era texts such as Shrauta Sutras and Gryha Sutras, which are smriti texts. Together, the Vedas and these Sutras form part of the Vedic Sanskrit corpus.While production of Brahmanas and Aranyakas ceased with the end of the Vedic period, additional Upanishads were composed after the end of the Vedic period.


The Brahmanas,Aranyakas, and Upanishads, among other things, interpret and discuss the Samhitas in philosophical and metaphorical ways to explore abstract concepts such as the Absolute (Brahman), and the soul or the self (Atman), introducing Vedanta philosophy, one of the major trends of later Hinduism. In other parts, they show evolution of ideas, such as from actual sacrifice to symbolic sacrifice, and of spirituality in the Upanishads. This has inspired later Hindu scholars such as Adi Shankarato classify each Veda intokarma-kanda(कर्म खण्ड, action/ritual-related sections) and jnana-kanda(ज्ञान खण्ड, knowledge/spirituality-related sections).
Visit wikipedia vedas page.
In the Taittiriya Aranyaka of Yajur Veda (10.24.1) Rudra is identified as the universal existent ("all this") and thus as thePurusha(Supreme Person or inner Self) of the Vedas:
sarvo vai rudrastasmai rudrāya namo astupuruṣo vai rudraḥ sanmaho namo namaḥviśvaṃ bhūtaṃ bhuvanaṃ citraṃ bahudhā jātaṃ jāyamānaṃ ca yatsarvo hyeṣa rudrastasmai rudrāya namo astu ॥ 1॥
All this verily is Rudra. To Rudra who is such we offerour salutation. We salute again and again that Being, Rudra, who alone is the Purusha and theSoul of creatures. The material universe, the created beings, and whatever there is manifoldly and profusely created, in the past and in the present, in the form of the world—all that is indeed this Rudra. Salutations be to Rudra who is such.


BIRTH OF RUDRA
The concept of birth of both rudra and vishnu was not in vedic samhitas,the concept developed after the vedic samhitas in aranyakas,bhramanas and upnishads.
The Taittiriya Aranyaka of Yajur Veda(1.10.1) identifies Rudra and Brihaspati as Sons of Bhumi (Earth) and Heaven.
Although it does not refer for rudra because,the same taittarayi ananyaka book 10 states rudra as alone purush.
Although it may refer to rudras as they are the gods who live between earth and heaven. And also rudra is the father of maruts and bhumi(earth) is mother of maruts .
So on the behalf of the follows:-
(a)- Rudras are gods of middle world and live beteween earth and heaven can be the sons of bhumi(earth) and heaven.
(b)- The same book  taittariya aranyaka of yakurveda where rudra is said to be son of earth and heaven book 10 states rudra as alone purush.
(c)- Rudra is the father of maruts  and bhumi(earth) is the mother of maruts.
It can be said that the rudra in the taittrayi aranyaka said to be the son of bhumi(earth) and heaven is not rudra but rudras. Samelike brihaspati is also said to be born out of first great light that droves out ignorance.
Please visit for more information:-
Rudra wikipedia page
Rudras wikipedia page
Maruts wikipedia page
Sri rudram chamkam namkam wikipedia page

VISHNU"THE HARMLESS GOD OF VEDAS"

VISHNU

Vishnu is mentioned in rigveda,saam veda,yajurveda,atharveda.
Aranyakas,bhramanas and upnishads.
Vishnu is a harmless god,calm and one who in his three strides comes bhuloka(earth),pataloka(down world) and swarglaoka(heaven).
He is said to be very good and it is reffered that a man must take his name once a day. Although his greatness rised at very high during the age of aranyakas,bhramans and upnishads. But in vedic samhitas also he contains a great postion.
The word vishnu means one who prevades everywhere.
Vishnu is derived from the sanskrit dhatu or word vishlri which means to be all prevadious. Vishnu is the friend of indra.
Vishnu is said to reside in heaven.From where his legs are swinging.  Creatures are eager to go to the way from where the vishnu is passed.(rv 1.154.5)
Vedas

Vishnu is a Vedic deity, but not a prominent one when compared toIndra, Agni and others.Just 5 out of 1028 hymns of theRigveda, a 2nd millennium BCE Hindu text, are dedicated to Vishnu, and he finds minor mention in the other hymns. Vishnu is mentioned in the Brahmana layer of text in the Vedas, thereafter his profile rises and over the history of Indian mythology, statesJan Gonda, Vishnu becomes a divinity of the highest rank, one equivalent to the Supreme Being.Though a minor mention and with overlapping attributes in the Vedas,he has important characteristics in various hymns of Rig Veda, such as 1.154.5, 1.56.3 and 10.15.3.In these hymns, the Vedic mythology asserts that Vishnu resides in that highest home where departed Atman(souls) reside, an assertion that may have been the reason for his increasing emphasis and popularity in Hindusoteriology.
He is also described in the Vedic literature as the one who supports heaven and earth. In the Vedic hymns, Vishnu is invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra, whom he helps in killing the symbol of evil named Vritra.His distinguishing characteristic in Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 refer to Vishnu. In section 7.99 of the Rgveda, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra. In the Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is Surya or Savitr (Sun god), who also bears the name Suryanarayana. Again, this link to Surya is a characteristic Vishnu shares with fellow Vedic deities named Mitra and Agni, where in different hymns, they too"bring men together" and cause all living beings to rise up and impel them to go about their daily activities. In hymn 7.99 of Rigveda, Indra-Vishnu are equivalent and produce the sun, with the verses asserting that this sun is the source of all energy and light for all. In otherhymns of the Rigveda, Vishnu is a close friend of Indra.Elsewhere in Rigveda, Atharvaveda and Upanishadic texts, Vishnu is equivalent to Prajapati, both are described as the protector and preparer of the womb, and according to Klaus Klostermaier, this may be the root behind post-Vedic fusion of all the attributes of the Vedic Prajapati unto the avatars of Vishnu.


In theYajurveda, Taittiriya Aranyaka (10.13.1),Narayana sukta, Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being. The first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the wordsparamam padam, which literally meanhighest postand maybe understood as thesupreme abode for all souls. This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam or Vaikuntha. Rig Veda 1.22.20 a also mentions the sameparamam padam. In theAtharvaveda, the mythology of a boar who raises goddess earth from the depths of cosmic ocean appears, but without the word Vishnu or his alternate avatar names. In post-Vedic mythology, this legend becomes one of the basis of many cosmogonic myth called theVarahalegend, with Varaha as an avatar of Vishnu.


Trivikrama: the three steps of VishnuThe "three strides of Vishnu"
Several hymns of the Rigveda repeat the mighty deed of Vishnu called the Trivikrama, which is one of the lasting mythologies in Hinduism since the Vedic times. It is an inspiration for ancient artwork in numerous Hindu temples such as at the Ellora Caves, which depict the Trivikrama legend through the Vamana avatar of Vishnu.Trivik?rama refers to the celebrated three stepsor"three strides" of Vishnu. Starting asa small insignificant looking being, Vishnu undertakes a herculean task of establishing his reach and form, then with his first step covers the earth, with second the ether, and the third entire heaven.


विष्णोर्नु कं वीर्याणि प्र वोचं यः पार्थिवानि विममे रजांसि ।यो अस्कभायदुत्तरं सधस्थं विचक्रमाणस्त्रेधोरुगायः ॥१॥ (...)
I will now proclaim the heroic deeds of Visnu, who has measured out the terrestrial regions,who established theupper abode having, wide-paced,strode out triply (...)— Rigveda 1.154.1, Translated by Jan Gonda.


The Vishnu Sukta 1.154 of Rigveda says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) arevisible to the mortals and the third is the realm of the immortals. The Trivikrama describing hymns integrate salvific themes, stating Vishnu to symbolize that which is freedom and life. The Shatapatha Brahmana elaborates this theme of Vishnu, as his herculean effort and sacrifice to create and gain powers that help others, one who realizes and defeats the evil symbolized by the Asuras after they had usurped the three worlds, and thus Vishnu is thesavior of the mortals and the immortals (Devas).
Brahmanas To what is One Seven germs unripened yet are heaven's prolific seed:
their functions they maintain by Vishnu'sordinance.Endued with wisdom through intelligence and thought,they compass us about present on every side.What thing I truly am I know not clearly:mysterious, fettered in my mindI wander.When the first-born of holy Law approached me,then of this speech I first obtain a portion.(...)They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni,and he is heavenly-winged Garutman.To what is One, sages give many a title.—Rigveda1.164.36-37, 46
The Shatapatha Brahmana contains ideas which Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism has long mapped to a pantheistic vision of Vishnu as supreme, he as the essence in every being and everything in the empirically perceived universe. In this Brahmana, states Klaus Klostermaier, Purusha Narayana (Vishnu) asserts, "all the worlds have I placed within mine own self, and mine own self have I placed within all the worlds".
The text equates Vishnu to all knowledge there is (Vedas), calling the essence of everything as imperishable, all Vedas and principles of universe as imperishable, and that this imperishable which is Vishnu is the all. Vishnu is described to be permeating all object and life forms, states  S Giora Shoham, where he is "ever present within allthings as the intrinsic principle of all", and the eternal, transcendentalself in every being.The Vedic literature, including its Brahmanas layer, while praising Vishnu do not subjugate others gods and goddesses. They present an inclusive pluralistichenotheism. Max Muller states, "Although the gods are sometimes distinctly invoked as the great and the small, the young and the old (Rig veda 1:27:13), this is only an attempt to find the most comprehensive expression for the divine powers and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the subordinate to others. It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute".


Upanishads
The Vaishnava Upanishads are minor Upanishads of Hinduism, related to Vishnu theology. There are 14 Vaishnava Upanishads in theMuktika anthology of 108Upanishads. It is unclear when these texts were composed, and estimates vary from the 1st-century BCE to 17th-century CE for the texts. These Upanishads highlight Vishnu,Narayana,Rama or one of his avatars as the supreme metaphysical reality called Brahman in Hinduism.They discuss a diverse range of topics, from ethics to the methods of worship.


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