In the Yajur Veda the position of Rudra becomes more established as Pasupati and Lord of sacrifices and as The One without a second.

"Pasunam sarma asi sarma yajamanasya sarma me yacha Eka Eva Rudro Na Dvitiyaya Tasthe Akhusthe Rudra Pasuh Tam Jushasva. Esha te Rudra Bhagah Saha Svasra Ambikaya tam Jushasva Bheshajam Gave Asvaya Purushaya Bheshajam." This text is repeated in the Svetasvatara Upani-shat and is the original of the famous text in the Chhandogya Upanishat 'Ekamevadvitiyam Brahma'. Nadvitlyam is more ancient form than Advitiyam or Advaitam. And we know this is the central text of the Advaita philosophy. In this veda, His supreme Majesty is fully developed, and He is expressly called Siva byname 'Sivo namasi' (Yaj. S. 3-63) and the famous mantra, the Panchakshara, is said to be placed in the very heart of the three Vedas (the name occurs in Tait. S. IV. 5, 1-41 "namah sambhave cha mayobave cha namah Sankaraya cha mayaskaraya cha NAMAHS1VAYA cha Sivataraya cha"). And the famous Satarudriyam which is praised in the Upani-shats and in the Mahabharat forms also the central portion of this central Veda. And this is a description of God as the all, the all in all, and transcending all, 'Visvadevo, Visvasvarupo, Visvadhiko'; and anybody can see that the famous passage in the Gita in chapters 10 and 11 merely parodies this other passage and these two chapters are respectively called Vibhuti Vistdra Yoga and Visvarupa Sandarsana Yoga which is exactly the character of the Satarudriya. The Yogi who has reached the highest state "Sees all in God and God in all.". In the Satarudriya and in the whole Veda, Rudra is called Siva, Sankara, Sambhu, Isana, Isa, Bhagavan, Bhava, Sarva, Ugra, Soma, Pasupati, Nilagriva, Girisa, Mahadeva and Mahesvara.

The word 'Pura'* in the Upanishat technically mean 'the body.' Tripura means the triple bond (of the soul) and Tri-pura samhara means the destruction of our human bondage by the grace of God.

"The fools say the ancient of days with the braided hairand the Ganga destroyed the three cities. The three Pura are the result of the three mala; who knows what happened after (pasatchaya)?" - Tirumantiram.

- Kaivalyopanishat.

- Sveta Upanishat Chap. 3.

The story of Tripurasamhara is much more fully set forth in the Yajur Veda (6th Kanda, 2nd Prasna, 3rd Anuvaka and 12th Mantra).

Mahapuram Jayantiti ta ishum Samas Kurva to gnium anikan Soman Salyam Vishum Tejanam the bruvan ka imam asishatita Rudra iti aleruvan rudro vai Krura; Somya twiti, sobravit Varam Vrina aham eva Pasunam Adhipatirasaniti tasmat rudrah Pasunam adhipatishtam rudrova Srijat Satisra Puro bhitva ebhyo: lokebhys Suran pranudata.

"There were the three cities of iron, silver, and gold (belonging) to Asuras. The gods not being able to win them (by fight) wished to win them by siege. (The great) say that He (the Brahmin &c), who knows (what ought to be known) and he (the non-Brahmin &c), who does not know - they are able to win by seige the great city which cannot be overtaken by fight: (then) the gods made an arrow composed of Agni as (the bottom hilt) Soma as (the middle) iron and Vishnu as (the top) and declared (consulted) who will discharge it, and determined Rudra, (was) able : He (the Rudra) said the boon was made over, I am the Lord of Pasus (both the two-footed and four-footed); So Rudra the Lord of Pasus discharged it, broke up these three cities, and blew them up all from these worlds."*

* It is clear from the Yajur Veda that there is a closer link between the Lord's aspect as Tripurasamhara, as the burner of the three cities, and His other aspect as Pasupati, the Lord of the Pasus. In fact it is from the Lord's aspect as Tripurasamhara, we come to know of His other aspect as Pasupati. The whole story of Tripurasamhara, with the earth becoming a chariot, the Sun and Moon forming its wheels, the four,Vedas becoming its horses, the Kshetrajna Brahma its driver, the Vishnu, Agni and Soma becoming the portions of the arrow held in the hands of the Lord etc., is on the face of it symbolic. That this story is symbolic can be further gleaned from an earlier portion of the Yajus-Samhita. The following texts occur in the 5th Kanda of the Yajur-Veda :

The importance of this lies in the fact that in the chief festival in each temple, called the Brahmotsava, the important event is the car-feast in which the charioteer is the four-headed Brahma, recalling and representing this old old story referred to in the Rig Veda and Yajur Veda.

The Yajur Veda is the Central Veda and is a most important one and as such more than ninety per cent of the Brahmins of to-day are Yajur Vedies. The occurrence of the words Pati, Pasu and Pasam should be noted as their significance will be referred to later on.

Here all the quarters (i.e., space) are said to be the arrows of Rudra, and the bows are the various periods of time, i.e., Eternity, and the Rudra Himself is the Spirit inhering in all things, bound by Space and Time,

(Yajus, Kanda 5). In the Karnaparva, Mahabharata, we are expressly told that, that Time is represented by the Bow of the Tripuraghna.

And what is Eternity 1 It is that which transcends the periods of past, future and present.

Hence the same Bow is described as OMKARA

The Supreme God made a bow of Omkara and a string of Savitri. As to what the grant of boon means, the following text makes it clear:

"The Patitvam or the Lordship of mine is as natural to Me as that of dependence or Pasutvam to you all, and it is this fact that is shown by my playing with you regarding the grant of boon." It is like a Father playing with his children requiring them to say "call me father ". It is the acknowledgment of the utter dependence upon the Lord.