ness" and va which means "embodiment of grace". The word Shiva is used as an adjective in the Rig Veda (c. 1700–1100 BCE), as an epithet for several Rigvedic deities, including Rudra. The term Shiva also connotes "liberation, final emancipation" and "the auspicious one"; this adjectival usage is addressed to many deities in Vedic literature. The term evolved from the Vedic Rudra-Shiva to the noun Shiva in the Epics and the Puranas, as an auspicious deity who is the "creator, reproducer and dissolver". Sharma presents another etymology with the Sanskrit root ?arv-, which means "to injure" or "to kill", interpreting the name to connote "one who can kill the forces of darkness". The Sanskrit word ?aiva means "relating to the god Shiva", and this term is the Sanskrit name both for one of the principal sects of Hinduism and for a member of that sect. It is used as an adjective to characterise certain beliefs and practices, such as Shaivism. Some authors associate the name with the Tamil word ?ivappu meaning "red", noting that Shiva is linked to the Sun (?ivan, "the Red one", in Tamil) and that Rudra is also called Babhru (brown, or red) in the Rigveda. The Vishnu sahasranama interprets Shiva to have multiple meanings: "The Pure One", and "the One who is not affected by three Gu?as of Prak?ti (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas)". Shiva is known by many names such as Viswana