Sri Rudram

Anuvaaka 01

I wish to share details I have gathered on the first anuvaaka (chapter) of Sri Rudram.

It is important to understand the very first line of this anuvaaka which is - oM namo bhagavate rudrAya

The word Rudra has two meanings -

1) rodayati sarvam antakaale, meaning one who makes everybody cry, that is the chastiser.

2) rutam draavayati, meaning one who melts away pain or the cause for the pain.

The order in this world is a given. It is called Dharma. God or Lord Shiva or Lord Rudra believes in maintaining that order. To do so, He chastises when the order is broken, and is pleased when that order is maintained or followed.

Bhagavate is otherwise Bhagavan. Bhagavan is derived from the word bhaga, which details six virtues - lordship (aishwaryam), strength (veeryam), glory (yashas), richness (Sri), knowledge (gyaana), freedom from wants (vairaagya). Only one who possesses these six virtues is Bhagavan.

Om is the symbol of auspiciousness, and namah is salutation.

We propitiate the Lord in the starting verse in this manner because prayer does change the course from the past and win His benign support.

Lord Shiva or Rudra is visualized holding a bow and arrow in His hands, and with a quiver full of sharp arrows thrown over his shoulder. Prayers are offered to His strong hands, to the bow, arrows, His anger and to Him. We offer our prayers to Him and seek His blessings. We seek pardon from His anger (manyu) for our own acts of omissions and commissions, by bowing to Him (namaste). As a karmaphala dhaata, He has to demonstrate His disapproval for some of our acts. Our guilt causes us to see Him as angry.

This prayer is an act of surrender to Him. So even if we have to face consequences for our acts, we seek refuge in Him, and ask Him to help us face our karmaphala.

This sincere prayer has a telling effect, and we now see His bow, arrows as attractive, as quietened, as auspicious too, as if it can do us no harm.

He is aghora - non-frightening, He is apaapakaashini - giver of supreme knowledge, and He blesses us all. Our ignorance is cleared as knowledge is revealed by Him, we are full of happiness and thus we surrender to Him with consciousness. He is Girishanta - one who resides in the Vedas. He is Vedas Himself, and as vedic followers, we are blessed.

Lord Rudra is then referred to as the Lord of the Hill (Kailaasa) and prayed to as the remover of obstacles (distractions, diseases, sorrows, emotional confusion, poverty and so on) in our pursuit or journey, the journey being to understand the purpose of our lives, the dharma of our lives, act as dharma prescribes, and seek His blessings. Lord Rudra is called a bhishak (physician or doctor!). He is Mahaadeva (lord of all Devaas) - like in the story of Maarkandeya. He is no longer considered a chastiser.

The beauty of the prayer is that it seeks this benevolence from the Lord of Kailaasa, and the Lord of the Vedas, for all living beings. It is not a prayer of the individual for himself. Even more wonderful is, in the next prayer Sri Rudram invokes Lord Rudra to help the previous prayer come true. Just as varuneyaastra neutralises agneyaastra, our paapas can also be neutrailsed with prayer to Lord Rudra.

Lord Rudra is willing to drink poison for His devotees should they need His help. Lord Rudra, the blue-necked (neelagriva or neelakanta) is prayed to as the Sun, Moon, Stars, Wind, Rain, Fire and other devataas. Every devataa is Lord Rudra Himself. Thus He makes Himself visible to every living being that can see. Since He is so pure at heart, and ever willing to help, each individual must seek from the Lord, his/her ichcha (need or want). Seeking help is intelligent living.

The next prayer is to release the string of the bow from both its ends, blunt the arrows He holds, with a silent assurance that we will not commit heinous crimes or sins that deserve chastisement with sharp arrows. This is the essence of anaatataaya.

Below is the text in english for the first anuvaaka..

|| oM namo bhagavate rudrAya ||

namaste rudramanyava utota iShave namaH |

namaste astu dhanvane bAhubhyA-muta te namaH || 1.1||

yAta iShuH shivatamA shivaM babhUva te dhanuH |

shivA sharavyA yA tava tayA no rudra mRuDaya || 1.2||

yA te rudra shivA tanU-raghorA&pApakAshinI |

tayA nastanuvA shantamayA girishaMtAbhichAkashIhi || 1.3||

yAmiShuM girishaMta haste bibharShyastave |

shivAM giritra tAM kuru mA hi#f3;#e8;sIH puruShaM jagat || 1.4||

shivena vachasA tvA girishAchChA vadAmasi |

yathA naH sarvamijjagadayakShma#f3;#e8;sumanA asat || 1.5||

adhyavochadadhi vaktA prathamo daivyo bhiShak |

ahI#f3;#e8;shcha sarvA~jjaMbhayantsarvAshcha yAtudhAnyaH || 1.6||

asau yastAmro aruNa uta babhruH sumaMgalaH |

ye chemA#f3;#e8;rudrA abhito dikShu |

shritAH sahasrasho&vaiShA#f3;#e8;heDa Imahe || 1.7||

asau yo&vasarpati nIlagrIvo vilohitaH |

utainaM gopA adRushannadRushannudahAryaH |

utainaM vishvA bhUtAni sa dRuShTo mRuDayAti naH || 1.8||

namo astu nIlagrIvAya sahasrAkShAya mIDhuShe |

atho ye asya satvAno&haM tebhyo&karannamaH || 1.9||

pramuMcha dhanvanastva-mubhayo-rArtniyo-rjyAm |

yAshcha te hasta iShavaH parA tA bhagavo vapa || 1.10||

avatatya dhanustva#f3;#e8; sahasrAkSha shateShudhe |

nishIrya shalyAnAM mukhA shivo naH sumanA bhava || 1.11||

vijyaM dhanuH kapardino vishalyo bANavA#f3;#e8; uta |

aneshannasyeShava Abhurasya niShaMgathiH || 1.12||

yA te heti-rmIDhuShTama haste babhUva te dhanuH |

tayA&smAnvishvatastva-mayakShmayA paribbhuja || 1.13||

namaste astvAyudhAyAnAtatAya dhRuShNave |

ubhAbhyAmuta te namo bAhubhyAM tava dhanvane || 1.14||

pari te dhanvano heti-rasmAnvRuNaktu vishvataH |

atho ya iShudhistavAre asmannidhehi tam || 1.15||