Rudram Decoded

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Dear sadacharyas,

 

Swami Rajagopala though a Vaishnavite by birth is a great yogi and a

man of high understanding. He conducts Homa and Rudra abhisheka and

sri rudram chanting in the Rajarajeshwari Temple.

 

There is a fantastic book being sold in Giritrading agencies of

Chennai by the name Sri Rudram Decoded by KT SHUBHAKARAN. It contains

a wealth of information about sri rudram including some unknown

secrets and techniques.

 

 

Many Hindus do not even know what Sri Rudram is: Below is an attempt

to explain some aspects of it.

 

SRI RUDRAM & CHAMAKAM

 

 

Sri Rudram-Chamakam occupies a very important place in Vedic

literature and in the practice of Vedic Religion. It is the heart of

Krishna Yajurveda and is treasured in the centre of Taittiriya

Samhita. Sri Sivapanchakshari Mantram is enshrined in it. Sri Rudram

is known as Rudropanishad. Though it forms part of Karma Kanda, it

ranks at par with the Upanishads of the Jnana Kanda. And as it is

seen in all the 101 Shakhas of the Yajurveda, it is

called 'Satarudriyam'.

 

Among the Vidyas, the Vedas are supreme; in the Vedas the Rudra

Ekadasi is supreme; in the Rudram the Panchakshari

Mantra 'NAMASIVAYA' is supreme; in the Mantra the two letters 'SIVA'

is supreme. As by pouring water at the root of a tree, all its

branches are nourished, so also by pleasing Rudra through Rudra Japa,

all the Devas are pleased. This is the best atonement (Prayaschittam)

for all sins and the foremost 'Sadhana' for attainment of cherished

desires.

 

Greatness of the Rudram

 

All great religions have tried to praise the Highest God in musical

and sonorous praise befitting their great theme. One of the most

thrilling and spiritually gratifying of such praises is the Vedic Sri

Rudram in Sanskrit in India. Appayya Dikshitar, that polymath of

learning, was enamoured of it. He was often regretful for not being

born in the Krishna Yajurveda Sakha. (He is a Sama Vedi). Gandhiji

wanted to hear the recital of the Vedas according to the South Indian

tradition. He was greatly moved by hearing the chanting of Rudram. He

first heard the recital of it at the opening of the Somnath temple.

To hear it chanted in chorus by South Indian Brahmins is a unique

experience.

 

A verse in the Vayu Purana says: " A person reciting and applying

daily the Namakam, Chamakam and the Purusha Sooktam is honoured in

the Brahma loka. " The Namakam referred to in it is the Rudram,

abounding in the word 'Namah'.

 

Evolution of Rudra

 

The word Rudra has got 4 root meanings:

 

a) Dreadful, terrific angry.

b) Great or large.

c) Driving away evil.

d) Fit to be praised

 

We find all the 4 concepts entering into the composition of Rudra. He

is one of the naturo-mythical gods of the Rigveda, but has only a

minor place in it and is being associated with Maruts. Probably He

represented the sudden and destructive forces of the storm with

thunder and lightning which struck at men and cattle.

 

In the Yajurveda, the connection of Rudra with the Maruts and the

thunderbolt is entirely cut off. Here He has reached the position of

Supremacy, which He has maintained in the Itihasas and Puranas down

to this day. The common thread in both the Vedas is the 'warrior-

aspect' of Rudra, His mighty bow and arrows which He shot at cows and

men, His amenability to invocation and prayer, His healing powers,

and His capacity to ferry men over sins and sorrows. In the course of

the Rudram, we can find the gradual and steady promotion He is

getting - from Siva to Sivatara and again later to Sivatama.

 

Contents

 

The Sri Rudram consists of 37 Riks and 130 Yajus in various Chandas

or Metres in the Anuvakas 1 to 11. Each hymn should have a Rishi,

Chandas, and Devata. For the entire Rudra Adhyaya, the Rishi is

Bhagavan Rudra, the Kanda Rishi is Agni, the Chandas is Mahavirat,

and the Devata is Shambu. Apart from this, the several Riks have got

their own Rishis, Chandas, Devatas, and Prayogas or Applications.

 

 

Anuvaka(11 in number...below the rik number,yjus number and the style

of chanting the rudram have been given ..the style may vary from

Terror and Anger to Cosmic vision from connection with time to

salutation depending on each anuvaka...anuvaka means one particular

verse stanza said in one go. It is really an amazing experience to

watch the rudra brahmins chant sree rudram in Nanganallur

Rajarajeshwari Temple.)

Riks

Yajus

Style

 

01

15

-

Terror and Anger

 

02

-

13

Cosmic Vision

(Pasupati)

 

03

-

17

Problem of Evil

 

04

-

17

Contrasts and Artisans

 

05

-

15

Unique Qualities

 

06

-

15

Connection with Time

 

07

-

16

Agent (like Hanuman)

 

08

-

17

Focal (NAMASIVAYA)

 

09

-

19

Earth and Water

 

10

12

-

Prayer to Rudra

 

11

10

1

(in 3 sections)

Salutations

 

 

In the Bhagavat Gita, Arjuna sees God everywhere in his Viswaroopa

Darsanam and the awed 'Namaskara' of adoration automatically arises

in his lips. The Rishi of the Rudram had a similar vision of the

entire universe pervaded by Bhagavan Rudra and his infinite Rudra

Ganas. It is liitle wonder, therefore, that the Rudram ends on a

similar note of involuntary namaskaras.

 

Supplimentary to the Rudram

 

The Rudram recital in South India is supplemented by 7 Mantras, at

the end of the above mentioned 11 Anuvakas, as prayers to Rudra to

loosen the votary automatically from death and confer immortality.

 

Rudra is Death and Homas are done to Him as " Mrityave Swaahaa "

meaning " I sacrifice unto the God of Death " . But He is also

the " Mrityunjaya " meaning the " Conqueror of Death, the Lord of

Immortality " . Rudra is also " Aashutoshin " - one who is easily pleased.

And the easiest method of pleasing Him is by the Rudram.

 

Uses of the Rudram

 

Strictly speaking, the Rudra is a Homa or sacrifice performed in fire

in honour of God Rudra. While most of the rituals relating to the

other Gods stop limited to the particular purpose intended in the

Karma Kanda, it was felt that the Rudram could not and should not be

so confined, but put to further varied uses. Hence we find that

Rudram and Chamakam are used invariably for all the Vedic worship of

Siva in all the households and temples. The kalpas had devised their

application in other functions like Ayushya Homa etc. Like the Gita,

it has earned the sobriquet of the Rudropanishad, the highest

conceivable use to which it can be put. Tha Jabala Upanishad and the

Kaivalya Upanishad are the authorities for this. In both of them

the " Satarudriyam " is mentioned.

 

The Chamakam

 

The Chamakam occurs in the 4th Kanda, 7th Prapataka of the Yajur

Veda. In the earlier 6 Prapatakas, rites depending

upon " Parishechana " had been dealt with. In the 7th, the pouring of

clarified butter into the sacred fire with a wooden ladle

called " Vasordhaara " is stated. For the purposes of this rite, the

entire Chamakam is one. The splitting up of the Chamakam into 11

Anuvakas is to use them as 11 Mantras in non-sacrificial rites. A

long list of desiderata are prayed for in it - 347 to be precise - by

the votary, coupled with the article 'Cha'.

 

Should One Pray

 

Should we pray at all ?

Does not God know our wants and desires ?

Should He not and would He not satisfy them ?

 

The Chamakam answers in the language of the Bible: " Ask and it shall

be given " . God is there to give. Ask regally; not in an abashed,

whining and pulling manner. Ask abundantly; not for one or two; now

and then; and apologetically. Ask for all things in a full-throated

manner. He is bound to give as Lord and Creator, and He will grant

all the desires of His creatures. There is also no distinction

between the things of this world and the next. Ask for one and all.

 

Prayer Difficult

 

Man does not know how to pray to the Supreme Being for the simple

reason that he is ignorant of what is ultimately good or bad for him.

In our Itihasas and Puranas we find how the Asuras and Rakshasas

perform severe penances and austerities and ask for stupid boons from

the Gods, which brought ruin upon them in the end. If wisely

directed, most of them could have become Gods or could have attained

immortality, with a fraction of their efforts. Hence, it is that all

religions teach men how to pray and what to pray for. The Rudram and

Chamakam are some of the foremost examples in the art of prayer in

the Vedas.

 

Ananda Meemamsa

 

What is happiness ? All religions and philosophies have tried to

define it and pointed out their several ways of securing it. Two

Upanishads - the Taittiriya in its Brahmananda Valli and the

Brihadaranyaka in its 4th Adhyaya - take up this Ananda meemamsa-the

investigation of happiness. Taking human happiness as the lowest in

the rung, they ascend to that of the Gandharvas, and the successive

higher and higher Gods, and end with that of Prajapati or the

Creator. All these happinesses are but small drops in the ocean of

bliss which is Brahmananda, the happiness of the Self, which is

attained by the Brahmajnani due to casting off of all desires. It is

not correct to say that the self is an object possessing 'Sat-chit-

anandam' as external qualities; but they are inherent in the Self,

that the Self is nothing but these qualities. Hence there is no

question of attaining any happiness, which is external, limited or

graded. It is intrinsic one and entire, and man's birthright. He has

only to shed his body-consciousness and realize that he is a soul.

 

 

 

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe

Sugandhim Pushti Vardanum

Urvaarukamiva Bandhanaat

Mrityormuksheeya Maamritat Swaha

 

One who does Rudram everyday after Srichakra and Guru worship along

with Pancha suktas will verily get salvation in this birth itself.

 

I hit the ground thrice and say with authority!!

 

 

Yours yogically,

 

Subodha