Rudra and meaning
Courtesy: http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/series/shri_rudram/verses_from_the_shri_rudram-1.htm
Verses from the Shri Rudram - anuvAka 1
Table of Contents
- OM namo bhagavate rudrAya
- Shri Rudram 1.1
- Shri Rudram 1.2
- Shri Rudram 1.4
- Shri Rudram 1.5
- Shri Rudram 1.6
- Shri Rudram 1.7
- Shri Rudram 1.8
- Shri Rudram 1.9
- Shri Rudram 1.10
- Shri Rudram 1.11
- Shri Rudram 1.12
- Shri Rudram 1.13
- Shri Rudram 1.14
- Shri Rudram 1.15
namo bhagavate rudrAya
|| AUM namo bhagavate rudrAya ||Once again, it is the holy month of shrAvaNa, sacred for the worship of Shiva. The most important part of Shiva worship is undoubtedly the chanting of the shrI rudram with devotion. Regarding the shrI rudram, it is said:
vR^ixasya mUlakena shakhAH puShyanti vai yathA |
shive rudrajapAtprIte prItA evAsya devatAH |
ato rudrajapAdeva bhuktimuktiprasiddhyataH ||
Even as by (watering) the roots of a tree, all its branches are nourished, so by pleasing Shiva with the chant of the Rudram , all the gods are pleased. Therefore, the attainment of bhukti - enjoyment (not against dharma)- and mukti - liberation- is only through chanting the Rudram with devotion.
The shrI rudram is also called the Rudropanishad or the shatarudrIyam.h. The name Rudropanishad indicates that even though the Rudram is technically part of the karma kANDa or the ritual portion of the Vedas, it is held to be on par with the upanishads of the jnAna kANDa. The name shatarudrIyam is applied to indicate that this shrI rudram appears in the texts of the one hundred and one shAkhA's of the Yajur Veda. The chanting of the Rudram is followed by that of the Chamakam, so called because of the frequent occurrence of the expression "cha me."
This wonderful Rudram-Chamakam is to be learned from a Guru who himself has been trained in the Vedic tradition.
There are two versions of the Yajurvedic Rudram, one from the Shukla Yajurveda and the other from the Krishna Yajur veda. The Rg Veda has its own and shorter version of the Rudram.
The importance of this hymn has been attested to by several commentaries, such as the ones by sAyaNa, bhaTTa bhAskara, abhinava shankara, and Vishnu sUrI.
No commentary by Adi Shankara on the Rudram is known. But there are verses from the shrI rudram in the shvetAshvatara upanishad and Shankara has been attributed the authorship of a commentary on the upanishad.
So I would like to present the explanation of such verses from the Rudram that are also present in the shvetAshvatara upanishad along with the commentary attributed to Shankara.
We begin with the shvetAshvatara 3.5:
yA te rudra shivA tanUraghorApApakAshinI |
tayA nastanuvA shantamayA girishantAbhichAkashIhi ||
( shrI rudram: anuvAka 1 , rik 3; shvetAshvatara Up.: 3.5 )
yA - that
te - Your
rudra - O Rudra
shivA - auspicious
tanUH - form
aghorA - not terrifying
apApakAshinI - that which destroys sins by mere remembrance
tayA - by that
naH - us
tanuvA - by the form
shantamayA - by the most joyous
girishanta - O Dweller of the (KailAsa) mountain who confer joy
abhichAkashIhi - look (at us so that we may be united with the
highest good)
O Rudra! O Girishanta (who dwell on the Kailaasa mountain and confer happiness)! By that form of Yours which is not terrifying, which destroys sin by its mere remembrance, and which is all blissful, please behold us and unite us with the highest good!
shA.nkarabhAShyam.h (Commentary of Shankara)
yA te rudreti | he rudra tava yA shivA tanUraghorA | uktaM cha
tasyaite tanuvau ghorA .anyA shivA .anyeti | athavA shivA .avidyA-
tatkAryavinirmuktA sachchidAnandAdvayabrahmarUpA na tu ghorA
shashibiMbamivA .ahlAdinI | apApakAshinI smR^itimAtrAghanAshinI
puNyAbhivyaktakarI | tayA .atmanA no .asmAn.h shantamayA sukhatamayA
purNAnandarUpayA he girishanta girau sthitvA shaM sukhaM tanotIti |
abhichAkashIhi nirIkshasva shreyasA niyojasvetyarthaH ||
Translation of Shankara's commentary:
O Rudra! (By that) form of Yours which is aghorA, ie. not that which is terrifying. It is said (in the BrAhmaNa) "(Rudra is verily this sacrificial fire, agni.) That Rudra has two forms; one is terrifying and the other is shivA, auspicious (or gentle)." Or, the word shivA means that which is free from ignorance (avidyA) and ist effects, which is of the nature of the nondual Brahman that is Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss, which is not terrifying but which causes joy like the form of the moon. apApakAshinI means that which destroys sins by merely being remembered and which reveals merit (puNya). Through that form which is most delightful and of the nature of infinite bliss, O Girishanta, who reside on the (KailAsa) mountain and confer happiness, behold us (look at us) so that (by this glance) we may be united with the highest good (Brahman).
Note:
The brAhmaNa portion identifies Rudra with the sacrificial fire, agni and speaks of two forms of Rudra - one terrifying, the other benign. It is this benign aspect that is associated with the eradication of ignorance and the bestowal of knowledge. It may be noted that the Shri Dakshinamurti form, that grants the Supreme knowledge of Brahman, is the gentle form.
|| AUM namo bhagavate rudrAya ||
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