Gist of Sri Rudram

Today is Shivaratri and it is an auspicious night for the worship of Lord Shiva. It is not Shiva’s ratri but our
ratri for us to worship Shiva throughout the night. Generally Shivaratri is celebrated in the form of Shiva
puja in the form of Rudra Abhisekam. As Shiva is supposed to Abhisekam priyah while Vishnu is
supposed to be Alakara priyah and all those ornaments like pitambaram, gada, chakra etc. Therefore
rudra abhisekam is done on Shivaratri and it can done in different ways.

We did rudra abhiskem today chanting one time Rudram and one time Chamakkam. This kind of
worship is called namaka worship. Then you can chant Rudram eleven times and after the end of each
round of Rudram you chant one chapter of Chamakkam and thus 11 times Rudram and once
Chamakkam is called Rudram. Then the next higher grade is chanting Rudram 121 times (multiple of 11)
– you can do it any way like one person chanting 121 times or 11 people chanting 11 times or 121
people chanting once – and chamakaam will be chanted 11 times. This type of worship is called Rudra
Eka dhashinih. The next higher grade is chanting Rudram 121 times 11 which 1,321 times and this you
can do in any manner (121 people chanting Rudram 11 times and if there are 1,321 people who know
Rudram they can chant it once) and this kind of worship is called Maha Rudram (1,321 times rudram and
121 times chamakkam). And if you can manage still higher as we have got one more. We must chant
1,321 times 11 which is 14, 541 times rudram. And we chant chamakkam 1,321 times. This is called athi
rudram. Thus namakam is one time, 11 times is rudram, 121 times is rudram eka dhashini, 1,321 times is
Maha rudram and 14,541 is athi rudram. Therefore you’ll find that in India especially South India they
will chant Rudram or Rudram Eka Dhashini chanting rudram throughout the night. But we have not able
to go higher than namakam (laughs). Since we have been chanting Sri Rudram each Shivaratri I thought I
will briefly give you the meaning. We may spend our lifetime chanting Rudram without knowing what it
contains. I’ll not go to elaborate level except furnish the salient features in this talk.

Rudram is a very sacred mantra or prayer occurring in the Krishna Yajur Veda. It occurs almost in
the middle of the yajurveda. It is considered not only most sacred in yajurveda but whole Vedas. Among
all the shastra, the Vedas are supposed to be most sacred and among Vedas the Rudram is the most
sacred and revered. And in the Rudram itself the “panchakshari” which occurs almost in the middle
which is “Namah Shivayya”. And further the most auspicious part is in the middle which is “Shiva”. Since
the word “Shiva” occurs in the Rudram and it means the “most auspicious one”, the most magala kalah
this is considered to be most auspicious and sacred.

And before chanting Rudram there are some preparatory mantra called “nyasa” mantrah. This is
invocation of the deity on our own body. This is because when we worship we should also be as pure as
the Lord at least at the time of puja! We purify the body by invoking various deities at various parts of
the body. In Rudram we have two kinds of invocation. Before doing Rudram Eka Dhashini, Maha Rudram
and Athi Rudram we do a bigger invocation called “Mahaanyasah”. This is one hour of chanting where
we invoke the lord in different parts of the body. And we cannot do Mahaanyasah then we need a
shortcut which is the vogue of Kali yuga as we are always short of time! We have a shorter invocation
which is called “Laghunyasah”. prajanane brahmā tiṣṭhatu | pādayor-viṣṇustiṣṭhatu | hastayor-
harastiṣṭhatu | bāhvorindrastiṣṭatu | jaṭhare உ agnistiṣṭhatu | hṛda’ye śivastiṣṭhatu | kaṇṭhe
vasavastiṣṭhantu | vaktre sarasvatī tiṣṭhatu | nāsikayor-vāyustiṣṭhatu | nayanayoś-candrādityau tiṣṭetām
| karṇayoraśvinau tiṣṭetām | lalāṭe rudrāstiṣṭhantu | mūrthnyādityāstiṣṭhantu | śirasi
mahādevastiṣṭhatu | śikhāyāṃ vāmadevāstiṣṭhatu | pṛṣṭhe pinākī tiṣṭhatu | purataḥ śūlī tiṣṭhatu |
pārśyayoḥ śivāśaṅkarau tiṣṭhetām | sarvato vāyustiṣṭhatu | tato bahiḥ sarvato உ gnir-jvālāmālā-
parivṛtastiṣṭhatu | sarveṣvaṅgeṣu sarvā devatā yathāsthānaṃ tiṣṭhantu | māgṃ rakṣantu |

So we invoke so many deities not only on our body but also in the surroundings also. And again another
invocation. agnirme’ vāci śritaḥ | vāgdhṛda’ye | hṛda’yaṃ mayi’ | ahamamṛte” | amṛtaṃ brahma’ṇi And
that is also invocation of the deity. So after invocation I have also become a mini-Shiva as it were. And
only this purification one is supposed to do rudra abhiskem. The word “Rudra” itself has various
different names. “Ruth” means dukham, Dukha Hathuh means the cause of sorrow like disease, death,
famine etc. The “Drah” means “One who drives away.” Since Lord Shiva removes all the sorrows and the
causes for sorrows, therefore HE is called “Rudra”. Therefore positively HE is called “Shiva” the most
auspicious one. When you say HE is the “remover of sorrow” you say “Rudra” and by removing the
sorrow what do you get? Mangalah and Anandah. You call HIM “Shiva” as the bestower of Magalam
and Anandah. Since Lord Rudra is glorified in this prayer, this is known as SRI RUDRAM.

Otherwise they call it “shatha rudriyam” as in Kaivalya Upanishad and here “shatha” means hundreds
and “rudriyam” means aspects or glories of Lord Rudra. Since this contains hundreds of glories or lilas of
Lord it is called “shatha rudriyam”. Another name is “Rudra Upanishad” which also means “Rudram”.
Another name is “Sri Rudra Suktam” and finally “namakam – all these are names of Sri Rudram (Shatha
Rudriyam, Rudra Upanishad, Rudra Suktam, Namakkam etc).

Before chanting “Rudra” we invoke the grace of Lord Shiva by meditating on him. Here the prayer or
meditation mantra is beautiful as two aspects of the Lord are brought in. One aspect is Shiva as a
personal God. That is what we get in the beginning

śuddhasphaṭika saṅkāśaṃ trinetraṃ pañca vaktrakam | gaṅgādharaṃ daśabhujaṃ sarvābharaṇa

bhūṣitam as Shiva is described as a person with three eyes, carrying Ganga, and jatta is there, and
various ornaments are there, and Parvathi is also seated. This is for a beginner and for an advanced
seeker sarva vyāpina-mīśānaṃ rudraṃ vai viśvarūpiṇam | Lord Shiva is not seating at one place but he is
sarvathmatah in the form of virat swaroopam or vishwa rupah. In the later slokas the vishwa rupa is
beautifully described āpātāḷa-nabhaḥsthalānta-bhuvana-brahmāṇḍa-māvisphurat- jyotiḥ sphāṭika-liṅga-
mauḷi-vilasat-pūrṇendu-vāntāmṛtaiḥ. So the whole cosmos is taken as the cosmic Shiva lingah and the
abshisekam is done by the moon’s rays that contain water droplets. This is maha yagna. We take a small
lingam and meditate on it as a cosmic Viswa rupam before doing the abhisekam. brahmāṇḍa
vyāptadehā bhasita himarucā bhāsamānā bhujaṅgaiḥ ord Shiva’s body pervades the whole
“brahmandam” (the cosmos). In another prayer we saw Jala Kala Kalasam Akasha Moorti, nakshatram
pushpamalyam, graha kara kusum – the whole akasha is Shiva linga, the stars are the flowers, the sun
and moon are the eyes, the ocean the base, pathalam or the lower world are the steps veda, vakram,
shadagam and veda is the mouth of Lord Rudra. The difference between Shiva and Vishnu is there as
long as you consider them as a personal god. Their forms, colour, abaranams, etc are different. The
difference between Shiva and Vishnu is only at a lower level. Once we expand our minds to see Vishnu
as “Vishwa rupa” and Shiva as “Vishwa rupa” then both Shiva and Vishnu are one and the same.
Therefore at the end of Rudram we have Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya Vishnavay Mruthyurme Paahi,
they knew we would quarrel as whether Shiva is greater or Vishnu. Likewise in Vishnu Sahashranama
they added Sarva Sharva Shiva to indicate that both are one and same. They are both nothing but Virat
Swarupa. This is laghunayasa or the dhyana sloka.
Now I will quickly go through the contents of Rudram. It consists of 11 chapters, we call it eleven
anuvakam (sections or chapers). In this the first anuvakam and the last two anuvakam are prayers
seeking the grace of the Lord. In these three sections – 1, 10, and 11- we are asking for Ishwara Kripa
and Ishwara Anugraha. We see them later. I shall take the middle portions first. From the second
anuvakam to the nineth anuvakam it is the glorification of the Lord Shiva. These are Shiva Mahima
Stotram or Shiva Shruthi or Ishwara Shruthi. In these sections Shiva’s glories are seen from different
angles. In Rudram we find three aspects beautifully brought out.

One glory is Sarva Ishwarathpm, Lord Shiva is the Ishwara of all. The god for all gods. Sarvasham
pathihi and Sarvasham Ishwarah, in Vedantic jargon the “nimitta karanam” is highlighted. The Lord has
the intelligent creator and the lord has the protector of the universe.

The second aspect that is highlighted Sarvathma Kathvam of Lord Shiva which means HE alone is
appearing as everything in creation. Previously we said that HE is the Lord of all which means people are
different and Lord is different. There is bhedam. Now we say that the Lord does not protect the world
standing separately as the LORD HIMSELF is there in the form of the world. This is Viswarupa we get in
the Bhagavat Gita of the eleventh chapter, what we get in the Purusha Suktam is conveyed in the
Rudram as Sarvam Shiva mayam jagat. This I call Sarvathmakatvam.

Then comes the final and the subtlest aspect and that is the sarva antharyami thvam. The Lord is
the inner essence or nirgunathvam, sarva athisttanam of everything. So there are three stages:
Sarvasham Ishwarah, Sarva Rupah, Sarva Antharyami.

Now I will quote from the rudram just to show how these three aspects are brought out.
Sarvasharathvam we get in the second anuvakam Namo hiranya bahave , senanye ,dhisaam cha pathaye
nama, HE is the Lord of all quarters pasunaam pathaye namo nama HE is the lord of all pasus, meaning
all animals including human beings and therefore HE is pushupathih. padheenaam pathaye nama, HE is
various margas – Karma, Upasana, Jnana – which are the sadhanas prescribed in the scriptures.
annanaam pathye nama , HE is the lord of annam (food) and thereafter pushtanaam pathaye nama, HE
is the lord of nourishment. kshetranaam pathaye nama, HE is lord of lands (fields) of the fourteen
worlds. vrukshaanam pathaye, kakshanaam pathaye , oushadinaam pathaye, patheenam pathaye,
sathvanaam pathaye, HE is the lord of forests, oceans and all of them. Then interestingly Rudram HE is
not only the lord of good things, HE is the lord of so called negative things also. When you say “lord” HE
is absolute.

In the third section Rudram talks about varieties of thieves. Like leaders of thieves, dacoits, cheats
etc. The Lord is all of them! sthenaanam pathaye means thief, thaskaraanam pathaye means another
kind of thief, sthayoonam pathaye , aranyanam pathaye means the thief in the forest like Veerapan.
Shiva is the lord for all of them…laughs. Mushnathaam, prukrunthanaam, kulanchaanaam means army
people and all that. That HE is the lord of everything.

Then the next aspect is “Sarvaatmakah” we get in the next section. Ganebhyo ganapathibyascha
vo namo nama, Viroopebhyo Viswaroopebhyascha vo namo nama, Mahadbhya kshullakebyascha vo
namo nama, HE is in the form of all ganams meaning groups of people. And if there is a leader for a
group then HE is also Shiva. Mahadbhya means bigger one while kshullakebyah means smaller one.
Radhibhyo aradhebhyascha, Radhebhya radha pathibhyscha means one who drives the chariot or all the
drivers. Kshathrabya sangraheethrubyacha, Sthakshabhyo rathakarebhyascha , Kulalebhya
kamaribhyascha, HE is carpenter also. Next time you get angry with a carpenter, remember this.
Carpenter is also Shiva, pot maker is also Shiva, Ikshukrudbhyo, those who make arrows and also those
who make bows. Mrugayubhya swanibhyascha, HE is also the dog leader who drags the animal after a
kill. It is Shiva dragging Shiva.

Then it gets interesting: bṛhate ca varṣī’yase ca namo’ vṛddhāya’ ca saṃvṛdhva’ne ca namo agri’yāya ca
prathamāya’ ca nama’ āśave’ cājirāya’ ca namaḥ śīghri’yāya ca śībhyā’ya ca nama’ ūrmyā’ya
cāvasvanyā’ya ca nama’ḥ strotasyā’ya ca dvīpyā’ya ca namo” jyeṣṭhāya’ ca kaniṣṭhāya’ ca nama’ḥ
pūrvajāya’elderly people, younger people, standing people, sitting people, laying people, those with
pains …..all are Shiva. All these are enumerated and it is said that Lord Shiva alone is everything. So
sarvathma bhavah.

Then comes the last “sarva antharyami”. namo’ dundubhyā’ya cāhananyā’ya ca , Dhndubi is a drum and
Shiva is inside that! …(laughs). You use a stick to make a sound to the drum and who is inside the stick?
Lord Shiva. srutyā’ya ca pathyā’ya ca nama’ḥ kāṭyā’ya ca, Shiva is pathi which means marga, inside the
well also Shiva is there, inside rivers also, inside sara (means lake), in the dry land also Lord Shiva, in the
wetlands also, in the grassy land Shiva is there, in the grass less land also he is there, in the dust also HE
is there, meghyaya cha HE is the clouds also, vidyutyā’ya ca nama īdhriyā’ya cātapyā’ya ca namo
vātyā’ya ca reṣmi’yāya ca namo’ vāstavyā’ya ca vāstupāya’ ca, HE is the prithvi also, HE is the prarna also
which is leaf. Therefore Shiva is in everything possible, HE is all of them. In what rupam? Satchitananda
swarupam.

Now I will conclude with the prayer part that I left out. We seek the blessings of Lord Shiva in the
first portion and the last two portions. The prayer is interesting and it is like a child’s prayer. Imagine the
devotee is standing before Rudra and HE has many aspects like Pancha vaktram, etc and one of the
aspects is “gora rupam”. HE is terrible to look, Shiva has got a bow and arrow (Pinakam), then there is a
quiver and there are arrows with the sharp tips coming out. And Lord Shiva is an embodiment of
“manyayu” (anger). Now when a devotee sees such an image, he is extremely scared and afraid.
nama’ste rudra manyava’ utota iṣa’ve nama’ḥ, first I prostrate to your anger! Then he takes each aspect
one by one. “O, Lord! When I see your bow I am terribly scared. When I see the arrows I am terribly
frightened. When I see your gora rupa I am frightened. So for my sake you have to change your form. yā
te’ rudra śivā tanūraghorā உ pā’pakāśinī, you please show your agora rupa. So please show me your
Shiva rupa and please ensure you don’t harm me in any manner. I plead and you must imagine Shiva
saying, okay, okay. Inspite of Shiva’s acceptance the devotee is not satisfied. When I see your bow which
is already strung, I get scared because YOU may suddenly use it. Therefore I suggest YOU please unstring
it. pramu’ñca dhanva’nas-tvamubhayorārtni’ yorjyām, Please keep the bow and string in your hand but
loosen the strings. Then imagine Shiva saying,” Sure, I will do that.” By this time the devotee sees the
sharp arrows. The tip of the arrow is jutting out from the quiver. The devotee is scared of that as he says
yāśca te hasta iṣa’vaḥ parā tā bha’gavo vapa. I suggest YOU keep the arrows upside down so that I don’t
get to see the sharp side. Then Shiva says I WILL DO THAT. Then vijyaṃ dhanu’ḥ kapardino viśa’lyo
bāṇa’vāgm uta even if the arrows are upside down it is so sharp that YOU may take it anytime and use it.
I am afraid. Therefore I suggest that YOU take the arrow and rub the tip of it and make it blunt. Lord,
please blunt the arrow and then YOU may keep it. Shiva says,” Okay, I will do it.”
 By this time the devotee thinks that my request is not correct. Because even though the Lord
may remove them for my sake, I must request the Lord for my protection from various dangers from
outside. And Lord has to protect me from these dangers then HE must have all HIS weapons. Now the
devotee says,” I am taking back all my prior requests. Even here the devotee is weak minded and
unsure. He says,” You keep the bow strung, let there be arrows and let them be sharp. Now my prayer is
Please do not use it against me. Lord, I have a list of enemies and please finish all of them. ane’śan-
nasyeṣa’va ābhura’sya niṣaṅgathi’ḥ | yā te’ hetir-mī’ḍuṣṭama haste’ babhūva’ te dhanu’ḥ | tayā உ smān,
viśvatas-tvama’yakṣmayā pari’bbhuja | nama’ste astvāyudhāyānā’tatāya dhṛṣṇave” | ubhābhyā’muta te
namo’ bāhubhyāṃ tava dhanva’ne. Paribhuja means please save me. I prostrate and salute your hands. I
salute your arrows and kindly do not use against me.

It has an important use and I’ll tell you. pari’ te dhanva’no hetirasmān-vṛ’ṇaktu viśvata’ḥ | atho ya
i’ṣudhistavāre asmannidhe’hi tam. I have a hit list of enemies which is called “aarah”. Please use all your
arrows to them, hurl your arrows to my enemies …(laughs). There is a similar prayer at the end also. mā
na’stoke tana’ye mā na āyu’ṣi mā no goṣu mā no aśve’ṣu rīriṣaḥ | vīrānmā no’ rudra bhāmito உ va’dhīr-
haviṣma’nto nama’sā vidhema te, O Lord, you protect us and all the people belonging to the family and
especially protect our servants with your bow and arrows. Even the servants are mentioned to show the
importance, they knew it even then! Let them not fall sick, viran mano means servants. And if there are
pregnant women let them be protected. The child within the womb be protected, the husband be
protected. Let all those people be protected, O lord. Let the animals be protected, like pets.

In the end it says namo’ rudhrebhyo ye pṛ’thivyāṃ ye”உ ntari’kṣe ye divi yeṣāmannaṃ vāto’ var-
ṣamiṣa’vas-tebhyo daśa prācīrdaśa’ dakṣiṇā daśa’ pratīcīr-daśo-dī’cīr-daśordhvās-tebhyo namaste no’
mṛḍayantu te yaṃ dviṣmo yaśca’ no dveṣṭi taṃ vo jambhe’ dadhāmi. I worship the Lord Rudra who is in
infinite forms. Who is in the northern direction with hundreds of forms, southern direction in hundreds
of forms. For all of them I offer my prayers and prostrations. And what do I want? I want to destroy all
my enemies. So finish off “whoever I hate and whoever hates me”. This appears a terrible boon, we say
our true enemies are not outside but they are inside as in raga, dvesha, kama, kroda, mada, matsarya
etc. O Lord destroy all of them. Give me sadhana Chattustayai Sampathi. Once I have purity of my, what
is my next request? trya’mbakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ pu’ṣṭivardha’nam | urvārukami’va bandha’nān-
mṛtyo’r-mukṣīya mā உ mṛtā”t. Then I can work for moksha for how long will be caught in the snares of
samsara.

And how should I be liberated? There is a beautiful example. Just like urvaruma, the valeri pazham, say a
type of cucumber. The fruit will be strongly connected to the creeper. The fruit does not come away
from the creeper. As the fruit grows the original creeper breaks and goes away. O, Lord I am like the
valeri pazham and because I am not ripe I am strongly attached to the creeper like father, mother, wife,
child and all of them. Actually in the old age the attachment seems to be stronger. O, Lord I should
mature and I should not give up, let them give me up. This is best way of sanyasa. O Lord give me such a
situation that I will be naturally free from all these bonds. And I will attain immortality. And oneness
with you. With the last prayer for moksha and chitta shudi the rudram is concluded.

Rudram is a very sacred mantra for all seekers especially Vedantic seekers. That’s why in Kaivalya
Upanishad it is said that even a sanyasi should chant rudram. Therefore Rudram is one mantra that is
good for brahmachari, ghrista, vanaprasta, and sanyasis. There are five things we should chant daily:
Asvashasa is whatever veda he belongs to, some chanting of any Upanishad, Bhagavat Gita, Vishnu
Sahasranama, Rudram, and Purusha Suktam. Rudram is very sacred and on Shivaratri it is very very
sacred. And we have done that abhisekam today and let Shiva bless us with all mangalams.

Sri Rudram is the glorification of Lord Shiva who is none other than Rudra, which means one who
removes all sorrows or pains from one’s mind. “Ruth” means “dukham” and “dra” means “remover”. So
the very meaning of Rudram is ‘remover of sorrow” and so we chant Rudram and do abhisekham today.
The glory of Rudram is mentioned in Kaivalya Upanishad: a person becomes free from pappas and sins
he has committed. Rudram not only sets us from our sins but also give us all the four purusharthas. We
chant some Dhyana slokas before chanting rudram and these verses are used for the meditation on Lord
Shiva. These prayer verses are beautiful verses and with beautiful meaning. So I thought I will give you
briefly the meaning of the dhyana sloka today.

            These Dhayana Slokas of Rudram is beautiful as Lord Shiva is described in three different ways
depending upon the stage of the seeker, depending upon the maturity of the devotee the Lord HIMSELF
is seen from three different perspectives. All the three angles are given in the dhyana slokas and we’ll
discuss them.

            The first way of looking upon the Lord as a human being, as a person. A beginner looks upon the
Lord as a person (as a personal god). Therefore the initial description of the Lord is as a person with
hands and legs, asanams and ornaments etc. But once the devotee is evolved enough then he has to
change his perspective. The Lord should not be seen as one particular person but Lord must be seen as
total creation endowed with all the forms of creation. This is called viswa rupa ishwaraha. Once we have
evolved sufficiently then we have to go beyond the viswarupa also. We have to learn to appreciate the
same Lord as formless, attribute less, the absolute nirgunam Brahman. In Sanskrit the first stage is “eka
rupa” bhakti, the Lord in one particular form. The second stage is “anaka rupa” bhakti, the Lord in
manifold form and ultimately the “arupa” bhakti where the Lord is formless. Every devotee has to start
as “eka rupa” bhakta and here the devotee has a lot of options. You can choose your personal god as
personal gods are many with different names and forms. You can choose Shiva as your Ishta Devata, you
can choose Vishnu as your Ishta devata, you can choose Devi as Ishta Devata – all of them you see as a
person in the beginning. But once I do sufficient puja then the very same Shiva or any personal God I
learn to look upon as the very creation. Viswa, prapanja, eka rupah shariram as Viswarupah. Thus for a
Shiva Bhakta, Shiva becomes the whole creation or the whole creation is nothing but Shiva. Similarly for
a Vishnu bhakta starts with Vishnu rupam initially with Shankar, gada, chakra etc and he should also
evolve to see Vishnu as the very creation. Then all the bhaktas – whether Shiva bhakta or Vishnu bhakta
– must go to the final goal stage where he sees Vishnu or Shiva or Devi as Sachithananda nirgunam
Brahman which is the ultimate devotion. 

           The beauty is when we are in the beginning stage there will be differences between Shiva and
Vishnu and Devi because the forms are different, the weapons are different, the vahanams are different.
Therefore in the first stage every personal god is different from the other. But once you go to the second
stage where you see the Lord as the very creation then there cannot be any difference between Vishnu
and Shiva because Vishnu represents the whole creation, Shiva also represents the whole creation. How
many viswarupams are possible? Viswarupam can only be one and in this stage there is no difference
between Shiva and Vishnu. Similarly when you go to nirgunam Brahman stage there cannot be any
difference between Shiva or Vishnu or Devi. We start with difference but ultimately we end in non-
differences. So initially alone we have got quarrels “Whether Shiva is bigger or Vishnu is bigger” or
“whether Shiva worships Vishnu or Vishnu worships Shiva” do both of them worship the devi. So all the
quarrels are only when the devotee is in the first stage of personal gods. Veda affirm that we should not
grade Brahma or Shiva or Vishnu and if we do so then it is a big sin. And if a person grades gods as
superior or inferior etc then he is doing a papam and the Lord will give that person a punishment with
“stomach pain”.  So if you don’t want “stomach ache” you should desist from comparisons and grading!
I am not saying but shastra: if you rank Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva as “uttama” or “madhyama” (inferior
superior etc) then you will be condemned to pains in the stomach. Therefore remember all the three are
one and the same, one god seen in three different forms.

            All the three levels of Bhakti is there in the dhyana sloka. We will briefly see the meaning of the
sloka.

śuddhasphaṭika saṅkāśaṃ trinetraṃ pañca vaktrakam |

gaṅgādharaṃ daśabhujaṃ sarvābharaṇa bhūṣitam
         

This is the first stage where we look upon Lord Shiva as a person. And what is HIS complexion?

Suddhaspatika Sankasam, Shiva is very, very fair. Mrs. Shiva, Parvathi, is dark. Maybe this is to show that
there should not be any fights over black and white! Shiva is as fair as a crystal.

Then trinetram, HE has three eyes represented by the sun, the moon and the fire. The sun and moon
represent the ordinary eyes. Agni the third eye represents knowledge. In the mythology you’ll find that
Lord Shiva with the third eye destroyed everything including Manmatha (god of kama) and HE also
destroy tripurantaka asuras etc. Philosophically the third eye represents Janani Agnih. When we mean
Lord destroys Kama we mean HE destroys all our petty desires. IF we have the third eye of wisdom like
Shiva we can also burn Kama, kroda, loba, etc. Tripura rakshasas represent the three sharirams, the
three gunas, and the three avasthas. With the help of the third eye a person destroys all the sharirams
(sthula, sukha and karam). In short, HE destroys samsara, thereby HE destroys all our problems.

Pancavaktrakam – the Lord who has five faces or five heads.  Four heads on four sides and one head
looking up (you should not ask where is the place!). The five heads are enumerated in the Vedas in the
well known mantra sandyo jatham prapadh is the first one, vamadevayah is the second,  agorabyo is the
third one, tat purushaya is the fourth one, eshanah is the fifth. The fifth head is very important for those
people who seek self-knowledge, all the apara vidya and also para vidya. It is from the standpoint of
eshanah that we look upon Lord Shiva as Dakshinamurthy. Lord Shiva is the authority of Vedas.

Then Gangadaram means is one who has got Ganga devi or Ganga river on his jatta. From Lord Shiva
head only Ganga is blessing all people. Philosophically Ganga represents brahma vidya or self-
knowledge. There are a lot of similarities between Ganga and self-knowledge. Both originate from the
Lord’s head. Ganga is a perennial river not like our local Madras river that dry up, similarly the tradition
of self-knowledge is also perennial. Ganga flows from higher plane to lower plane, atma-vidya too flows
from guru in the higher plane to sishya in the lower plane. If you dip into Ganga it refreshes your body
and mind, similarly if you dip in brahma vidya (self-knowledge) you like refresh yourself. Ganga has got
various ghats (steps). You should approach only through the ghats otherwise you’ll be swept away.
Ganga is a powerful river. There are lot of rocks and it;s ice cold. Even a powerful swimmer cannot swim
in this river. So if you want to have a bath you must go to a ghat. Likewise if you want self-knowledge
you must follow a tradition of approaching a guru. You insist on self-efforts like using translation it will
only cause confusion. There are so many common features and the Lord is called Gangadarah.

Dasabhujam – the Lord who has ten hands which are stretched in all the ten directions (four main
quarters, four secondary quarters and then up and down).  

Sarva bharana Bhushitam – One who has many ornaments on HIS body. All the ornaments of Shiva are
made up of snakes!

nīlagrīvaṃ śaśāṅkāṅkaṃ nāga yaṅñopa vītinam |

vyāghra carmottarīyaṃ ca vareṇyamabhaya pradam             

Nilagrivam is the one who is blue necked and one who swallowed the poison to save the whole world.

Sasankankam is one who has got moon on HIS head. Philosophically the moon represents the time
principle for we determine “thiti” and kala from its movement. Therefore Shiva has Kala under HIS
control.

 nāga yaṅñopa vītinam – HE has got the sacred thread which is another snake.

vyāghra carmottarīyaṃ ca is the tiger skin that HE is wearing as a dress.

Varenyam means that HE is the goal of all the people as HE is the nature of Ananda.

Abaya pradam is ONE who gives protection, refuge to all the devotees.       

kamaṇḍal-vakṣa sūtrāṇāṃ dhāriṇaṃ śūlapāṇinam |

jvalantaṃ piṅgaḷajaṭā śikhā muddyota dhāriṇam

HE has got Kamandalu and aksha mala and that’s why HE is the representative of all sanyasis. Shivaratri
is considered to be very sacred as many take sanyasa deeksha on this auspicious day. Shiva represents
tyaga and Vishnu represents bhoga. Shiva has got jatta and HE does not even have a proper dress. Shiva
represents the sanyasi parampara.

HE has got sulapaninam to destroy all the asuras.

Jvalantam is ONE who is shining, one who is bright.

Pingalajatta means jatta  is golden yellow in colour as it is not washed (there is no shampoo etc) and it
has become brawny colour.

And sikha that is standing upward like a plane and one who is keeping Ganga jalam in HIS matted hair.
vṛṣa skandha samārūḍham umā dehārtha dhāriṇam |
amṛtenāplutaṃ śāntaṃ divyabhoga samanvitam

vṛṣa skandha samārūḍham He is riding the Bull And

umā dehārtha dhāriṇam | He is the one who has uma devi as the second half of his body

amṛtenāplutaṃ śāntaṃ He is bathed in amritum and is peaceful And

divyabhoga samanvitam He is who posses all the heavenly pleasures

HE is amrutham as abhisekam is indicated, HE is ananda and HE is one who has Uma devi as the second
half of HIS body. Even after sanyasa HE has got a peculiar problem for he cannot leave his wife.
Wherever HE goes Uma devi will also come. And one who is seated on a divine simhasanam that is the
Himalayas. And one who has all the bhoga as Himalayas have all the gold, gems etc.

digdevatā samāyuktaṃ surāsura namaskṛtam |

nityaṃ ca śāśvataṃ śuddhaṃ dhruva-makṣara-mavyayam

digdevatā samāyuktaṃ One who is surrounded by dig devatas and

surāsura namaskṛtam | one who is worshipped by all suras and asuras.

Until now you got description of Shiva as a personal god. Now the sloka give a different and higher
angle of nirgunal brahma swarupam.

nityaṃ ca śāśvataṃ śuddhaṃ dhruva-makṣara-mavyayam and these are all definitions of formless
Brahman. It is nitya, (eternal), sasvatam (changeless), suddham (pure), druvam (without any
movement), aksharam (without any distraction) and avyayam (without any taint).

According to the level and maturity of the seeker we can see Shiva as personal god or we can see Shiva
as nirgunam Brahman. Then having given these two aspect the dhyana sloka gives the third aspect, that
is anaka rupam or vishwa rupam.      

sarva vyāpina-mīśānaṃ rudraṃ vai viśvarūpiṇam |

evaṃ dhyātvā dvijaḥ samyak tato yajanamārabhe

sarva vyāpina-mīśānaṃ He is all pervading Ishwara

rudraṃ vai viśvarūpiṇam |He is the form of the whole cosmos

evaṃ dhyātvā dvijaḥ samyak tato yajanamārabhe Thus meditate and submit this twice born (Brahman)

The very same lord is not seated in Kailasa but HE is the form of whole vishwa or cosmos and who is all
pervading and who is the ultimate lord. Here we have to reverse the order, first eka rupa then anaka
rupa and finally arupa. Having meditated on Shiva in one form or the other according to the maturity of
the devotee thereafter rudra abhisekham should be done. First we have to meditate and only then do
the rudram puja.

There are two more dhyana slokas and those two I will briefly discuss.

āpātāḷa-nabhaḥsthalānta-bhuvana-brahmāṇḍa-māvisphurat-
jyotiḥ sphāṭika-liṅga-mauḷi-vilasat-pūrṇendu-vāntāmṛtaiḥ |
astokāpluta-meka-mīśa-maniśaṃ rudrānu-vākāñjapan
dhyāye-dīpsita-siddhaye dhruvapadaṃ vipro‌bhiṣiñce-ccivam

āpātāḷa-nabhaḥsthalānta

-bhuvana-brahmāṇḍa

-māvisphurat-

jyotiḥ sphāṭika-liṅga

mauḷi-vilasat

pūrṇendu-vāntāmṛtaiḥ |

astokāpluta-meka-mīśa-maniśaṃ

rudrānu-vākāñjapan

dhyāye

dīpsita-

-siddhaye

dhruvapadaṃ

vipro‌bhiṣiñce-ccivam

This is a beautiful sloka whee Shiva is seen as a jyotih linga, a shining linga which is pure like sphatikam.
We have different kinds of linga. In fact the pancha bhootas are seen as five lingas: prithvi linga, jala
lingam, agni linga, vayu linga and akasha lingam to show that everything is the Lord. In this sloka Lord
Shiva is seen as Akasha lingam. If you look at the sky it also looks like a linga with a curvature. An akasha
in which all the lokas, the entire brahmadam is there. From pathala to nabhasthalanta upto brahma
loka. The total cosmos (the 14 lokas) are located in the aksaha and the akasha is the linga. If the akasha
is the linga then who will do the abhisekam? You cannot do it with the local 1 litre or 2 litre of milk! The
sloka says that the abhisekam is done by purnendu chandrah. According to mythology when the moon
emits rays it is also emitting some water also. Because of the water content the moon rays are cool. That
moon emits amruta jalam on a full moon day that pervades the whole space. And that is coming from
the moon partum for the akasha lingam or cosmic linga. Therefore on every full moon day rudra
abhisekam is taking place.

            And what kind of Lord is HE? He is ekam, misam, manisam. He is one absolute ultimate God we
should worship by constantly chanting the Sri Rudram mantram. One should worship Shiva for dhyaya,
dipsita, sidhaya dhruvapadam. For attaining all the four purusharthas. The people are many and their
desires are not one but many. Suppose I say: choose one boon from the Lord not everyone will opt for
moksha. Some will ask for relief from water problem, another person will say that his stomach pain
should go or this and that. By chanting Rudram one can ask for any purushartha from Shiva who is
abhishekam. One should worship that Shiva who is ever changeless. Dhruvapadam means nirguna
swarupam (changless).

brahmāṇḍa vyāptadehā bhasita himarucā bhāsamānā bhujaṅgaiḥ

kaṇṭhe kālāḥ kapardāḥ kalita-śaśikalā-ścaṇḍa kodaṇḍa hastāḥ |
tryakṣā rudrākṣamālāḥ prakaṭitavibhavāḥ śāmbhavā mūrtibhedāḥ
rudrāḥ śrīrudrasūkta-prakaṭitavibhavā naḥ prayaccantu saukhyam

brahmanda vyaptadeha, here one Lord Shiva is worshipped in eleven different forms. They are all
pervading in nature, they are snow white like vibhuti, they all have serpa abaranam (snake as
ornaments). All have necks dark in colour from poison and all of them have got moons (shashikala) in
their eleven heads. All of them have got bows and arrows as their weapons (ścaṇḍa kodaṇḍa hastāḥ) to
destroy the asuras.

            Tryaksa, all of them are three-eyed and all of them have rudraksha mala. They all remove fear
from the minds of the devotees. All the eleven are different aspects of the one and the same Shambu.
And if you want to know the glory of the Lord Shiva śrīrudrasūkta-prakaṭitavibhavā the source of
knowledge is Sri Rudram. Those whose glories are mentioned in the Sri Rudram of the eleven lingas, may
all these rudras bless us with happiness and all the four purushartas. That is why after chanting rudram
we chant chamakkam indicating all our desires. Remember chamakkam includes not only material
desires but also spiritual desires also. We are asking vivekam, vairagyam, shashta sampathi,
mumukshatvam, sadhana chatustaya sampathi we are asking for self-knowledge, we are asking for
moksha. That is why chamakkam is required for all of us. Therefore chanting rudram and chamakkam we
can ask for any purushartha. On this auspicious day when we chant we will be blessed in the path of
moksha ultimately. 
mantra

दधिक्राव्ण्णो अकारिषं जिष्णोरश्वस्य वाजिनः ।

सुरभि नो मुखाकरत्प्रण आयुँषि तारिषत ् ॥

dadhikrAvNNo akAriShaM jiShNorashvasya vAjinaH |

surabhi no mukhAkaratpraNa Ayu~MShi tAriShat ||

BVK's translation
dadhikrAvnaH--of the God DadhikrAvan, 
jiShNoH--victorious, 
ashvasya--vyApakasya--pervading (all), 
vAjinaH--vegarataH--of great speed (understand stutim--praise), 
akAriSham--I make, naH--our, 
mukhA--mukhAni--mouths i.e. the eyes and other senses, 
surabhi--surabhini--fragrant, 
karat--karotu--may he make, 
naH--our, 
AyumShi--life, 
pratAriShat--may he lengthen.

I sing the praise of God DadhikrAvan, who is victorious, all-pervading, and who moves with
great speed. May he make our mouths (and the senses) fragrant, and may he prolong our
lives!

1. dadhikrAvan--This God is often mentioned in the Veda and is the subject of sUktas
38,39,40 of the fourth maNDala of the Rig Veda and the 44th sUkta of the 7th maNDala of
the same. He seems to be described in these places as a kind of divine horse. Sometimes he
is considered as a creation of heaven and earth, sometimes of Mitra and VaruNa, and is
invoked in the morning with Agni, UShas and the Ashvins. Sir Monier Williams would derive
the word from dadhi--curd (which he takes to represent dew) and kri--to scatter, in allusion
to the rising sun spreading dew and hoarfrost like milk.

SAyaNa regards DadhikrAvan as a form of Agni. He says in his commentary (on RV 4.39.2):
"Agni in the form of horse is called dadhikra; the equine form of Agni has been declared in
the brAhmaNa thus: Agni, becoming a horse, pursued them."

Haradatta says: "A certain deity who receives oblations or Agni as others have it." Narayana
Yatindra takes the term to denote "Him who pervades the Universe--the Supreme Being."

2. Whether it be Agni or SUrya (and both are regarded only as different forms of the same
Divine Energy) that is represented in this hymn as jiShnoH--victorious, in his fight with the
powers of darkness, as ashvasya--illuminating the universe with his bright rays, and as
vAjinaH--moving with great speed in his triumphant procession, he is an apt emblem of
heaven's perpetual King who dispels our ignorance, illuminates our heart with divine wisdom
and flies to our succour on the wings of grace.

KNS's translation

dadhikrAvNaH--dadhi--things like curd fit for the homas, 

krAvNaH--one who gets them, 
jiShNoH--one who has the winning nature (and is full of nobility),
ashvasya--all-pervading, 
vAjinaH--one who has annam--food, or one who moves fast, who is agni, 
akAriSham--I adore him. 
saH--that agni, 
naH--our, 
mukhA--important senses such as janendriya and karmendriya, 
surabhi--make them fragrant, that is, fit to absorb things meant for them, 
karat--should make. 
naH--our, 
AyumShi--lifetime, 
pratAriShat--should increase.

Commentary:
divAgnirAdityaM rAtrAvAdityastam--in daytime Agni reaches SUrya; in the night SUrya
reaches Agni: thus, may the deva called Agni who has received the energy of SUrya and is
favourably inclined towards night, be pleased with my adoration and make my
karmendriyas and jnAnendriyas absorb their things without being harmed in anyway, and
give me long life so I can experience the things for a long time.

AVT's translation

dadhikrAvNNa--deva who likes curd, or things to be done for Agnideva,

akAriSham--I have done the karma to him.
jiShno--one who is victorious,
ashvasya--and all-pervading,
vAjinaH--one who has annam--food,
(sa devaH)--'that deva' should be added.
naH--our
mukhA--face
surabhi karat--make fragrant (giving us things such as camphor).
naH--our
AyumShi--lifetime
pratAriShat--increase.

One who is victorious, all-pervading, has annam in him, to that deva called DadhikrAvA or
to Agni deva, I have done the karma meant for. May that deva by giving things such as
camphor make our face be fragrant. May he also increase our lifetime.

Explanation:
dadhi means curd, krAmati means 'he reaches'. So dadhikrAvA means 'one who likes curd'.
It is the name of a deva. Here for the term the meaning Agni is given. In the mantra naH
due to saMskRuta sandhi, in the place 'praNa' became 'Na'.

The 'vaiShNava spin' to consider the deity of this mantra as VAmana is commented upon
here:
Ramanuja List Archive: Of DadhikrAvan have I sung

Thus, whoever is the deity referred to in the mantra, it is clear that the deity also manifests
as SUrya and Agni, inasmuch as SUryadeva moves switfly across the sky on a chariot driven
by horses and VAmana is only him as referred to in the story narrated in shatapatha
brAhmaNa 1.2.5.1

yé arvā́ ṅ mádhya utá vā purāṇáṃ védaṃ vidvā́ ṃsam abhíto vádanti

ādityám evá té pári vadanti sárve agníṃ dvitī́yaṃ trivŕ̥ taṃ ca haṃsám
17
Meaning: They (the wise) say that the One with great knowledge (vidvansam) is near to those who
are low (baddhas), in between (muktas) and ancient (nityas). In consequence of this,they all say
that sriman nArAyaNa known as “Aditya” indeed (is) furnished with fire and is also the three-
foldsun (hamsa).
“vidvAmsam” – BhagavAn is omniscient and acutely intelligent in the sense that he knows our sufferings
very well and wishes to remove them. Hence, by virtue of his accessibility or sousIlyam/soulabhyam, he is
very near to all irrespective of whether they are baddhas, muktas or nityas and hence is capable of
protecting them.
Therefore, the wise say that he is indeed Aditya - "A" varNAt Atah ityah prApyah iti Adityah – He who is
realised by the “AkAra” is Aditya according to srI parAshara bhattar in the sahasranAma. The “AkAra” is
the bIja mantra for SankarshaNa, who possesses the guNams of jnAnam and balam to remove the
distress of the jivAs and lead them out of samsAra.
“agnim dvitIyam” – “dvitIyam” means furnished with or possessing. “agni” or fire refers to the quality of
accepting all offerings. Thus, this means he has the ability to be the means to liberation.
He is also the three-fold hamsa. Here, “hamsa” refers to the sun. The Upanishad declares that in the
flame in the Aditya Mandala are the three purushas of the form of the rk, yajus and saman. In the form of
these three, the vidya of the three vedas is shining out.  The mandala of the three vedas in the sun is
witnessed by yOgIns as having a beautiful form and that is to be meditated upon.

yé arvā́ ṅ mádhya utá vā purāṇáṃ védaṃ vidvā́ ṃsam abhíto vádanti

ādityám evá té pári vadanti sárve agníṃ dvitī́yaṃ trivŕ̥ taṃ ca haṃsám 17
Those who in recent times, midmost, or ancient, on all sides.greet the sage
who knows the Veda,One and all, verily discuss Aditya, the second Agni,
and the threefold Hansa.
Verse – 17: Atharva Veda (X:8:17)
“yé arvā́ ṅ mádhya utá vā purāṇáṃ védaṃ vidvā́ ṃsam abhíto vádanti |
ādityám evá té pári vadanti sárve agníṃ dvitī́yaṃ trivŕ̥ taṃ ca haṃsám ||”17
“Those who in recent times, midmost, or ancient, on all sides.greet the sage who
knows the Veda, One and all, verily discuss Aditya, the second Agni, and the
threefold Hansa”.

Commentary:
The meaning of this verse is thus – Those learned men in recent, middle, or
ancient times greet (or glorify) from all sides, the great sage who knows the
Veda (i.e., the Lord). All such learned men discourse about that God as –
‘unbroken or partless (ādityám)’, as the Agni, as the threefold hamsa
(Pranas)!
It is Skambha who is the Brahman, which is non-dual, partless, and is
composed of fire of consciousness and this Atman manifests as the threefold
Pranas and travels through the three nerves – one travels downwards (in Ida),
 another travels upwards (in pingala) and the third one mātariśvān rises
upwards (in Sushumna).

Shatarudriyam and Narasimha

THE IMPORTANCE OF NARASIMHA AND HIS DESCRIPTION IN THE
SATARUDRIYAM

(Kind contribution from our Sri Vaishnava bandhu, Shri Narayanan)

Swami Desikan mentions the pervasiveness of Narasimha BhagavAn in the vedA in the
first slokA his kAmAshikAshtakam as SrutInAm utharam bhagam. This simham can be
found the cave of the Upanishads.  This statement by the acharyan is not for the sake of
anubhavam, but is a fact because:

1) Narasimha bhagavAn is the only bhagavAn to have his own Upanishad known famously
as the Narasimha tApanIya Upanishad (note: other Upanishads like Gopala Tapani,
RamOpanishad, etc are not recognised as entirely authentic unlike narasimha tApanIya,
which has even been quoted by Shankaracharya and Madhvacharya).

2) The Satarudriyam and MahAmrityunjaya Mantra portion of the Yajur Veda glorifies
Bhagavan Narasimha only.

3)  He is the being in the Sun described by the Chandogya Upanishad. Since this Being is
described as possessing a moustache and lotus eyes, srI ranga rAmAnuja muni
interprets the moustache as the whiskers of a lion, therefore confirming the parama
purushan to be Yoga Narasimha!

4) The mahAnArAyaNopanishad describes Narasimha by the names of sadyOjAta,

vAmadeva, sarva and ishana.

5)  The mantra rAja pada stOtram is dedicated to narasimha only by Ahirbudhnya.

Thus, it is established that Narasimha is the primary form of BhagavAn glorified by the
vedas. His names in the veda include (and not limited to) – Narasimha, Manyu, Rudra,
Soma, Nilalohita, PinAkI, Sarva, Umapati/Ambikapati, HiranyabAhu, Shankara, Shiva,
Shambhu , Ishana, Tryambaka, Kapardin, Pashupati, Ugra and Bhima. 

One might wonder that most of these are the names of pArvati pati. Such a doubt need
not be entertained. Because pArvati pati has a birth (eko ha vai nArAyaNa asIt, na
brahma, nEshana). And he is mentioned to be constantly meditating in the third stage of
bhakti yoga, presided by Sankarshana. Since Narasimha avatara is an amsam of
Sankarshana and Narasimha perumAl has the balam and jnAna gunams seen in this
vyUha mUrthy, it follows that Shiva is always meditating on Narasimha, as evidenced in
the case of Ahirbudhnya. And hence, Shiva, being a parama bhakta, bears some of the
names of Narasimha only and not vice versa. In the vedas, these names belong to
bhagavAn only.
 
Another doubt may arise that the Satarudriyam and some portions mentioned here can
be interpreted as describing srI rAman instead of srI narasimhan. While that is true,
these two avatAras are related. In the vAlmiki rAmAyaNam, SrI rAghavan mentions that
he can kill his enemies with his nails. Even Kambar saw fit to include Hiranya vadham in
his rAmAyaNa divya kAvyam. That being the case, it is quite proper for the veda to
invoke kalyAna gunams of srI rAman in relation to srI narasimha, as it does in Shri
Rudram!

Some more notes on Rudram + Narasimha AvatAra in the Satarudriyam

There are some unique names in the various anuvakas of the satarudriyam that warrant
our attention. I will simply list the names I remember here. Readers can look it up in the
rudram.

1) UccairghoshAH - One whose roar causes fear to the enemies. We remember the
Kauravas being frightened by the sound of his pAnchajanya, the asuras frightened by
his roar during tripura samharam (when he appeared as a bull to aid Shiva), his HUM
kAram which defeated Shiva as narrated by parashurAma, etc.

2) Sabapathi - The Lord of the Sabha Parva as it contains the incident of Bhishma
declaring the greatness of Krishna, the SisupAla vadham, etc. Sabha can also refer to
samsara, so he is the Lord of samsara.

2) nIlagrIva -  The black-throated narasimha. The narasimha tApanIya Upanishad calls

narasimha as nIlalohita, ie, he has a red body with a cavernous throat, black on the
inside. He is known as “kAntirava”. So, nIlagriva is also a name of nArAyaNa. That
means, an alternative interpretation for the mantra, namO astu nIlagrivyAya
sahasrAkshAya midhushE… in the first anuvAkam can mean “I salute the black
throated narasimha, who is omniscient and a showerer of boons like a dark rain bearing
cloud, as well as his devotees like prahlAda”.

But to interpret it as referring to vibhUtis is also correct. The veda can have more than
one meaning.

3) SitikaNta - The white-necked, ie, one who speaks only sattvik speech. White color
stands for sattva guna and it refers to bhagavAn who is known as sarvavAgIsvarEsvara
in the sahasranAmA, ie, white neck refers to sAttvic words and vedic speech emanating
from him. srI vedAnta desika states that the “hala-hala” neighing sound of hayagriva is
the very veda itself.

4) sUtAya ca, dUtAyaca - One who was a charioteer (for Arjuna) and one who was a
messenger (for Pandavas). Both acts describe his quality of sousIlyam, ie, descending
to lower levels for his devotees.
 
There are many such names which warrant closer attention and very unique ones.
Besides that, here is a description of srI narasimha avatAra from the 8th anuvAkam.

While the entirety of Satarudriyam is glorifying srI narasimha as per the tApanIya
Upanishad, it is pertinent to note that AnuvAkam 8 contains some mantras that directly
allude to this avatAra, as opposed to other anuvAkas, that describe srI rAghavan’s
kalyAna gunams, or the vishwarUpa. It would be good to look at these mantras in the
context of Manyu Sukta.

These mantras are as follows:

Namas somAya ca rudrAya ca

Meaning: Salutations to the One who is sweet like nectar for bhaktas’ enjoyment
(Soma) and to the One who makes others shed tears of joy on experiencing his
kalyAna gunas (Rudra). 

He is thus, Soma and Rudra to bhaktas like PrahlAda as per Bhattar’s sahasranAma
bhAshya for these nAmas.

Namas tAmrAya ca ArunAya ca

Meaning: One who exhibits the qualities of paravAsudevan (tAmra) and the vyUha
sankarshana (aruna).

Please refer my previous write-up of Shri Rudram for the explanation of the
interpretation of tAmra and aruna.

Namas sangAya ca paShupatayE ca

Meaning: Salutation to the One who gives happiness (to PrahlAda) and to the Lord of
Animals (Pashupati).

Bhagavan is a simham. And a simham is known as MrgEndra, the King of Animals. In

this form, he gave ananda to prahlAda. Hence, it is appropriate to call him paShupati.
Nrusimha tApanIya also states paShupati to be a name of narasimha. The
mahAnArAyaNopanishad refers to BhagavAn as the Lord of Bipeds and Quadrupeds as
well.
Some commentators interpret paShu as jIva and bhagavan as Lord of jivAs. While this
is correct, this is not right for the context. The term paShupati occurs elsewhere in the
Rudram where this interpretation can fit in. Here, “Lord of Animals” seems to fit the
context.

Namah ugrAya ca bhImAya ca

Meaning: Salutations to the One whose lofty actions destroy enemies and make me
grow (Ugra) and to the One who is terrible to the adharmIs (like hiranyakasipu).

This meaning of Ugra is from Mantra rAja pada stotram “ugram veeryam…”. The
meaning of BhIma is from Bhattar’s vyAkhyAnam on Vishnu sahasranAma.

NamO agrEvadhAya ca dUrEvadhAya ca

Meaning: One who kills his enemies in front (Agrevadha) and One who removes their
strength while staying at a distance (dUrEvadhA).

He destroyed Hiranyakasipu in direct combat. Prior to that, he, without even appearing,
ensured that all of Hiranyakasipu’s attempts to murder prahlAda was in vain.

NamO hantrE ca hanIyasE ca

Meaning: One who dispenses punishments to those with ahamkAram (hantrE) and
One who punishes the bhagavad/bhagavata aparAdhIs (hanIyasE).

Hiranyakasipu was guilty of both of these. 

NamO vrkshEbyo harikEshEbhyO

Meaning: Salutations to the One in the form of trees with green leaves.

The leaves refer to karma. The tree is samsArA. So, he is the One who keeps the jivAs
in samsArA. Or, the tree is the vedas and the leaves are the karmas prescribed by the
vedas. He is thus, the Lord of the Vedas. The nrusimha tApanIya describes him as
“IshAnas sarvavidyAnAm”.

namO tArAyacha
Meaning: Salutations to He who helped jivAs like prahlAda cross the ocean of
samsArA and bestowed the boon of moksha.

Namas shambhavE ca mayOpavE ca

Meaning: One who causes happiness by the beauty of his appearance as half-man,
half- lion (shambhu) and One who causes happiness by the beauty of his appearance
in sri vaikuntam (mayOpavE).
“nArasimha vapuh srImAn” – he is very beautiful. The meaning for Shambhu is as per
Bhattar bhAshyam on sahasranAma.

Namas shankarAyaca mayaskarAya ca

Meaning: Salutations to He who destroys our difficulties (Shankara) and he who
provides pleasure of moksha (mayaskarA).

One of the meanings of Shankara is the destroyer of troubles. Having done so, he
provides moksha.

Namas sivAya ca sivatarAya ca

Meaning: Salutations to the One who confers auspiciousness (Shiva) and to the One
who is the greatest among those that confer auspiciousness (ShivatarA)

Thus, we have seen how the Satarudriyam eulogises Narasimha. The manyu sUktam
describes the means to attain him and the benefits he confers. “Shiva” is interpreted as
per bhagavad guna darpanam.
.

AmayAvI cinvIta  Apo vai bheshajam

Bheshajame va asmai karoti
Sarvam Ayur eti

The unbalanced (amayAvi) thought wishes (cit vita) the Apa

remedy (apo Vai bhesajam) ,does make it the cure 
(bhesajam eva asmai karoti). Everything  (sarvam) gets (eti)
Life.

The unbalanced thought-wishes Apa as remedy, makes it a

cure. Everything gets life because of Apa. That’s why Apa is
the cure.

Yes, water can said to give life to everything in this world.

But Aruna Prasnam talks from the time of the beginning of
Universe.  From the beginning of Universe to now, Science
says, it is photons that give life to everything.
Thus again, many people interpreted Apa as Celestial
Waters (like Aurobindo). Apa is translated as ‘Waters’. Since it is said to
be ‘Waters’ at the origin of Universe, 

AmayAvI cinvIta – May the man who is sick observe this

vratam!
Apo vai bheshajam – Water is indeed his medicine
bheshajameva asmai karoti – That (water) becomes the sick
man’s medicine.
sarvam Ayu: eti – He gains full measure of allotted life. There is
no akAla maraNam (untimely death).
The eleven names of Rudra correspond to eleven forces that are in nature and
those that make up the cosmic space as we perceive it.
There are correspondingly eleven Rudras. They are
1. Ishana Rudra - Force-field of Dark Energy
2. Tat Purusha Rudra- Force-field of Dark Matter
3. Vamadeva Rudra - Force-field of Gravity
4. Aghora Rudra - Force field of Higgs
5. Ahir Budhnya - Force-field of Strong force
6. NrRti - Force-field of Weak force
7. Adityatmaka sri Rudra - Force-field of Quantum
force that causes Pauli's exclusion
8. Pinaka - Static magnetic force field
9. MrgavyAdha - Changing magnetic force
field/Induced Electric field
10. Kapalin - Static Electric Force field
11. Virupaksha - Changing Electric force
field/Induced Magnetism

Expanding force exerted by Dark Energy - Ishana

According to standard model, the force of dark
Energy keeps expanding the Universe. This
expansion force caused by dark energy is the first
Rudra.

Shiva is called 'Bhavod Bhava' which means

origin/source of everything that exists. Ishana is the
force field of Dark Energy that expands this
Universe.

The direction of source from which the Universe

expands is mentioned as North-Eastern in Puranas.
Vastu Sastra associates a great significance to
North East and says some mystic (dark) energy flows
from it.

Force of Dark matter on Matter - Shambu, Tat

Purusha

Vedas visualize Universe as a 'Bi-Valve Shell'

(Shambu) containing Purusha on one side (say Right)
and Amba on another side (say Left). Purusha does
not change, but impacts Amba to evolve by
facilitating Agni in it. This is also a reason for the
depiction of Artha-nareeswara (Half-male, Half-
female).

Standard Model says Universe is composed of a Dark

Matter and Matter spread across everywhere, pretty
much like a bi-valve shell.
According to standard model Dark matter does not
impact matter, but occupy roughly 75% of Universe.

According to Purusha Suktam, Purusha forms the

3/4th of Unvierse This Purusha is said to be the bed
of the Universe on which Universe evolves like a
sacrifice (Yajna), according to Purusha Suktam.

According to Aiteraya Upanishad, Purusha came out

along with Amba, when Atma decided to expand.
Purusha was created as a platform and protector of
Amba. This Purusha impacts Amba, but never is
influenced by Amba.

According to Science Dark Matter and Perceptible

Matter evolved in the early Universe. Dark Matter
remains un-impacted by Matter, most probably
remains stagnant, but may or may not influence
Matter. Matter evolves in the Universe into different
forms and beings. Hence I map Purusha to Dark
Matter and Amba to Perceptible matter.

Vedas claim Purusha causes the 'Agni'. I had mapped

Agni to movement/transfer of energy or exchange
interactions. Conventionally, Agni is seen as the
transfer of thermal energy.

According to my understanding dark matter could be

somehow impacting the transfer of energy in
perceptible matter. Matter evolves on the bed of
Dark-Matter. Transfer of thermal energy or heat
becomes the driver for the evolution of matter. This
transfer of thermal energy or heat may be facilitated
by the Dark Matter or Purusha.

This Rudra is also called Aja-Eka-Pada Rudra. Aja-

eka-pada means the unborn one foot. Purusha
Suktam says Purusha was unborn single foot (ten
foot) at the start.

This Rudra is also called Piggala. Piggala is the

passage of food (or energy) from one being to
another (say umbilical chord). The force of Dark
matter on matter is the umbilical chord through the
matter is influenced and evolved.

Amba or Perceptible Matter is also called Shakti

(Energy), Dakshayani (Daughter of Daksha, the
gluons/dovetailer) and other names.

Purusha and Amba look like a bi-valve Shell or

Shambu. They remain separated, yet connected
together. Dark Matter and Matter also look the same.
They are separate but still seem to be together, with
Dark Matter holding up the Matter. Hence this Rudra
is also called Shambu.

The force-field of Gravity - Vamadeva

Puranas say that Brahma created Vamadevas after
he saw that manasputras (the 10 sages), created by
him were not focused on creation. Standard Model
says that at some point of time Gravity should have
emerged as the first force, probably from an Unified
force. Gravity sets the evolution of Universe in
motion.
Vama means left. Vama deva is the force on the left
side of the bi-valve shell. It is the force that
manifests in Amba, the matter. Gravity is the force
that manifests on matter.

Vamadeva Rudra is the force-field of Gravity. Brahma

means very large. Gravity has unlimited range.
vāmadevāya namo
jyeṣṭhāya namaḥ (the first)
śreṣṭhāya namo (the best) rudrāya namaḥ (the
forcefield)
kālāya namaḥ (the time) kalavikaraṇāya namo (the
modifier of time) balāya namo (the strong one)
balavikaraṇāya namo (the modifier of the strength)
balapramathanāya namaḥ (the tormentor of strength)
sarvabhūtadamanāya (subdues all matter and
beings) namo mana unmanāya (exciter of the
Hidden)namah

The first, best force-field, the time, modifier of time,

strong one, one that modifies the strength, tormentor
of strength that subdues all matter and beings, the
one who excites hidden.

Science says force-field of Gravity modifies time

(Kala vikaranaya).
The Higgs force field - Zamkara, Aghora

According to standard Model, the Higgs force field

provides the mass to W and Z Bosons as well as
quarks and leptons through its 'coupling'. Stronger
the coupling, stronger is the 'mass' acquired by
these particles.

'Zam' in Sanskrit means coming to rest. Zamkara

means one who makes it come to rest. Higgs force
field is one that makes particles to come to rest (or
acquire mass and large-scale inertia).

Krishna, who is an avatar of Vishnu says he is the

Zamkara of Rudras. Since Vishnu is inertia, and
Zamkara causes the inertia in most particles,
Krishna says so.
Aghora Mantra - Force field of Aghora binds into
mass

Om hreem
sphura sphura prasphura prasphura (Bursts into
view, very much bursts into view)
ghora ghora (From without a form or shape) atara
(carrying beyond/surpassing into) anuroopa (To
forming a shape)
Chada chada prachada prachada (covers, very much
covers)
Kaha kaha vama vama (chant/say/speak/tell/declare
Giver Giver)
Bandha bandha (binds binds) ghaTaya ghaTaya (into
mass)
huum phutt
aghora astrAya Namaha (Salutations to the field of
aghora)

Bursts into view, Bursts into view, from without a

form moves to a form, covers, very much covers,
expresses, Gives, binding mass (gives mass).
Rudras of Sadyojata

The Strong force field - Ahir Budhnya

Ahir Budhnya means that rules the Serpents of the

Deep.

Ahir or serpents are Quarks and Anti-Quarks that

make up the fermionic matter. Force that rules them
in the depths are Strong Force. The Strong force or
Soma binds the Quarks to form Baryons and Mesons,
thus forming the perceptible Universe.

The Weak force field - NirRti

According to Standard Model, the weak force decays
the quarks, leptons and meson. It produces
electrons, positrons, neutrinos and anti-neutrinos.
This weak-force mediated by W and Z Bosons.

nirRti means dissolution or decay or destruction.

Hence nirRti Rudra is the weak force field that can
decay or destroy any sub-atomic particle.

Short range repulsive 'quantum' force - Adityamaka

Sri Rudra

Fermions (Quarks and Leptons) obey pauli's

exclusion principle. This means that no two particles
can occupy the same quantum state at a time. This
gives rise to property of matter.

The Nuclear force is also a repulsive force at a short

distance. If the repulsive force did not always win
out against all attractive forces, all matter would
collapse into one huge glob!

Adityamaka means one who is in the 'Soul' of

Adityas. But for the repulsive force field, the 'soul' of
Adityas (Composite particles like Neutron, proton
etc) will wither away.
Static Magnetic force field - Pinaka
A static magnetic force field arises from the
continuous movement of charges, in particular
electrons. It causes re-alignment of static charges in
conducting objects.

The force-field acts like a 'bow' that deforms and

launches separation of charges on a target, without
affecting the medium in-between.

A name of Rudra Pinakin meaning who has the 'bow'.

This Rudra is the static magnetic force field that
acts like a bow and causes changes on conducting
targets.

Static Electric force field - SthAnu

SthAnu means motionless. Siva is said to be

motionless in the trunk of tree of life and penancing.
Electro static force fields are those motionless
chemical bonds which create elements, compounds
that sustain the tree of life.

When the charges remain static, they product

electro-static force. The electro-static force drives
the bonds that evolve biological life.

There are three fundamental bonds that drive

biological life. They are covalent, hydrogen and ionic
bonds. Covalent bonds result in long peptide chains
forming proteins. Hydrogen bonds result in the
formation of RNA and DNA. Hydrogen bonds also
result in formation of water ahnd acids. Ionic bonds
result in the formation of alkali or base.

Proteins – Covalent bonds

Long chains of amino acids or proteins are formed by
covalent bonds. They are driven by the covalent
bonding force.

DNA/RNA/Acid/Water –Hydrogen bonds

The DNA and RNA structures that encode genetic

information that drive evolution of life. The DNA and
RNA are driven by both Covalent and Hydrogen
bonding forces. In particular Hydrogen bonding
drives the formation of DNA and RNA.

Hydrogen bonding force also results in formation of

water that serves as a medium of life (the semen
that carries the sperm)

Alkaline – Ionic bonds

The alkaline compounds and medium are those that

enables all life processes. These are driven by ionic
bonding forces.

All these bonds are caused by Electro-static force.

This Rudra is also called KapAli as this force is the
Skull that makes the elements and compounds of the
Universe.

Force caused by changing Magnetic force field -

MrgavyAdha, ZarvA

A changing magnetic force induces currents in

conductor. Electrons are 'rovers' in an atom. The
magnetic force opens up the rovers from these
atoms or separates them from atom and creates a
stream of flowing electrons or current. Science calls
this Electro-magnetic induction and this force as
Electro-motive force.

Mrga means one that continuously 'ranges' or moves

or 'roves'. VyAdha means that separates. vyAdh
means to open, bleed etc. mrgaVyAdha means that
opens or separates the rover.

A name of Rudra is mrgavyAdha. It is changing

magnetic force field that opens up or separates the
rover electrons to form current.

Conventionally this is interpreted as a 'Hunter' as a

rover (deer) is killed (opens or bled) by Hunter. And
from there imagery of Shiva as Hunter has been
created.
Hence this Rudra is also called Zarva. Zarva means
one who possesses/releases arrows. Zaravana is a
Skanda of Radiant energy (EM energy).

Forces caused by changing Electric force field -

VirupAkSa

Changing electric force fields in a magnetic field

produces torque and hence mechanical movement.

Another example of changing or transient electric

force are Van-der-waals forces that arise from
continuously changing or transient electric force
fields between molecules due to movement of
electrons or affinity between atoms with higher and
lower number of electrons.

There are also other forces such as Debye forces,

London disperson forces etc which happen due to
continuously changing electric fields between
molecules.

Virupa means one that has various forms. Aksa

means axle or wheel. Virupa-Aksa means various
forces that result from a changing/transient electric
force field.

Eleven Rudras guide matter to beings

The eleven Rudras correspond to eleven force-fields
that guide the Universe in its evolution in the domain
of Physics, Chemistry and biology. These eleven
force fields give us the matter, its structure and
properties, biological compounds on all which
consciousness rides.