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Today is Shivaratri and it is an auspicious night for the worship of Lord Shiva. It is
not Shivas 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 youll 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. Ill 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 brahm tihatu | pdayor-viustihatu | hastayor-
harastihatu | bhvorindrastiatu | jahare agnistihatu | hdaye ivastihatu |
kahe vasavastihantu | vaktre sarasvat tihatu | nsikayor-vyustihatu |
nayanayo-candrdityau tietm | karayoravinau tietm | lale rudrstihantu
| mrthnyditystihantu | irasi mahdevastihatu | ikhy vmadevstihatu
| phe pink tihatu | purata l tihatu | pryayo ivakarau tihetm |
sarvato vyustihatu | tato bahi sarvato gnir-jvlml-parivtastihatu |
sarvevageu sarv devat yathsthna tihantu | mg rakantu |
So we invoke so many deities not only on our body but also in the surroundings also.
And again another invocation. agnirme vci rita | vgdhdaye | hdaya mayi |
ahamamte | amta brahmai 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
uddhasphaika saka trinetra paca vaktrakam | gagdhara daabhuja
sarvbharaa bhitam 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 vypina-mna
rudra vai vivarpiam | 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 pta-nabhasthalnta-bhuvana-
brahma-mvisphurat- jyoti sphika-liga-maui-vilasat-prendu-vntmtai.
So the whole cosmos is taken as the cosmic Shiva lingah and the abshisekam is
done by the moons 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. brahma vyptadeh bhasita himaruc bhsamn bhujagai ord
Shivas 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 Shivas
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 themlaughs. 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: bhate ca varyase ca namo vddhya ca savdhvane
ca namo agriyya ca prathamya ca nama ave cjirya ca nama ghriyya
ca bhyya ca nama rmyya cvasvanyya ca nama strotasyya ca
dvpyya ca namo jyehya ca kanihya ca nama prvajyaelderly 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 dundubhyya chananyya 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. srutyya ca pathyya
ca nama kyya 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,
vidyutyya ca nama dhriyya ctapyya ca namo vtyya ca remiyya ca
namo vstavyya ca vstupya 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 childs 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. namaste rudra manyava utota iave nama, 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. y te rudra iv tanraghor ppakin, you please show your agora rupa.
So please show me your Shiva rupa and please ensure you dont harm me in any
manner. I plead and you must imagine Shiva saying, okay, okay. Inspite of Shivas
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. pramuca dhanvanas-tvamubhayorrtni yorjym, 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 yca
te hasta iava par t bhagavo vapa. I suggest YOU keep the arrows upside down
so that I dont get to see the sharp side. Then Shiva says I WILL DO THAT. Then
vijya dhanu kapardino vialyo bavgm 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. anean-nasyeava bhurasya niagathi |
y te hetir-muama haste babhva te dhanu | tay smn, vivatas-
tvamayakmay paribbhuja | namaste astvyudhyntatya dhave |
ubhbhymuta te namo bhubhy tava dhanvane. 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 Ill tell you. pari te dhanvano hetirasmn-
vaktu vivata | atho ya iudhistavre asmannidhehi 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. m
nastoke tanaye m na yui m no gou m no aveu rria | vrnm no rudra
bhmito vadhr-havimanto namas 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 pthivy ye ntarike ye divi
yemanna vto var-amiavas-tebhyo daa prcrdaa daki daa pratcr-
dao-dcr-daordhvs-tebhyo namaste no mayantu te ya dvimo yaca no
dvei ta vo jambhe dadhmi. 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? tryambaka yajmahe sugandhi puivardhanam
| urvrukamiva bandhann-mtyor-mukya m mtt. 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. Thats
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 ones 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 well 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 dont 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.
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 youll 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 Lords 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 youll 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!
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.
nga yaopa vtinam HE has got the sacred thread which is another snake.
vyghra carmottarya 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.
HE has got Kamandalu and aksha mala and thats 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.
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.
pta-nabhasthalnta-bhuvana-brahma-mvisphurat-
jyoti sphika-liga-maui-vilasat-prendu-vntmtai |
astokpluta-meka-ma-mania rudrnu-vkjapan
dhyye-dpsita-siddhaye dhruvapada viprobhiice-ccivam
pta-nabhasthalnta
-bhuvana-brahma
-mvisphurat-
jyoti sphika-liga
maui-vilasat
prendu-vntmtai |
astokpluta-meka-ma-mania
rudrnu-vkjapan
dhyye
dpsita-
-siddhaye
dhruvapada
viprobhiice-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).
BVK's translation
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
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
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)
y arv mdhya ut v purm vdam vidv m sam abhto vdati |
rditym ev t pri vadati srve agm dvit yam trivrtam ca ham sm
r
||17
Those who i recet times, midmost, or aciet, o all sides.greet the sage who
kows the Veda, Oe ad all, verily discuss Aditya, the secod Agi, ad the
threefold Hasa.
Commetary:
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 (ditym), 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 mtarivn rises
upwards (in Sushumna).
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.
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!
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) IlagrIva - The black-throated narasimha. The narasimha tApanIya Upanishad calls
narasimha as Ilalohita, 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, amO astu IlagrivyAya
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 AuvAkam 8 contains some mantras that directly
allude to this avatAra, as opposed to other anuvAkas, that describe srI rAghavans
kalyAna gunams, or the vishwarUpa. It would be good to look at these mantras in the
context of Manyu Sukta.
He is thus, Soma and Rudra to bhaktas like PrahlAda as per Bhattars sahasranAma
bhAshya for these nAmas.
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.
This meaning of Ugra is from Mantra rAja pada stotram ugram veeryam. The
meaning of BhIma is from Bhattars vyAkhyAnam on Vishnu sahasranAma.
He destroyed Hiranyakasipu in direct combat. Prior to that, he, without even appearing,
ensured that all of Hiranyakasipus attempts to murder prahlAda was in vain.
amO tArAyacha
Meaig: Salutations to He who helped jivAs like prahlAda cross the ocean of samsArA
and bestowed the boon of moksha.
nArasimha vapuh srImAn he is very beautiful. The meaning for Shambhu is as per
Bhattar bhAshyam on sahasranAma.
One of the meanings of Shankara is the destroyer of troubles. Having done so, he
provides moksha.
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.
.
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. Thats 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.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
The alkaline compounds and medium are those that enables all
life processes. These are driven by ionic bonding forces.
Hence this Rudra is also called Zarva. Zarva means one who
possesses/releases arrows. Zaravana is a Skanda of Radiant
energy (EM energy).
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.
Amongst all the Veda Mantras, the 'Aruna Prashna' otherwise called Surya Namaskaram is considered
as most significant one for worshiping the Surya Bhagwan. We have this entire mantras in the first
prasna of Taitriya Aranyakam of Yajur Veda. This is called Surya Namaskara Prasnam.
In this Surya Namaskara Prasna, there are 32 Anuvaakams (chapters). 130 Panchaasath (paragraphs)
can be found in this total 30 Anuvaakams. When the Japam is performed, it is in our sampradaya, to
offer one sashtanaga namaskaram, facing east (Surya Bhagwan), at the end of every panchaathi
(paragraph) or alternatively at the conclusion of each anuvaakam depending upon ones health
condition. The last anuvaakam ends with the description of one vratam called 'samvatsara vratam' and
also proclaims that one who does this vratam becomes a punyatma. It concludes with the following
words: thapasvee [/i]punyo bhavathi, thapasvee punyo bhavathee. Generally this japam will be
followed by and concluded with Navagraha Mantras.
This japam, if arranged with at least 8 Vedic Scholars, is one of immense significance and has great
value.
Though this japam can be arranged and performed on any day it is preferable to do it on Sundays in
the morning hours. It may take around two and half hours in total to complete this japam that
includes purvanga and uttharanga pujas.
It is certain to create positive vibrations - both internally and externally. Even listening to these
mantras is considered a great boon for health and all round success.
The benefits that accrue from this surya namaskara japam are many - the most important of which is
health and prosperity.
Prathipoorusham eka kapaalaan nirvapathi
Ekam athiriktham.
Yaavantho gruhyaa smasthebhya karmakaram
Pashoonaam smarmaasi Sharma
Yajamaanashya Sharma me yacha.
Eka eva rudro na dvideeyaa thastha.
Aaghusthe rudra pashu tham jushasva.
Esha the rudra bhaagha saha svashra
Ambikayaa tham jushasva.
Bheshajam gave asvaaya purushaaya.
Bheshajam atho asmabhyam
Bheshajam subheshajam yadhaa asthi
Sugham meshaaya meshya.
Ava amba rudram adhimahi
Ava devam thrayambakam
Yadhaa na shreyasa karath
Yadhaa no vasyasa
Karath yadhaa na pashumatha
Karath yadhaa no vyavasaayayaath.
Thrayambakam yajaamahe
Sughandhim pushtivardhanam
Urvaarukam iva bandhanaath
Mruthyor muksheeya maa amruthaath.
Esha the rudrabhaagastham jushasva
Thena avasena paro bhujavatho athihi.
Avathathaa dhanvaa pinaaka hastha krithivaasaa