श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र ८

असौ योवसर्पती नीलग्रीवो विलोहित: |
उतैनं गोपा अद्रुशन्नद्रुशन्नुदहार्य:
उतैनं विश्वा भुतानि स द्रुश्टो म्रुदयाति न: ||८||




Rudra is Nilagriva (blue throated: caused by his containing the poison in His throat). The same Rudra assumes deep red colour appearing as the solar orb. By appearing thus He causes dawn and dusk (by the rising and setting of the Sun). The Lord appears in the solar orb so that the simple cowherds who are uneducated in the shastras may have His vision. The maids carrying water (in the morning and evening) easily have his vision. Even the animals too can see Him. May such Rudra make us all happy. असौ who is in the form of the Sun, विलोहित: assumes a deep red colour अवसर्पति rises and sets गोपा cowherds उतएनं अद्रुशन् behold Him well. उतहार्य: अद्रुशन् the women carrying water also behold. विश्वानि भूतानि उत अद्रुशन्  all creatures behold. न: म्रुदयाति May he make us happy.


The accessibility of the Lord in assuming the form of the sun so that all lay people may have a chance to behold Him is described here. Water is to be brought before the sun sets. Men and animals return before the sun sets. Ritualists wait for the setting of the sun to round off the rituals. So none can miss the sight of the rising and setting sun. Rudra therefore compassionately appears as the Sun. Now Bhatta Bhaskara adds quoting a shruti saying one should not see the rising and setting Sun, Even then, may the Lord forgive us for this and make us happy. Abhinava Shankara quotes the shruti to say that people rejoice at the sunrise.  So every one, the learned and the lay, rejoice at the sight of the rising Sun. May Rudra who is easily accessible thus make us happy. It should be noted that Rudra as Sun is seen by everyone, Rudra as the Lord of Kailash can be seen only by Upasakas. Rudra as Satchidananda is realized only by the gyanis.


Vishnusuri: The sakshi chaitanya with maya as upadhi is Ishwara. The same with अन्त:करण as upadhi is jiva (who has the ego). Pure chaitanya with no upadhi is Paramatman. The Vedantas seek to establish this. Bondage and liberation are for the jiva who is chaitanya with अन्त:करण as उपाधि. साक्षी चैतन्य is one like Akash but with the superimposition of अन्त:करण on it can be spoken of as being born and dying (coming and going). Now death i.e. leaving this body is being described in the present mantra. (That is the setting sun is described).


Jiva while leaving the body is helpless. He takes up a different body in due course. He feels miserable while leaving and again miserable when taking birth in a new body as he has to spend a long time in the womb. Now when this sakshi goes from body to body he becomes Nilagriva - black throated - due to tamoguna which covers and then assumes deep red colour due to rajoguna. गोपा is explained as gods, those who preside over the sense organs (गो:). They see this sakshi chaitanya with अन्त:करणोपधि i.e. jiva after getting the body (उतैनं गोपा अद्रुशन्). Gods can preside over the sense organs only after they are formed in the gross body. Now उद means शम (control). उतहार्य means vrittis like desire etc which destroy शम. So उतहार्य: अद्रुशन्  means even the vrittis like desire etc saw him (jiva). Sakshi chaitanya has even the external objects in its purview. Or the simple water carriers also saw this external witness assuming a body. What to say of this. All beings in the world saw him (jiva). Rudra (Paramatman) in the form of jiva was seen like this. (Jiva and Ishwara are in essence one as chaitanya. Only upadhis differ). This Rudra is to be attained by following the  discipline of shravana, manana and nidhidhyasana. May this Rudra grant happiness to us. Without realizing this Rudra (Paramatman) there is no eternal and pure happiness.

श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र ७

असौ यस्ताम्रो अरुण उत बभ्रु: सुमङ्गल: |
ये चे माग्ंरुद्रा अभितो दिक्षु श्री ता: सहस्त्रशो वै शाग्ंहेड ईम्हे ||७||




The same Rudra is seen in the Solar orb. He is red while rising. He becomes slightly less red. He acquires golden hue (or white according to some) later. He is highly auspicious as he assumes different colours and removes darkness. There are again many little Rudras who can be compared to the rays of the Sun surrounding the Earth in all directions. We are propitiating them with our prostrations so that their anger at us for our mistakes may be lightened. ताम्र deep red, copper red. अरुण light red or rosy colour. बभ्रु:- golden hued. हेड their angry moods अवईमहे - अवेमहे ward off. बभ्रु may also mean one who sustains the world by giving knowledge just as Sun wakes up people in the morning by His rising. Giving knowledge and waking up are compared.


The thousands and thousands of little Rudras with similar appearances and powers surround us from all sides to give us the fruits of our actions. They become either angry or indifferent when we do things that ought not to be done or do not do things that ought to be done. Their anger or indifference is intended to be mollified by our prayers and prostrations.


Vishnusuri: Prakriti originally has sattwa guna. It has two shaktis, Rajas and Tamas which cause vikshepa and avritti (projecting and concealing powers). The projecting power is responsible for creation and the concealing power conceals the difference between the seer and the seen internally and Brahman and the creation externally. ( द्रुग्ट्ट्श्ययोर्भेद: and ब्रह्मसर्गयोर्भेद:). Therefore rajas and tamas have to be subdued only by sattwa which is Prakriti in original form ( मूलप्रक्रुति: ). The same maya which has preponderance of pure sattwa ( विशुद्धसत्व ) is responsible for projection and concealment in case of one who wants to enjoy the world and is also responsible for completely destroying rajas and tamas and its own disappearing for one who seeks liberation. The point to be seen here is that the Supreme Being with maya Shakti which has pure sattwa appears red due to rajas thrown up by maya. Then He is associated with the creation as its soul and becomes auspicious. ( बभ्रु is used in this sense, one who maintains or sustains). The thousands of Rudras are the jivas. We try to remove their अविद्या ( हेड तीक्ष्ण्त्वं - अविद्यायुतत्त्वं ) by instructing them in the meaning of the Vedic dicta tattwamasi etc. The thousands of Rudras spoken of here are the jivas because jiva is essentially non-different from Rudra. Liberation is from many to one.

श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र ६

अध्यवोचदधिवक्ता प्रथमो दैव्यो भिशक् |
अहिग्ंस्च! सर्वाजम्भयन्सर्वाश्च यातुधान्य: ||६||


Rudra is the greatest God and controls and protects every one. Let Him say that I am great in the presence of other gods. By merely contemplating on Him all the diseases vanish.. May He destroy all the Rakshasas and wild animals like tigers, snakes etc. प्रथम: among gods, the greatest Gods are protected by Rudram so दैव्यो भिशक् - physician. अधिवक्ता - May he be partial to me and declare my greatness (I am a devotee of His). अध्यवोचत् - may He speak like this. जम्भयन् - killing यातुधान्य: - Rakshasas. अधिवचनम् - to speak in favour of some one out of partiality or declaration to this effect by one who is great. अधिवक्ता one who is habituated to speak like that. If one who is not great speaks like that, he will be laughed at. So I seek this partial treatment from Shiva alone who is great देव: may mean one who sports. Both Skanda Swami and Bhatta Bhaskara dilate on this. दिव् means to play. He is the goal of all sports. He is the joy in sports, victory in our desire to win. He is detached in activities. He is the soul of his devotee. Light in illumination. In praise He is the object of praise. He is the destination in journeys. Even though He is one He appears as may like air.


देव may also mean one who is spiritually illumined. He is the foremost among such (दैव्य:). He is the mouth of gods as Fire including that of Brahma, ( vide Skanda Swami's देवनामपी य: स्वयं मुखमभूद्- ब्रम्हादिकानां प्रभु:  based on the shruti अग्निमुखा वै देवा: and रुद्रो वा एश यदग्नि:)


The term अधिवक्ता may also mean one who can issue commands (to various gods) to do their duties properly. Rudra has full authority and compels obedience from other gods.


So the prayer is, "May Rudra destroy all my enemies seen and unseen such as snakes, tigers etc. which are seen and tribes of Rakshasas who are unseen. May He appear before me and grant me fearlessness and say that He would save me".


This mantra when repeated ensures long life and wealth to the devotees.


The word भिशक् which means a physician may be made to yield other meanings also such as: 1) He is the physician of the physicians in the sense He destroys the seed of samsara, by prescribing the medicine which is devotion to Him. 2) He grants fearlessness 3)one who is approached by the fear-stricken. Now  a few words about the devotee's seeking Rudra's intercession. There are gods who have seen me erring and are authorized to deal with me. But Rudra can intercede and say 'no'. He is fit to do it as He is above all gods. This is not partiality strictly as the devotee has earned this intercession with his devotion.
Is He not cruel to Rakshasas whom he kills to protect his devotees? No, it is like a surgeon causing pain but prompted only by kindness. So omnipotence and compassion of the Lord are indicated in this mantra.
He is also inner controller of all gods. This mantra is our armour कवचम् according to Bodhayana.


Hitherto we had direct prayer addressing Him. This mantra indirectly refers to Him.


Vishnusuri: देव is Ishwara according to Shruti. Rudra is दैव्य:. He, by good counsel, removes diseases of samsara. So He is भिशक्  physician. He is the foremost amongst physicians प्रथमो भिशक्   . अहि here means desires etc. यातुधानी - avidya vrittis. These are obstacles to self realization. अधिवक्ता - omniscient as everything is derived from Him. Such Rudra instructs in self knowledge by helping us to negate our imagined jivahood. This is the meaning of अध्यवोचत्. He destroys desires (अहि) and avidya vrittis. Such Rudra addressed me, who is a jiva, as Brahman. So I should realize that I am Brahman non-different from Parasiva. The Veda Purusha realized this and through this mantra instructs others.

श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र ५

शिवेन वचसा त्वा गिरिशाच्छा वदामसि |
यथा न: सर्वमिज्जदयक्ष्मग्ंसुमना असत् ||५||




शिवेन वचसा with auspicious words त्वा - you, गिरिश - dweller. In the Kailasa Mountain अच्छ - to attain you  वदामसि - we utter, pray, सर्वम् इत् जगत् - all this world of men and animals, अयक्ष्मं without any disease, सुमना असत् - may live in harmony.


O! Dweller on the Kailash Mountain! We pray to you with auspicious words so that we may attain you. By this prayer may all that belongs to us in this world be free from disease and live in harmony.


गिरि - mountain, mountain - like (high) Vedas. One who is the soul of the Vedas and is to be known only through the Vedas is गिरिश.
अच्छा - pure, one who is praised by the Vedas to Him we pray with pure auspicious words. The prayer us for making our relations, animals etc. in this world free from disease. Now if we take अच्छ  (vocative case) to mean pure; the meaning if the first line of the mantra would be: I am impure, The Lord is pure and is therefore praised by the Vedas with auspicious words. My words are not so pure or auspicious. But when they are addressed to the Lord they become pure and attain the status of the Vedas as drain water which falls into the ever pure Ganga gets mixed with it and becomes indistinguishable and one with Ganga. This is the interpretation of Abhinava Sankara.


The fourth and the fifth mantras together form one mantra. The mantras are chanted to ward off untimely death etc. The Lord is to be thought if as one who created terror in the Tripuras by his loud laughter and as one who is holding the bow which is meru mountain and is seated in the chariot. This is the description by Skanda Swami who hastens to add that we should think of the Lord as non-different from the Supreme Brahman though imagined to be with a body.


अच्छ is taken to mean the Lord who has appeared before us, according to Bhatta Bhaskara. So we praise the Lord standing before Him and directly addressing Him.


We pray to one who is capable of granting our prayers. So Shiva is the repository of all wealth, powers and the auspicious qualities and we pray to Him for granting us all auspiciousness. We praise His divine sports in the world. This is the extended meaning suggested by Bhatta Bhaskara and Skanda Swami.


Vishnusuri after a long discussion comes to the conclusion that jivatwa is imagined. Jiva is none other than Brahman. The Shruti with the help of mahavakyas  तत्त्वमसि etc reminds the jiva of this fact and wakes him up. Jiva in truth is untouched by the world.


The Vedas like the bards (vandi) praise the Lord Parameshwara to wake Him up from the imagined jivahood which is compared to sleep caused by avidya. So the Vedas like the servants who wake up the king by praising his valor and other qualities praise the Lord, saying, "You are the self of everything and if you go to sleep caused by avidya all this wold of jivas which is a reflection or image of yours cannot be free from the disease of samsara (transmigration) and will suffer from lack of harmony. Therefore may this world of jivas and objects after knowing its true nature and thus freeing itself from all sins not fall into samsara again. May it enjoy supreme bliss - this is our prayer. This is found to be elaborated in the next mantra.


The Lord has the अन्त:करण of maya. But here there is preponderance of sattva. Even as witness  He has this anthahkaran and rules the  world. The prayer is for revealing His pure Self by getting rid of self-imposed bondage maya thereby enabling the jiva to get the knowledge of pure Atman. This is done by the Vedic dicta like tattwamasi. This is referred to as शिवेन वचसा - by auspicious words.

श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र ४

यामिषुं गिरिशंत हस्ते बिभर्ष्यस्तवे |
शिवां गिरित्र तां कुरु मा हिंसी पुरुषं जगत् ||४||


O! Girishanta! The arrow you are holdingto be discharged at the enemies, please make it harmless to us men and also our animals and other inanimate objects in the world.


गिरिशंत - has been explained earlier as the one staying high up in the Kailash and making his devotees happy or the one who stays in the clouds and makes the world happy by pouring rain.


 गिरित्र means: by remaining in the Kailash He protects it or becomes the cause of its glory. He protects the clouds by making them rain or protects the chariot (formed by various divine elements) in which He rode to destroy Tripurasura, i.e. protects the Gods that make the chariot or protects or grants the speech or prayers of His devotees or protects even the sinner if he sincerely prays to Him according to Abhinava Sankara. Girishanta and Giritra mean one and the same. So this explanation gives a special meaning justifying the use of two words with the same meaning.


The arrow was taken out to be shot  at the Tripuras. The Tripuras burnt like a heap of cotton and the arrow had done its expected work. May the same arrow become auspicious so far as I, my people, animals and even inanimate objects are concerned. Turn your arrow away from us.


Vishnusuri: Prakriti has two shaktis, getting transformed and causing transformation. The first shakti is called vikshepa and the second one kala (time). If this is not accepted there will be chaos. The powers of maya are therefore three: kala, avaran (concealing) and vikshepa (projecting).


The fruition of an action occurs in time. The avaran shakti makes one lose the correct perception as his memory is affected. Projecting names and forms is caused by vikshepa. All the three maya shaktis kala, avaran and vikshepa are subservient to Ishwara. So in this mantra kala shakti is spoken of. Ishu, is kala shakti as it afflicts the intelligence of jiva like an arrow. The meaning of the mantra is: O! Girishanta, you hold kala shakti in your hand to direct it on the jivas. We are afraid, because everything is subservient in time ( in the sense karmas come to fruition in time). गिरि is here the world. One who protects the world by granting illumination is गिरित्र. So see that the jivas are not frightened. Use kala shakti in such a way that jivas are out of fear. May not kala shakti cause loss of memory etc.

श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र ३

या ते रुद्र शिवा तनूरघोरापापकशिनी |
तया नस्तनुवा शन्तमया गिरिशन्ताभिचाकशीहि  ||३||


In this mantra eternal happiness which results from liberating knowledge, तत्वज्ञान, is prayed for.


O! Rudra, in your benign form, which does not harm us, you reside in the kailash mountain. Reveal that form conferring happiness on me.


Shiva has two forms, benign and dreadful. Here the benign form is addressed.


गिरिशन्त - One who staying on a mountain (Kailash) confers happiness on beings. शन्तमया - that which is full of bliss. अभिचाकशीहि - reveal thy benign form to me. अघोरा - that which is not terrifying i.e. benign. अपापकशिनी - the form that does not cause grief. In this benign form there are no weapons. It may also mean the form that does not reveal the sins committed by the votary as they have been destroyed by revealing the benign form. शन्तमया - the form that gives immense happiness or confers infinite bliss on the devotee.


Appear before us with this auspicious form of yours. गिरिशन्त - One who stays high up in the mountains and protects all the beings. It may also mean protecting life in form of clouds pouring rain. Or it may mean that He stays in speech - गिरि - in the Vedas in form of meaning. That is, He is the essence of the Vedas or being indicated by pranava, is the object of meditation conferring eternal bliss. अपापकशिनी - may also mean that which gives ज्ञान which destroys sins. In this sense, according to Abhinava Sankara अभिचाकशीहि  means - reveal to me the Truth (आत्मतत्व)


Vishnusuri: At the end of a long discussion Vishnusuri concludes as follows: In Ishwara's anthahkaran which is nothing but His own maya, the modification  caused by its going out to external objects is avidya vritti, whereas the one which is caused by turning the gaze towards inner self is vidya vritti. These two vrittis, the vidya vritti and the avidya vritti, are His two bodies.


The avidya vritti which causes, according to fruits of actions of the jivas, transmigratory existence, delusion etc. is called अशिव - inauspicious whereas the vidya vritti which ends in the experience of infinite Bliss is शिव - auspicious.


So in the present mantra; अघोरा means a benign form , that is, the one that puts an end to the dreadful transmigratory existence. अपाप is Atman - that which is free from all the sins.


काशिनि- प्रकाशिनि reveals. The benign form, the vidya vritti, reveals Atman and puts an end to samsara. This samsara itself is difficult to surmount, like a steep hill. Jiva and Ishwara are both present in the samsara (The former attached and miserable and the latter, the unattached witness).


So Shiva is called as गिरिशन्त  - staying high on a mountain शन्तमया - by that form which is vidya shakti  - reveal your स्वरूप by removing अविद्या in me and lead me to liberation. 

श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र २

या त इशु: शिवतमा शिवं बभूव ते धनु: |
शिवा शरव्या यातव तयानो रुद्र म्रुदय    ||२||


O! Lord Rudra your arrow has become benevolent and benign. Similarly your bow - Pinaka, your quiver - Sharavya, also have become peaceful. Make us happy with these weapons.


The Lord is holding the bow and the arrow and is seated in a chariot along with Uma and has a benign smile. This is the form for contemplation. The repetition of this mantra is used for warding off the calamities such as famine.


Vishnusuri: इशु has already been explained as jiva. शरव्या is explained as that in which the jiva finds itself i.e. maya. So the prayer as per Vishnusuri is for granting one happiness by making this maya ineffective.

श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र १

श्री रुद्र consists of Eleven Anuvakas. In the first, consisting of 15 mantras, we pray to the Rudra Shakti for His grace. He has two forms: The "Rudra" form which is terrifying and destructive and the "Shiva" form which is benign.

 

ॐ नमस्ते रुद्र मन्यव उतोत इशवे नम:|
नमस्ते अस्तु धन्वने बाहुभ्यामुतते नम:||१||

 

रुद्र - O! Rudra ते मन्यवे to your anger नम: salutations. उत ते इशवे नम: Again, salutations to your arrow. नमस्ते अस्तु धन्वने Salutations to your bow उत ते बाहुभ्याम नम: again salutations to your arms (which wield the bow).

 

Rudra:

 

The term is derived in various ways as follows:

1. Who makes us speak

2. Who makes people understand everything by words (language)

3. Who makes us conscious of our dharmas through Vedas

4. Who leads us to self knowledge through repetition of pranavas

5. Who removes sins and melts in compassion

6. Who makes people cry at the time of dissolution of the universe

7. Who removes the miseries of the Sansara by His grace

8. Who enters the hearts of people as Nada Bramha

9. Who imparts spiritual knowledge to seekers of the Truth through Upanishads

10. Who imparted to Bramha, the creator, the truth (knowledge of the Vedas) at the time of creation

 

These meanings are derived from the word रु, to produce sound, to cry and रुद्, to shed tears and द्रु, to flow, run, melt.

 

मन्यु is anger. This is the root of all miseries. Rudra's anger causes destruction. So to propitiate Him, salutations first to Rudra, who is anger embodied. It may mean: manyu - anger is the Shakti of the Lord and therefore our salutations to Him so that He may not use it against us for our transgressions of the eternal moral codes. Again, manyu is the cause of misery.

 

The word Rudra is derived as the one who melts the manyu within us. Salutations to you arrow - इशवे, Salutations to your bow - धन्वने  and the arms - बाहुभ्याम that wield it.

 

Swami Amritanand ji has, in his book, also covered the interpretations of Vishnusuri. Any mistakes in reproducing these are my own.

 

Vishnusuri: Rudra represents the Atman and arrow means jivatman, which when discharged merges into paramatman. Manyu is the maya shakti of the Lord. Rudradhaya is an Upanishad. Its subject matter is the all-pervasiveness of Rudra. Rudra is the self of everything. Jiva is essentially Rudra however his agnyana makes him think that he is different.

 

So salutations to the maya shakti of the Lord which is manyu and which makes the jiva feel helpless and miserable.

 

The bow is pranava. The Lord is the goal of the pranava and holds the bow. The two arms of the Lord are the two powers of maya, the concealing power and the distorting or projecting power - avarana Shakti and vikshepa Shakti. These may also mean dharma and adharma which confer happiness and misery on the jiva according to his prarabdha karma.

 

Shri Ganeshaya Namah. I have always been mesmerized by the various Vedic mantras and always thought that they were in themselves a vast pool of knowledge. However the most mystic thing about them is that their interpretation goes way beyond their word by word meaning.

I searched for these interpretations online but was unable to find anything of sorts. Recently searching for some books at the local Ramkrishna Math Library, I found some books that gave a very good insight in the knowledge contained in these mantras.

I have decided to make an effort to capture these, to the best of my abilities, and post them here.

I am starting with the translation and interpretation of Shri Rudra by Swami Amritanandji Maharaj.

I pray to Lord Rudra that anyone who stumbles upon this blog finds this as useful and interesting as I have found it to be.

ओम शांती: शांती: शांती: