श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र १०

प्रमुन्च धन्वनस्त्वमुभयोरार्त्नीयो र्ज्याम्! |
याश्च ते हस्त इषव: पराता भगवो वप ||१०||


Lord! - release the string of Thy bow from both the ends. Drop the arrows from your hand. प्रमुन्च  - release, ज्याम् - the bow-string, धन्वन: - of the bow, उभयोरार्त्नीयो: - from both sides of the bow. परा  ... वप - drop, take away. भगव - vocative of Bhagwaan (worshipful).


These mantras ask directly and indirectly the Lord to keep aside the dreadful arrows of His and make the bow infective by releasing the string (unstringing the bow).


Abhinava Sankara says: The six mantras starting from the tenth pray for His withdrawing the weapons. Even though a similar prayer was made in the fourth mantra, the devotee is not completely free from fear as long as the weapons are seen in the hands of the Lord. So this is not to be treated as a repetition. Even when the bow is unstrung the arrows are seen. So take them away from us. Put them back in the quiver so that they do us no harm.


Skanda Swami says: O Lord! You are a learned, powerful, famous, full of wealth, spiritual knowledge and renunciation. (The qualities which entitle you to be addressed as Bhagvaan). So it is not proper for you to direct your anger towards us. You are the embodiment of courtesy and compassion (दाक्षिण्यैकतनु:, दयामयतनु:).


Vishnusuri: You may ask, "Who am I? Who are these Jivas to whom I am offering my salutations?" The reply is: We differentiate between Jiva and Ishwara. This is caused by the two powers आवरण and विक्षेपशक्ती . So the prayer in this mantra is to get free from the two powers.


O Lord! Please release the string in the form of ego (अहन्कार) from both the ends (in form of the avaran and vikshepa shaktis) of the bow (in the form of pranava wrought by maya). Drop the arrows in your hands. That is, drop the jivas who are in your control. Giving up the Jivahood manifest bliss which is your essential nature.

श्री रुद्र - अनुवाक १ - मन्त्र ९

नमो अस्तु नीलग्रीवाय सहस्त्राक्षाय मीढुषे |
अथो ये अस्य सत्वानोpहं तेभ्योpकरं नम: ||९||


My salutations to the Nilagriva who is in form of Indra, who gives us rains. Also my salutations to the workers (servants) of Rudra.


मीढुषे  - to Him who gives rains सहस्त्राक्ष - one with many eyes (Indra) सत्वान: - workers (servants), the ganas of great valour. He gives rains that causes the vegetation to grow similar to Purusha who furthers creation.


Abhinava Shankara gives more meanings to Nilagriva and सत्त्वानां पति. Rudra as Nilagriva is the one adorned by this mantra. सहस्त्राक्ष is not taken as Indra by him. It means one who has infinite number of eyes and therefore sees everything. Nothing can escape His notice. Therefore the devotee is confident that his salutations do receive the attention of Rudra even though He is seated high up on the Kailash mountain. मीढुषे is taken to mean one who grants the desires of devotees. He simply pours blessings for fulfilment of there desires. My salutations have immediate effect. As Nilagriva the Lord shows his partiality for goodness. He places even a digit of the moon on His head in appreciation of moon's qualities but takes in the whole lot of our sins like kalakuta poison, contains them to see that the world is not harmed by it. He is seen as seated with Uma on the throne with a benign smile on His face. His servants or attendants are spoken of in various ways in the scriptures. They are a group called pramatha ganas and are very powerful. They are blissful, free from jealousy, and have control over speech. They have attained all powers but they are not conscious of them. They are in the company of the Lord always. I salute such attendants of the Lord.


The Lord is to be thought of as one seated on the throne with Uma and like the moon cools and soothes the minds of the devotees.


Vishnusuri: I salute Nilagriva, one who has preponderant vikshepa Shakti (no avaran for Him) _ - is here taken to mean reflected chaitanya i.e. jiva. There are innumerable ( सहस्त्र ) such jivas whose desires are fulfilled according to their prarabdha karma. There are many servants who are His own parts and (as reflections of Himself) they are jivas. My salutations to them. (नम:) सत्वानोpहं तेभ्योpकरं .