Rudram Movie Tamil

[Salvador Baltimore]

Theproceedings of the Prana pratishtha of Adinath Sri Guru Mahavatar Babaji Temple at Madanapalle saw the chanting of Maha Rudram by friends of Sri M who had come together to participate in the event.

At that time, it seemed like a herculean task due to the tight schedule and unavailability of the large number of chanters required. However, many more people enrolled in the classes. It was a rigorous process, training the budding chanters in such a short duration of time, and a challenging one for not only the chanters, but the teachers as well. Some of the experienced chanters volunteered to help teach the others, which made it easier. The chanters committed to the practice, and with the blessings of their teachers, gurus, and sri rudra himself, they were all able to chant the wonderful recitation of one maha rudram, on 16th and 17th July 2024. The chanting of the maharudram also included rudraabhishekam where all participants had the opportunity to do Abhisheka of the murtis, which is traditionally done only by the priests.

The rudram consists of two parts, namely the namakam and chamakam, each containing 11 anuvaakams, or stanzas. The namakam contains praises and glories of Rudra, delving into his various manifestations within our universe. It also includes prostrations to the divine energy.

On 16th July, 65 chanters came together at the yogashala in Madanapalle and started chanting the Maha Rudram, with the grace and in presence of Sri M, followed by 75 in the evening on the same day, and 82 on the morning of 17th July, which was the day of the prana pratishtha of Sri Guru Babaji Temple.

An awe inspiring coincidence ensued, where everyone pledged to finish 1331 iterations collectively, however the total summed up to 2442; a remarkable 1111 times greater, due to the endurance and commitment of the chanters.

To conclude on 17th, Sri M visited the yogashala and as a mark of respect, Chaturveda Parayana (recitation of all four vedas) and sanyasa Suktam (a composition in tribute to the realized beings) were offered.

The sanctified water full of positive vibrations, energized by the chanting from this ceremony was taken in a spiritual procession, accompanied with further vedic chanting, to the venue of the prana pratishtha, to be utilized during the consecration.

Such is the devotion of the satsangis, and such is the acceptance of our merciful Lord Rudra, where nothing is required or necessary to take part in such worships, except for devotion and the desire to give back to the greater power we all stem from and also give back to the wellbeing of the world.

AUM namo bhagavate rudrAya

Once again, it is the holy month of shrAvaNa, sacred for the worship of Shiva. The most important part of Shiva worship is undoubtedly the chanting of the shrI rudram with devotion. Regarding theshrI rudram, it is said:

vR^ixasya mUlakena shakhAH puShyanti vai yathA

shive rudrajapAtprIte prItA evAsya devatAH

ato rudrajapAdeva bhuktimuktiprasiddhyataH

Even as by (watering) the roots of a tree, all its branches are nourished, so by pleasing Shiva with the chant of the Rudram , all the gods are pleased.Therefore, the attainment of bhukti - enjoyment (not against dharma)- and mukti - liberation- is only through chanting the Rudram with devotion.

The shrI rudram is also called the Rudropanishad or the shatarudrIyam.h. The name Rudropanishad indicates that even though the Rudram is technically part of the karma kANDa or the ritualportion of the Vedas, it is held to be on par with the upanishads of the jnAna kANDa. The name shatarudrIyam is applied to indicate that this shrI rudram appears in the texts of the one hundred andone shAkhA's of the Yajur Veda. The chanting of the Rudram is followed by that of the Chamakam, so called because of the frequent occurrence of the expression "cha me."

This wonderful Rudram-Chamakam is to be learned from a Guru who himself has been trained in the Vedic tradition.

There are two versions of the Yajurvedic Rudram, one from the Shukla Yajurveda and the other from the Krishna Yajur veda. The Rg Veda has its own and shorter version of theRudram.

The importance of this hymn has been attested to by several commentaries, such as the ones by sAyaNa, bhaTTa bhAskara, abhinava shankara, and VishnusUrI.

No commentary by Adi Shankara on the Rudram is known. But there are verses from the shrI rudram in the shvetAshvatara upanishad and Shankara has been attributed the authorship of a commentary on theupanishad.

So I would like to present the explanation of such verses from the Rudram that are also present in the shvetAshvatara upanishad along with the commentary attributed to Shankara.

We begin with the shvetAshvatara 3.5:

yA te rudra shivA tanUraghorApApakAshinI

tayA nastanuvA shantamayA girishantAbhichAkashIhi

( shrI rudram: anuvAka 1 , rik 3; shvetAshvatara Up.: 3.5 )

yA - that

te - Your

rudra - O Rudra

shivA - auspicious

tanUH - form

aghorA - not terrifying

apApakAshinI - that which destroys sins by mere remembrance

tayA - by that

naH - us

tanuvA - by the form

shantamayA - by the most joyous

girishanta - O Dweller of the (KailAsa) mountain who confer joy

abhichAkashIhi - look (at us so that we may be united with the

highest good)

O Rudra! O Girishanta (who dwell on the Kailaasa mountain and confer happiness)! By that form of Yours which is not terrifying, which destroys sin by its mere remembrance, and which is allblissful, please behold us and unite us with the highest good!

shA.nkarabhAShyam.h (Commentary of Shankara)

yA te rudreti he rudra tava yA shivA tanUraghorA uktaM cha

tasyaite tanuvau ghorA .anyA shivA .anyeti athavA shivA .avidyA-

tatkAryavinirmuktA sachchidAnandAdvayabrahmarUpA na tu ghorA

shashibiMbamivA .ahlAdinI apApakAshinI smR^itimAtrAghanAshinI

puNyAbhivyaktakarI tayA .atmanA no .asmAn.h shantamayA sukhatamayA

purNAnandarUpayA he girishanta girau sthitvA shaM sukhaM tanotIti

abhichAkashIhi nirIkshasva shreyasA niyojasvetyarthaH

Translation of Shankara's commentary:

O Rudra! (By that) form of Yours which is aghorA, ie. not that which is terrifying. It is said (in the BrAhmaNa) "(Rudra is verily this sacrificial fire,agni.) That Rudra has two forms; one is terrifying and the other is shivA, auspicious (or gentle)." Or, the word shivA means that which is free from ignorance(avidyA) and ist effects, which is of the nature of the nondual Brahman that is Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss, which is not terrifying but which causes joy like the form of the moon. apApakAshinI means thatwhich destroys sins by merely being remembered and which reveals merit (puNya). Through that form which is most delightful and of the nature of infinite bliss, OGirishanta, who reside on the (KailAsa) mountain and confer happiness, behold us (look at us) so that (by this glance) we may be united with the highest good (Brahman).

Note:

The brAhmaNa portion identifies Rudra with the sacrificial fire, agni and speaks of two forms of Rudra - one terrifying, the other benign. It is thisbenign aspect that is associated with the eradication of ignorance and the bestowal of knowledge. It may be noted that the Shri Dakshinamurti form, that grants the Supremeknowledge of Brahman, is the gentle form.

AUM namo bhagavate rudrAya

namaste rudra manyava uto ta ishhave namaH

namaste astu dhanvane bAhubhyAmuta te namaH

(Krishna Yajur Veda, Shri Rudram: anuvAka 1, Rik 1)

namaH - salutations to

rudra - O Rudra

te manyave - Your anger

uto - also

te - Your

ishhave - arrow

namaH - salutations

namaH - salutations

te - Your

astu - let there be

dhanvane- bow

bAhubhyAm.h te - Your two hands

uta - also

namaH - salutations

O Rudra! Salutations to Your anger and salutations also to Your arrow. May our saluations be to Your bow and salutations (be) to Your two hands (whichwield the bow and the arrow).

sAyaNAchAryabhAshhyam.h :

he rudra te tvadIyo yo manyuH kopastasmai namo .astu sa manyur-

asmadvairishhveva prasaratu na tvasmAsu uto api cha te taveshhave

namastvadIyAya bANAya namo .astu tathA te dhanvane tvadIyAya

dhanushhe namo .astu utApi cha te bAhubhyAM tvadIyAbhyAM dhanur-

bANopetAbhyAM hastAbhyAM namo .astu etatsarvaM vairishhveva

pravartatAM na tu mayItyabhiprAyaH

O Rudra! Salutations to Your anger! Let that anger go towards our enemies, not towards us! Also let (our) salutations be to Your arrow. And alsosaluations be to Your bow. Also saluations be to Your two hands which hold the bow and arrow. Let all these (the anger, bow and arrow, Your hands) beactive in (destroying) enemies, but not in me. This is the import (of the mantra).

Notes based on BhaTTa bhAskara's commentary:

1) BhaTTabhAskara gives several definitions of the word "rudra."

rudaM saMsAraduHkhaM drAvayatIti rudra iti kechit.h

Some say "He is called Rudra because He drives away the sorrow of saMsAra (ephemeral existence) which is ruda."

rutiM shabdaM vedAtmAnaM brahmaNe dadAti kalpAdAviti rudra ityapare

Others say "He is Rudra because he gives ruti or the Vedic sounds to BrahmA at the beginning of the Kalpa."

rodayati sarvamantakAla iti rudraH

He makes everyone weep at the time of destruction, so he is called Rudra.

2) The arrow of Rudra:

The Vedas say that the gods made the arrow of Rudra:

"ta ishhuM samaskurvatAgnimanIkaM somaM shalyaM vishhNuM tejanaM"

The (gods) prepared the Rudra's arrow: Its face was Agni, its dart-head Soma, and its sharp-edge VishhNu.

shAkhAntare cha - another vedic description says:

tasyA agniranIkamAsItsomaH shalyo vishhNustejanaM varuNaH parNAni iti

The face (of that arrow) was agni, the dart-head was Soma, VishhNu its sharp edge, and VaruNa its feathers.

3) The PurANas describe the bow of Rudra as Meru, the mountain of gold. "kanakashailo devasya dhanuH"

The MahAbhArata says:

sa kR^itvA dhanuroMkAraM sAvitrIM jyAM maheshvaraH

hayAMshcha chaturo vedAnsarvadevamayaM ratham.h

Maheshvara made the Omkara the bow, SavitrI the bow-string, the four vedas the horses, and the chariot from all the gods.

This is how Maheshvara went to do battle against tripurAsura.

4) This mantra 1.1 aims to pacify the terrifying aspect of Rudra which He bears for the sake of destruction of the world.

5) The shukla Yajur Vedic version of this mantra (at least in the kANva rescension) reads:

namaste rudra manyava uto ta ishhave namaH

bAhubhyAmuta te namaH

AUM namo bhagavate rudrAya

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