Sri Rudram

Sri Rudram

► Some Explanations

 

Some Explanations

 

“Rudram forms a very important section of Kṛṣhṇa Yajur Vēda. Rudram is generally understood to be a prayer to Lord Rudra. In fact, it is the essence of all the Vedas, viz. Ṛg Vēda, Yajur Vēda, Sāma Vēda and Atharvaṇa Vēda. Another important feature of Rudram is the ēkatva (unity) between its two parts, Namaka and Chamaka. Namaka lays stress on virakti (detachment) whereas Chamaka dwells on desires for this and that. What is to be discarded and what is to be desired? That which is evil is to be discarded and all that is good is to be desired. Understanding of both these aspects is essential for man.”

Extracts from Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s discourse
during Ati Rudra Mahā Yajña, August 2006

 

Swāmi started explaining about namakam. It means I don’t want anything.
Na means no, while ma means want. I don’t want anything, I don’t want anything is the first half.
While the second half, chamakam means I want. I want indicates being full of desires. What do they desire? Oh God, grant us pure air; grant us good drinking water; bless us with good food. That is chamakam – prayers of request.
Then I asked, “Swāmi, while we say, I don’t want anything, in namakam, why should we also say, I want everything, in chamakam? Why both these types of prayers? Either we should pray, I want it, or pray, I don’t want it. What is the point saying both?”
Swami immediately replied, “Both are there in Vēdas so that those people who have desires will recite chamakam and those people who have no desires will recite namakam. That’s all. The Vēdas give provisions for both these types of people, for both categories of people.”

Extract from Talk by Prof. Anil Kumar on 22 October 2002

 

“The Mind is adored in the Vēdas as Rudra. The Mind contacts the objective world and experiences it through the instrumentality of the five senses. This aspect of the Mind is the Indra aspect. It has also another capability. It can master the senses and become aware of the Universal Inner Truth of the multiplicity called the Objective world. This aspect of the Mind is designated as Rudra. This is the reason why the Vedas describe Indra and Rudra as the One with two names.”

Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 3

 

NAMAKAM – brief explanation

–   The Rudram-namakam starts with apprehension. We prostrate down before Rudra, His powers and His ‘manyu’ (‘projected anger’ seen as anticipated large-scale destruction).

–   It prays to lessen the intensity of Rudra’s ‘manyu’.

–   Such a powerful force cannot be wished away by prayer, so it prays for the transformation of His ‘manyu’.

–   The prayer transforms the ‘manyu’ into protective and blessing energies. In doing so, one learns the lesson of ‘Love in action as non-violence’. For this, one forgoes the mental and physical violence in oneself and radiates peaceful, loving non-violence.

–   One experiences that radiating this love-non-violence-peace mantra-vibration is the only way to avert calamities; and thus spreads the ‘non-violence’ emotion and love&peace-vibration to the entire Planet.

–   At the end, one surrenders one’s entire being with all ten indrīyas to Rudra who is omnipresent. One casts away the last traces of inimical propensities into the jaws of the very same manyu and thus obtain fearlessness from the anticipated future catastrophes.

–  The additional tryambakam mantras pray for sound health and freedom from disease.

 

CHAMAKAM – brief explanation

–  From 1st to 10th anuvāk, ‘…cha me’ means ‘…too for me’. We pray for all things needed and many things desired, spiritual growth, wealth and powers for helping others…

–  At the end of 10th anuvāk, the seeker gives away his entire being into the yajña, attaining the state of ‘no-desires-no-demands’ and then realizing himself, which is the self of all Creation. The seeker identifies with all the beings/bodies in Creation and with the Creator.

–  In 11th anuvāk, ‘…cha me’ means ‘…too am I’. The seeker now states “the One too am I” (Supreme Being), “the 3 too am I” (3 planes of Creation)…

Extracts from the book “Rudra Tattva” by Maunish Vyas.

 

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► Rudra Tattva

 

Rudra Tattva

 

The ‘Rudra Tattva’ book, written by Maunish Vyas, was blessed on Monday 19 July 2010 by Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who immediately consented to publish it and translate it into as many languages as needed.

 

This book gives the inner meaning of each stanza of the Sri Rudram along with its overall import. It contains in addition the word-by-word meaning and global meaning of Gaṇapati Prārthanā and Śhiva Saṅkalpa Upaniṣhad. To read a short presentation (PDF) of the book, please click here. For any question concerning the book, please contact the author (maunish dot vyas at gmail dot com).

 

 

Sri Rudram – RCCS, with its inner meaning based on the book Rudra Tattva by Maunish Vyas.

 

Slideshow (PDF) revealing the inner meaning of the Rudram, according to the book;

 

Table (PDF) with the regular meanings v/s the inner meanings of the eleven anuvākas of Rudra-namaka.

 

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