Shri Rudram Chamakam

The Shri Rudram Chamakam (TS 4.5, 4.7) is a Vedic stotra dedicated to Rudra, an earlier aspect of Shiva. Shri Rudram is also known as Sri Rudraprasna, Satarudriya, and Rudradhyaya. It consists of two texts from book four of the Taittiriya Samhita, which is a part of the Krishna Yajurveda. The first part, Shri Rudram corresponds to chapter five, and the second part, Camakam to chapter seven. As part of the Yajurveda, the second oldest Vedic text after the Rigveda, the age of the text may well be in the range of 3000 years or older. The text is important in Vedantic religion, where it is interpreted as an idenification of Shiva with Vishnu, and as describing Him as the Universal Brahman.

Text

The Shri Rudram Chamakam is divided into Shri Rudram or Namakam, which describes aspects of Rudra. Additionally, the devotee asks for the benevolent aspect of Shiva to be invoked rather than the terrible aspect and requests forgiveness of sins. The Chamakam, asks for the fulfilment of wishes. They consist of eleven anuvaka or hymns each.

Shri Rudram

The anuvakas of Shri Rudram correspond to the eleven hymns of TS 4.5, with the final anuvaka extended by an additional eight verses, including the Tryambakam mantra (TS 1.8.6.i). The central Shaivite mantra, Aum Namah Sivaya is also derived from the Shri Rudram, it appears (without the aum) in TS 4.5.8.l.

Chamakam

The second part of the text, corresponding to TS 4.7, asks God for fulfillment of wishes. The repeated phrase, ca me literally means, "and to me this granted", accompanied by lists of desirables.

The original context of the Chamakam is the piling up of the fire-altar of Vedic religion.

Interpretation

The interpretations of the text commonly taught today are clearly Vedantic, while the Vedic texts at the time of their composition were probably intended for the context of ritual sacrifice.

The President of the Ramakrishna Mission, at Chennai, in commentating on the foreword to Swami Amritananda's translation of Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam, stated that "Rudra to whom the these prayers are addressed is not a sectarian deity, but the Supreme Being who is omnipresent and manifests Himself in a myriad forms for the sake of the diverse spiritual aspirants." Sri Rudram occurs in the fourth Kanda of the Taittirya Samhita in the Yajur Veda.

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains in the lexicon section of his book, Dancing with Siva, that "Sri Rudram is a hymn to the wielder of awesome powers. It is a preeminent Vedic hymn to Lord Siva as the God of dissolution, chanted daily in Siva temples throughout India."

Smarta interpretation

The prayer is commonly interpreted to show that Vishnu is another aspect of Shiva and to accordingly hold that Vishnu and Shiva are one and the same God from an Advaitan or Smarta viewpoint. Interestingly, the Vishnu sahasranama, in a similar manner, states Shiva is an aspect of Vishnu. The fifth anuvaka states (see Sanskrit for pronunciation details):

Original text (TS iv.5.5)

namo bhavāya ca rudrāya ca namaḥ śarvāya ca paśupataye ca

namo nīlagrīvāya ca śitikaṇṭhāya ca

namaḥ kapardine ca vyuptakeshāya ca

namaḥ sahasrākṣāya cha śatadhanvane ca

namo giriśāya ca śipiviṣṭāya ca

Translation (Arthur Berriedale Keith, 1914):

Homage to Bhava and to Rudra.

Homage to Çarva and to the lord of cattle.

Homage to the blue-necked one, and to the white-throated.

Homage to the wearer of braids, and to him of shaven hair.

Homage to him of a thousand eyes, and to him of a hundred bows.

Homage to him who haunteth the mountains, and to Çipivista.

Commentary of Swami Amritananda, book available at (^*):

"Salutations to Him who is the source of all things and to Him who is the destroyer of all ills. Salutations to the destroyer and to the protector of all beings in bondage. Salutations to Him whose throat is black and whose throat is also white. Salutations to Him of the matted locks, and to Him who is clean-shaven. Salutations to Him who has a Thousand eyes and a hundred bows. Salutations to Him who dwells on the mount and who is in the form of Vishnu."

Swami Amritananda, of the Ramakrishna Mission and many others suggest that Rudra is associated with Vishnu in the invocation namas ^* shipivishtaya. (shipivishta appears most frequently as an epithet of Vishnu in the Yajurveda.)

However, Amritananda has also cited other ancient commentators who have stated that the line could mean:

one who resides in the place abounding in devadaru trees.
one who is in the form of the sun.
one who has entered into the beings as inner controller.

(his translation of Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam, pgs. 66-67.) Amritananda has cited commentaries of Sayana and others in the writing of his work. His rendering "in the form of Vishnu" is a common Vedantic interpretation, since the literal meaning of shipi-vishta is an epithet meaning "pervaded by rays".

Organization of Rudram

Another interpretation which seeks out coherent meaning in the 11 chapters of sri Rudram is as follows. the first line of Sri Rudram- 'namaste Rudra manyava utota Ishave namaha. Namaste astu Dhanvane Bahubhyam utate namaha' contains all the definitions of Rudra, who signifies Brahman of Upanishads. 1. Rudra; Benign aspect of Rudra (Brahman) 2. Manyu; Passion or Deluder aspect of Rudra (Brahman) 3. Ishu; Various impulsions of benign and passion aspcts of Rudra on creation. 4. Dhanu : the forces of Rudra which create worlds of experience for the created beings. 5. Baahu : Rudra's action initiators for creation, protection, destruction, ruling, and grace in the created worlds.

The format of the 11 chapters (anuvaka) in Sri Rudram is as follows;

Chapter 1: A summary of Sri Rudram. Chapter 2: Obeisance to rudra as the benign aspect of Brahman. Chapter 3: Obeisance to Rudra as the passion or deluder aspect of Brahman. Chapter 4: obeisance to Rudra as the creators of worlds. Chapter 5-9 refers to the hands of Rudra signifying different activities. Chapter 5: obeisance to the creative aspects of Rudra ,the benign. Chapter 6: obeisance to the protective aspects of Rudra, the benign. Chapter 7: obeisance to the destructive aspects of Rudra ,the benign. Chapter 8: obeisance to the ruling or coordinating Iswara aspects of Rudra, the benign. Chapter 9: obeisance to the grace aspects of Rudra, the benign. Chapter 10: Expansion of the prayers in chapter1, to Rudra and Manyu. Chapter 11: Prayers and exhortations to Manyu ,the deluder to go away from the worshipper

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