The purpose of this magnificent hymn is to set aside once and for all, the extra-cosmic notion of God that people sometimes entertain in their religious fervour, and to instil into the minds of people the greater, profounder knowledge of the fact that God is not merely the creative extra-cosmic Parent of the Universe, but He is also immanent in every particle, in every speck of space, in every unit of time, in every nook and corner, in every particle of creation.Ī very intriguing aspect of God present in this wondrous hymn is that God is existing in both the aspects the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the right and the wrong, the positive and the negative, the high and the low, the conceivable and the inconceivable, mortality and immortality, existence and non-existence. Hence Rudra is considered as a deity who teaches the supreme knowledge to all and whose energy flows in everythingģ. Another explanation derived from the meaning of its roots is also “ ru”, to cry or to teach, “ rud”, to make a person weep, and “ dra” to flow. The word Rudra has 4 root meanings: (a) dreadful, terrific, angry (b) great or large (c) driving away evil (d) fit to be praised. If a man does sacrifice to Him by chanting the Rudram, that man pacifies the terrible form”.

He has two forms one terrible, the other auspicious. The Brāhmaṇa text which interprets the Rudram states: “ Rudra is verily this fire. Hence Rudra is one side and Śiva the other side of the same coin. Rudra has two forms, ghora or terrible form and śiva or auspicious form. He finds mention in the Rig Veda but there is a detailed section in praise of Rudra in the Yajur Veda.

Śrī Rudram is divided into 11 anuvākas (passages) and consists of 37 ṛks (verses) in various Vedic chandas (meters) in anuvāka 1, 10 and 11. Anuvākas 2 to 9 and the last line of anuvāka 11 consist of 130 yajus (sacrificial formulas). It is also known as Namakam because of the repeated word namaḥ in it.

It occurs in the Taittirīya Saṁhitā of the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda in the 4th kāṇda (chapter), 5th praśna (topic) and it is considered as one of 108 Upaniṣads. Śrī Rudram, also known as Śrī Rudrapraśnaḥ, is a hymn offered to the all pervading Brahman, designated as Rudra-Śiva, present in auspicious, benign forms as well as terrible forms which He assumes at the time of the dissolution and the destruction of the cosmos. This is a quick & simple FAQ in layman terms on “Rudram” – a special prayer that is chanted to Lord Rudra (Shiva) – a Vedic God.

Sama veda rudram pdf