Shri Rudram 1.1

[Anand Hudli]

 || AUM namo bhagavate rudrAya ||

 The Rishi of this mantra is Kashyapa, the devatA is Rudra, the meter
 (chhandas) is anushhTubh, according to the commentary of BhaTTa
 BhAskara.

 AUM 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 (whih wield 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 also saluations 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) be active 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 ||

 Anand





















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