Rudram
What is Rudram ? :-
- Shri Rudram is a Hindu stotra dedicated to Rudra (an epithet of Shiva).
- Shri Rudram is a vedic hymn taken from Taittiriya Samhita (TS 4.5) of YajurVeda.
- Shri Rudram is also known as Sri Rudraprasna, Satarudriya, and Rudradhyaya.
- Shri Rudram (Namakam) describes the name or epithets of Rudra, which represent his aspects.
- Shri Rudram is of two parts, Namakam and Chamakam. Each consist of eleven anuvakas or hymns. Traditionally Rudra is assigned the number 11, and among the 33 deities of the Vedic pantheon, 11 are considered forms of Rudra.
Significance :-
- As per the Jabala Upanishad, recitation of the Satarudriya (Rudram) will lead to immortality. (this belief was claimed during the first few centuries of CE)
- The anuvakas (Chapters) of Shri Rudram correspond to the eleven hymns of Taittiriya Samhita (TS 4.5), where, the final anuvaka extended by an additional eight verses including the ' Mahamrityunjaya ' Mantra.
- The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra - ' great death-conquering mantra ', also called the Tryambakam Mantra, is a verse of the Rigveda (RV 7.59.12).
- Chanting the Rudram is said to be of great benefit. The Rudram chanting can be done with or without the accompaniment of a Vedic yagna ritual. When accompanied with the Vedic fire ritual, it is called the Rudra Yagnam.
Who can Recite Rudram and how ? :-
** " camakaṁ namakaṁ caiva pauruṣasūktaṁ tathaiva ca nityaṁ trayaṁ prayuñjāno brahmaloke mahīyate " **
Meaning -- He whoever recites Namakam and Chamakam along with Purusa Sooktam on a daily basis, will be honoured in Brahmaloka.
- To begin with , it is recommended to start learning Rudram from a Guru, since, it is supposedly the traditional way of learning any Vedic Hymns or Stotras.
- Rudram, unlike other Slokas or Mantras, has great significance, when its notations are recited in the appropriate pitch. The notation for marking the syllables for chanting is generally known as the swara notation, signifying the pitch variation applicable to the vowel in the syllable.
The following are the most common notations used:
1) Unmarked letters are - ' udaata ' (no change in the pitch)
2) If you see a horizontal line below a letter, you have to drop the pitch – ' anudaata '
3) If you see a vertical line above a letter, you have to raise the pitch – ' swarita '.
4) If you see a double vertical line above a letter, you to raise and the pitch and stretch it –' deergha swarita '.
5) In specific instances the swara of the previous letter is carried till the next occurring anudata or till the end of that pada or mantra - ' Prachaya '
Flexi Features of Rudram App :-
1) The ' Sanskrit ' and ' English ' hymns (with notation), on every page is individually scrollable, that would match with the audio from the page, for reference and practising.
2) For moving between pages quickly, use the ' Trisul ' pointer and drag.