ANUVAKAM 1

Mantra 1

`

^ :@
\

 :A C
Meaning: Parameswara!
- your,

- to
anger, prostration.
` - Further,

-your,
^- to the
arrow,
-prostration.
- your,
- to the
bow,
\ - may

my prostration
be. `Further, your,
to the two
arms, prostration.

Explanation:
Three
commentators
- Sayana,
Bhattabhaskar
a and
Abhinavasank
ara- have

written
commentaries
for Sri
Rudram. This
present
explanation
has been
written in

accordance
with these
three
commentaries.
There are a
total of 11
Anuvakams
(sections) in

Sri Rudram. In
the first
Anuvakam,
the angry Sri
Rudra is
pacified. From
the second to
the ninth

Anuvakams,
Sri Rudra is
eulogised in
many ways
and obeisance
paid to him. In
the last two
Anuvakams,

prayers are
offered to Sri
Rudra and
Rudraganas.
There are
many terrible
and calm
forms of Sri

Rudra. In
order to pacify
the terrible
form of his,
obeisance is
paid to his
anger,
weapons etc.

How can there

be anger in Sri
Parameswara,
the
blemishless
one with all
good
attributes?

The answer is
that his anger
in order to
punish those,
who
transgress his
commands
contained in

Srutis, Smritis
etc. and bring
them over to
the right path,
is only a good
quality and not
a fault.
Following the

etymology
+

= , as Sri
Parameswara
drives away
grief, or sin
which causes

grief, he is
called 'Rudra'.
As he is
prayed here
for ridding his
anger and
being calm, it
is but proper

that he is
addressed as
'Rudra'. As
anger is the
basic cause of
all types of
grief, anger is
propitiated at

the beginning
itself. When
Parameswara
gets angry, his
arrow will
come in front;
he will then
look at his

bow. Then his

two arms will
go on to hold
them. Hence
anger, arrow,
bow and arms
are prayed to
in that order.

Parameswara'
s arrow etc.
are to be
worshipped
like Devatas.
Hence praying
and paying
obeisance to

them is but
appropriate.
Once Arjuna
forgot the
method of
using
Paasupatastra
. In order to

learn it, Sri

Krishna and
Arjuna went to
Kailasa.
Parameswara
asked them to
bring a certain
weapon from

the adjacent
divine lake.
When they
both went to
the lake, they
noticed that
the weapon
looked very

terrible,
surrounded by
poisonous
flames. Sri
Krishna then
chanted Sri
Rudram in
order to pacify

it and make it
come to his
hands. The
weapon then
reached his
hands in a
calm and

peaceful form.
This
has been
mentioned in
the
Mahabharata.
This shows
that Sri

Parameswara'
s weapons like
arrow etc. are
full of
dynamism and
need to be
worshipped.

It is said that it
is necessary
to know the
Rishi, chandas
and Devata of
every mantra,
Abhinasankar
a's

commentary
describes
these details.
For this first
mantra, Rishi
is Aatreya,
chandas is
Anushtup and

Devata is Sri
Rudra.
Dhyanam: ]
[

Q
@

Q A

"One should
meditate upon
Maheswara,
who yokes a
brilliant arrow
to his shining
bow, pulled to
the ear; of

handsome
form,
appearing like
a warrior,
youthful and
accompanied
by Devi."

This mantra
will be fully
efficacious to
one who
practises
Praajaapatya
krichchram
and chants the

mantra 11000
times. By
doing
circumambulat
ion and
prostration,
while chanting
this mantra,

Parameswara'
s grace,
destruction of
sins and
leadership in
society will
result. The
other practices

using this
mantra are
described in
works like
'Rudra
Kalpaarnavam'
.

Mantra 2

A Meaning:
Parameswara!
- your,
^- which
arrow,
- most
auspiciously,

- exists,
- your,
which bow,
is
auspicious,
- your,
- which
quiver,

- is
auspicious,
- with that
arrow, bow
and quiver,
- us,
- make
us happy.

Explanation:
As usage of
lit is done in
present tense
also in Veda,
Bhattabhaskar
as
commentary

states that for

the word
babhuva, the
present tense
meaning of
exists should
be
understood.

The other two

commentaries
state the
meaning:
Please grant
me happiness
from the
arrows etc.,

which were
worshipped by
me in the
previous
mantra and
became calmformed. On
this basis, the

term babhuva
is interpreted
in past tense.
The Rishi for
this second
mantra is
Aathreya;
chandas is

Anushtup;
DevataSambhu.
Dhyanam: