Thoughts - shrI rudram - Multiple views

At the heart of the vedas is the shrI rudram, the much hailed chanting of the Lord. Many ardent devotees chant this hymn everyday. The great uruththira pashupati n^AyanAr (1) got liberated just by chanting the shrI rudram in full devotion.

While chanting this hymn with the focus on its meaning, this marvelous vedic hymn gives different feelings at different times it is chanted. The Formless Lord appear in very many great forms, probably this hymn on the Lord also appears so. If looked at one perspective, it seem to hail the God, Who is fierce with multitude of arms, and the hymn pleads to the God to become cool and pleasant. Other look finds a Magnificent Lord, Powerful, Auspicious and Protecting the ones who are ardent to the Lord. The Lord's thousands of arms are the representation of Its protection now.

One other view holds the Lord rudra as the Doctor, Who cures the illness of the patients. The Doctor well armed with sharp and strong instruments, which are intended not to harm but to cure, is being begged by the sick ones to cure them without having to undergo much of the painful surgeries. When given some more thought this Doctor appears not as the normal doctor, but as the Doctor Who cures the sickness of bonded life. Another viewpoint would be visualizing the God in all the material and transcendental things and the Its Being of their Lord.

A beautiful colorful standpoint observes the Lord as the Auspicious, Giver of boons, Protector of the devotees, Very Powerful Lord Who as the Supreme God runs the whole system of this Universe, Being present through the various contradictory aspects of the world. We worship that splendid Lord of all beings, Who guides the devotee to His Blissful state, to drop out of Special Mercy, the arms (The system the Lord has devised that gives fruit for the deeds - good fruit for the good deeds and bad reaction for the misdeed) on our misdeeds and also requesting for protecting us from the evils. This enchanting hymn not only asks for the one who chants it, but for all the relatives, the whole village and for the whole world !!! Each bit becomes enjoyable for us then by the Grace of that Blue-throated Lord Who feeds the devotees.

No doubt, this marvelous hailing of the Lord glitters with many beautiful colors that console, control, energize and enchant the devotee. aum namaH shivAya cha shiva tarAya cha.

Posted On : 01.01.2001

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