Shri Rudram 1.9

[Anand Hudli]

     || AUM namo bhagavate rudrAya ||

 The Rishi of this mantra is shaMbhu, the devatA too is shaMbhu,
 and the meter anuShTubh.

 First, the dhyAna shloka :

 sharachchandraprakAshena vapuShA shItaladyutim.h |
 dhyAyetsiMhAsanAsInamumayA  sahitaM  shivam.h  ||

 One should meditate on the Shiva, who is seated on a
 throne with Goddess umA (PArvatI) and who radiates cool rays
 from a form that is brilliant like the autumnal moon.


 namo astu nIlagrIvAya sahasrAxAya mIDhushhe |
 atho ye asya sattvAno .ahaM tebhyo .akaraM namaH ||

                     (Shri Rudram: anuvAka 1; Rik 9)

  namaH - salutations to
  astu  - may there be
  nIlagrIvAya - the blue-throated One
  sahasrAxAya - the thousand-eyed One
  mIDhushhe  - the showerer
  atho   -  Also
  ye - Those
  asya - His (Rudra's)
  sattvAnaH - His followers
  ahaM - I
  tebhyaH - unto them
  akaram.h namaH - I bow


  May my salutations be to the blue-throated (Rudra), He who
  has a thousand eyes and who showers/fulfills (all desires of
  His devotees). Also, I bow to His followers, the pramatha-
  gaNas.

  sAyaNAchAryabhAShyam.h   (Commentary of sAyaNAchArya)

  yaH pUrvoktarItyA nIlagrIvaH sa eva indramUrtidhAraNena
  sahasrAxaH sa punaH parjanyamUrtidhAraNena mIDhvAnsechakaH |
  vR^ShTikartetyarthaH | tAdR^ishAya rudrAya namo .astu |
  atho api cha ye kechidasya rudrasya sattvAno bhR^ityarUpAH
  prANinastebhyaH sarvebhyo .ahaM namo .akaraM namaskaromi |

  He (Rudra) who is blue-throated, as explained in the previous
  Rik (1.8), is Himself the thousand-eyed One by assuming the
  form of indra (who is called sahasrAxa). He (Rudra) is again
  the showerer by assuming the form of Parjanya. He is the
  showerer of rain. May (my) salutations be to Rudra who is so.
  Also, I bow to all those beings who are this Rudra's servants
  (or followers).


  Notes:

   The previous Rik (1.8) described Rudra as the deity in the
   sun. Here He is being identified with indra and parjanya.
   The idea is that the same deity assumes different forms.

   Those who are wise do not see different deities or a
   hierarchy of deities wherein some deities are superior
   to others. Acknowledging such a hierarchy is tantamount
   to accepting divisions in the indivisible (akhaNDa)
   Brahman. This is a trick of mAyA, as the mAyApanchaka of
   Shankara states:

    vidhihariharavibhedamapyakhaNDe
    bata virachayya budhAnapi prakAmam.h |
    bhramayati hariharabhedabhAvA-
    naghaTitaghaTanApaTIyasI mAyA  ||

    Alas! Even in the indivisible Brahman, it (mAyA) creates
    differences called BrahmA, ViShNu, and Shiva and deludes
    or tricks exceedingly even the intelligent into feeling
    differences of Hari and Hara. mAyA is an expert in
    making incompatible things compatible!

   So the proper position is to view all deities as equivalent
   and thus avoid the pitfall created by mAyA. There cannot
   be a multiplicity of Ishvara's. Ishvara is unique:

   This is clearly expressed in the shvetAshvatara  upaniShad

   eko hi rudro na dvitIyAya tasthu-
   rya imAn lokAnIshata IshanIbhiH |

   Rudra (Ishvara) is indeed one (unique), who rules these worlds
   by His divine powers. (Knowing this) they (the knowers of
   Brahman) did not wait for a second (deity).

     || AUM namo bhagavate rudrAya ||

  Anand




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