Shri Rudram 1.6

[Anand Hudli]

  Ravi wrote:

>Is there any internal reference to hanumAn in rudram? Reason
>behind this question is this. In one of the talks shrI
>chandrasekharendra sarasvatI remarks that the name "vyuptakesha"
>(namaH kapardine cha vyuptakeshAya cha)  that occurs in rudram
>refers to shankara, because only in that form he come with a
>shaven head.
>
>Like this is there something for hanumAn, will the name dUta
>(namo dUtAya cha) indicate this?
>

 I am not aware of any reference to Hanuman in the Rudram. namo
 dUtAya is interpreted as a reference to agni, as indicated by
 statements such as "agniM dUtaM vR^iNImahe", "we choose agni to
 be our messenger (to Gods)." agni is frequently referred to as
 a messenger who carries the offerings in the sacrifice to other
 Gods.

 In the R^ig Veda, however, Rudra is referred to in many places
 as "pitar.h marutAM.h" meaning "Father of the Maruts, the storm
 or wind Gods" and also "marutvAn.h", meaning "One who is attended
 to by the Maruts." Rudra is therefore closely associated with the
 Maruts in the R^ig Veda, while He is associated closely with agni
 in the Yajur Veda, as in "rudro vA eshha yadagniH", "rudra is
 indeed this agni (fire)."

 From the background of HanumAn as the son of the wind God and the
 fact that Rudra is mentioned as the Father of the Maruts, it is
 possible to infer that HanumAn is an aMsha of Rudra/Shiva. Of course,
 HanumAn may have been more directly identified as such in the
 purANas or the various rAmAyaNa's -- I am not aware of a reference
 offhand.

 The second point you raise is the name vyuptakesha in the Rudram.
 This is interpreted by sAyaNa as a sannyAsin in general, not the
 sannyAsin Shankara, although sAyaNa belongs to Shankara's tradition.
 BhaTTa BhAskara interprets vyuptakesha as either a yajamAna, a
 performer of a sacrifice, who shaves his head as part of a sacrifice,
 or  a householder (gR^ihastha) who has to shave his head except
 for a tuft of hair.

 I have heard that abhinava Shankara says in his commentary on the
 Rudram that vyuptakesha refers to Adi Shankara. But I do not have
 this commentary with me at the moment.

 Anand





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