[Advaita-l] Namakam

[sri parasukhananda nadha]

  From:- krishnarao lanka
         05-11-05

Dear friends, 

                    This is an attempt to share with you all, my understandings of the Namakam and Chamakam.  Of course, I know, this is an undue adventure for persons of my standards, at least to think of such a job, because I am neither a pundit nor a scholar either in Sanskrit or in English.  But the enthusiasm and emotion are prompting me to speak out, all that I feel, in my self about the Rudram, with some one deserving persons like you.
                    
                    Please forgive me if I am saying any thing erroneous.  I am ready to correct my self, if any of you point out the mistakes and also suggest corrections.   

    With humble pranams to you all, and especially the parameswar with in you all.
     Krishnarao lanka (Sriparasukhanandanadha)  
  
“Om namO Bhagavate rudrAya”
  
Sub:- Rudra Namakam – PrathamAnuvAkam
1)	
       “namastE rudra manyava utOta iShave namah
        namaste astu dhanvanE bAhuBhyAmutatE namaha”

Manyuh – means anger; grief or distress; miserable state; meanness; grief, sorrow and distress.  For all of these qualities, one`s own desires (kAma) are becoming the root cause. So, these desires were described here as iShavah i e., arrows.
The first manifestation to dEvEndra who composed this stotra, was in a Ghora rUpa of rudra, in an angry form because of his own mean qualities and desires, he himself is imagining that kind of image in Siva, the benefactor of all. Very next he saw the arrows pointed towards him. Devendra was frightened on seeing the scene. He is admitting his faults and throwing that fault on the mind, which is appearing to him in the form of Dhanus, the bow of rudra.  He also blames his past impressions (vAsanAs) unknowingly remained in his mind. Those impressions appeared to him in the form of hands (which performed the karmas), which are holding the Dhanus.

                  Devendra has first saluted to the anger of Siva, then saluted to the arrows,
then saluted to the bow and then to the hands of rudra to forgive all his transgressions unawaringly performed.

2)	The humkAra, which is another form of the pUrnAhanta (the sum I ness) is depicted here as rudra manyuh.  That is the Bhramara nAda the humming of the black bee, generated and heard from the agitation or emotional excitement in the mUlADhAra kamalam (kShobham).  That itself is called  ‘AdhAra vikAsam’,
The bloom of all sustenance.  The pranava Bhujangam (the serpent coil like  OmkAra) which has originated from one`s vAsanAs or desires is depicted as “iShuhu”.  The path of suShumna itself was described as dhanus, and the six lotuses (Shat kamalAh) as the bAhUs (the hands of rudra).

             The anger of rudra (or the desparateness of Indra) was meditated here as the ‘rudra manyuh’, one`s own desires as iShvah, the chitta as the dhanuh, and the vAsanAs in the form of hands of rudra.(bAhU).

(To be continued)

krishnarao 



 krishnarao.lanka
(sriparasukhanandanadha)