Rudra Puja North Indian Rudrashtadhyayi

By Ashwini Kumar Aggarwal

Many times parents wish they could get an inkling of what happens in the temple pujas, or what the local pandit chants during a family ceremony. Parents also wish they could get a more intimate feel of the thought processes and the sacred heritage of our ancestors. Also, many hope that their children can tune in a bit as well.

• Language: संस्कृतम्
• Publisher: Devotees of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ashram
• Release date: Mar 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9788195075454

Ashwini Kumar Aggarwal

Ashwini is with the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ashram based in Punjab.He loves to practice Yoga, perform Homa, study Sanskrit and be at home.He was born in Ludhiana and completed his pre-University from Govt. College for Boys.He has also written texts on Upanishads & Sanskrit Grammar delving into Panini's Ashtadhyayi.https://advaita56.in

Book preview

Blessing

The consciousness which is bliss and innocence, the consciousness which is the bestower of dispassion is शिव Shiva.

When Rudraabhisheka happens, nature flourishes, nature becomes joyful. Mainly, it creates more positive ions, more so when people are meditating.

H H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Bangalore Ashram

Salient Features of this book

Many times parents wish they could get an inkling of what happens in the temple pujas, or what the local pandit chants during a family ceremony. Parents also wish they could get a more intimate feel of the thought processes and the sacred heritage of our ancestors. Also, many hope that their children can tune in a bit as well. This book has been accordingly designed for crisp and clear readability of the Sanskrit  mantras. Special attention is given to:

Accuracy of the text from the original scriptures

Devanagari conjuncts are clearly typed

Accents on Devanagari text are correctly placed

Many a time Sandhis have been spaced so that visibility of the words is enhanced

Enunciation of Sanskrit letters is as per vedic chanting, especially that of visarga and anusvara. Thus in प्रथमोऽध्यायः initial verse ग᳘णाना॑न् त्वा ग᳘णप॑तिं हवामहे is written as ग᳘णाना॑न् त्वा ग᳘णप॑तिᳯ हवामहे to indicate that the anusvara is to be uttered as गुम् gum.

Pluta vowel written as २ for long chant, e.g., लो᳘काँ२

Finally, a simple English translation of the Sanskrit text has been given at headers so that one may understand and connect better. And admire the magnificent heights attained by the men of yore.

Introduction

Rudra Puja has been practiced in India since the beginning of time. शिव Shiva means Auspicious. रुद्र Rudra is a synonym for Shiva that additionally means ‘Destroyer of Evil'. पूजा means that which is born of fullness. Thus Rudra Puja is a means to ward off evil and usher in prosperity when one is feeling full and contented. The Vedic scriptures hail the Rudram chants as a method to remove all evils, attain all desires and bestow all round prosperity in one’s village.

How is that possible? The whole cosmos is a play of देवि and आसुरि शक्ति Shaktis. In physics we call them positive protons, negative electrons, and neutral neutrons. ब्रह्मन् Energy can neither be created nor can it be destroyed. However it can be transformed.

Our ancients discovered a methodology for this. Our seers and sages collected a series of hymns from the Vedas and put them together to invoke रुद्र Rudra, that which causes a transformation. What does Rudra do? Rudra causes a change that we have been longing for so ardently! And inside us joy wells up, strength builds up. Our mental thoughts and processes change and so do our physical constructs and environs.

What is the Methodology? This Puja is performed with a shivling made of sphatik crystal, or white marble, or a sacred stone from the river Narmada. The Rudri Vedic hymns are chanted and these sounds get absorbed in water and milk and sandalpaste. Such charged द्रव्य liquids are poured on the shivling as the chanting continues. The Rudri chants are so powerful that one is transported to a different plane. Since pouring of liquids is there, the puja is also called Abhisheka. In this book we have the North Indian tradition of chanting from the Shukla Yajur Veda, Mādhyandina Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā, Chapters 16 & 18.

During रुद्राभिशेकम् , in the first part one hears नमो, नमो । मन means mind. Its reverse नम is the mind going inward, thus illuminating the inner being. In the second part we hear चमे, चमे । In Sanskrit च means ‘and’ while मे means ‘For Me’ or ‘In Me’, thus strengthening the inner being.

This book serves as a useful guide for pandits trained in