Rudrashtakam

The Shri Rudrashtakam (Sanskrit: श्री रुद्राष्टकम् , Rudrāṣṭakam) is a Sanskrit composition in devotion of Rudra, composed by the Hindu Bhakti poet Tulsidas (Sanskrit: तुलसीदास). Tulsidas composed this eulogy in the late fifteenth century in Uttar Pradesh in India and created many other literary pieces including the magnum opus Ram Charit Manas.

The devotional hymn "Rudrashtakam" appears in the Uttara Kand of the celebrated Ram Charit Manas, where Lomash Rishi composed the hymn to propitiate Lord Shiva. His main purpose was to set his pupil free from the curse of Shiva. He succeeded and asked also a second boon (devotion for himself). His pupil would be the bird ' Kaga-Bhusundi' in a next life, a devotee of Shri Rama and an excellent teller of the life story of Shri Rama.

The Ashtakam is in reverence to Rudra, though the context pertains to the Shiva, the post-Vedic transformation of Rudra. It is arguable that the distinction between Rudra and Shiva was already lost by the time of Tulsidas.

The Rudrashtakam is lucid and simple in style and plays an instrumental role in the Shaiva traditions.

Astakam as a form and a genre

The term "Astakam" is derived from the Sanskrit word aṣṭan, meaning "eight". An astakam is made up of eight stanzas.

An astakam belong to the genre of lyric poetry, which tends to be short, extremely melodic, and contemplative. It reflects and portrays the poet's own feelings, states of mind, and perceptions about the theme or character in the Astakam.

Context

The Rudrashtakam narrates the qualities and deeds of Shiva.

The body of the Rudrashtakam includes many qualities, attributes and motifs associated with Shiva, including the destruction of Tripura (mythology), the annihilation of Kamadeva etc. These symbols and motifs related to the life and deeds of Rudra or Shiva.

Text

See Sanskrit for details of pronunciation.

Devanagari	IAST	English Translation
॥ श्री रुद्राष्टकम् ॥	.. Śri Rudrāṣṭakam..	Eight Stanzas on Rudra
आचार्य तुलसीदास	Ācārya tulasīdāsa	Acharya Tulsidas
नमामीशमीशान	Namāmīśamīśāna	O Lord, O' Īśāna! I prostrate before thee
निर्वाणरुपम्	nirvāṇa rūpaṃ	Who is the embodiment of Nirvāṇa bliss
विभुम् व्यापकम्	vibhuṃ vyāpakaṃ	Who is omni-present
ब्रह्मवेदस्वरूपम्, ।	brahma veda svarūpaṃ,	Who is knowledge of the Brahman in reality and totality/ Who is origin of Brahma, the originator and of the Veda
निजम्	nijaṃ	Who is ever dwelling in his own self,
निर्गुणम्	nirguṇaṃ	Who is quality-less, beyond attributes/ origin of every (3) qualities, hence cannot be measured by standards of qualities
निर्विकल्पम्	nirvikalpaṃ	Who is immutable
निरीहम्	nirīhaṃ	Who is dispassionate, desireless
चिदाकाशमाकाशवासम्	cidākāśamākāśavāsaṃ	Who is immeasurable like the sky, and Who dwells in the sky.
भजेऽहम् ॥ १ ॥	bhāje'haṃ .. 1 ..	I beseech.
निराकारम्	nirākāraṃ	Formless
ओंकारमूलम्	oṃkāramūlaṃ	The root of Om
तुरीयम्	turīyaṃ	Always in stateless Turiya – The fourth and most sublime state of existence
गिरा	girā	Gira == Vani, Voice words / Mount Kailash
ज्ञान गोतीतमीशम्	jñāna gotītaṃ īśaṃ	Who is beyond the scope of voice, knowledge and words/ origin of Vani, Gyan, Words etc.
गिरीशम्	girīśaṃ	The ruler of Mount Kailash/ God of mount Kailash
करालम् ।	karālaṃ	Fierce
महाकाल कालम् ।	mahākāla kālaṃ	Destroyer of Death/ Mahakaal is when the entire universe dies and He is the destroyer of that Mahakaal
कृपालम्	kṛpālaṃ	benevolent and compassionate
गुणागार	guṇāgāra	Who is the treasury of all qualities
संसारपारम्	saṃsārapāraṃ	beyond the Samsara, the mundane universe
नतोऽहम् ॥ २ ॥	nato'haṃ .. 2 ..	I bow.
तुषाराद्रि	tuṣārādri	Like a snowy white mountain
संकाश	saṃkāśa	(His) face is sweet
गौरम्	gauraṃ	Fair and resplendent / Fair like a snowy mountain (tusharadri = snowy mountain (tushar+adri), sankash = like, gauram = Fair/ white)
गभीरम् ।	gabhīraṃ	Who is profound / He is so deep that to understand Him one has to go to absolute depth of divinity
मनोभूत	manobhūta	Who is the mind of all beings/ elements
कोटिप्रभा	koṭiprabhā	Of immense splendor
श्री शरीरम्	śrī śarīraṃ	Beautiful bodied ( His beautiful body if of immense splendor)
स्फुरन्मौलि	sphuranmauli	shining forehead
कल्लोलिनी चारु गङ्गा	kallolinī cāru gaṅgā	Wavy and enticing Ganges / sacred Ganges flows cheerfully from His shining forehead
लसद्	lasad	Shiny
भाल	bhāla	forehead
बालेन्दु	bālendu	A youthful (crescent) moon / young moon is shining on His forehead
कण्ठे भुजङ्गा ॥ ३ ॥	kaṇṭhe bhujaṅgā.. 3 ..	Snake garlands around the neck
चलत्कुण्डलम्	calat kuṇdalaṃ	swaying earrings
भ्रू सुनेत्रम् विशालम्	bhrū sunetraṃ viśālaṃ	With beautiful eyebrow and broad eyes
प्रसन्नाननम्	prasannānanaṃ	happy countenance/ facial expression reveals satisfaction or peace
नीलकण्ठम् ।	nīla kaṇṭhaṃ	blue throated one
दयालम्	dayālaṃ	Compassionate
मृगाधीश चर्माम्बरम्	mrigāḍhiśa carmāmbaraṃ	lion-skin around His waist / skin of God of deers, which is lion, is His garment
मुण्ड मालम्	muṇḍa mālaṃ	Skull-cap garland
प्रियम् शंकरम्	priyaṃ śaṃkaraṃ	Beloved Shankar
सर्वनाथम् भजामि ॥ ४ ॥	Sarvanāthaṃ bhajāmi.. 4 ..	I meditate upon the Lord of the Universe. (sarva+natham = God of everything)
प्रचण्डम्	pracaṇḍaṃ	Fierce / full of immeasurable energy
प्रकृष्टम्	prakriśhtam	Immense / Better than everything
प्रगल्भम्	pragalbhaṃ	Mature and bold
परेशम्।	pareśaṃ	The supreme Lord
अखण्डम्	akhanḍam	Whole and Immeasurable
अजम्	ajaṃ	Birthless
भानुकोटि प्रकाशम्	bhānukoṭiprakāṣaṃ	Splendor of a billion Suns
त्रयः शूल	trayaha śūla	Three kind of obstacles in human life – 1. Physical 2. Divine/Devil / 3. Environmental
निर्मूलनम्	nirmūlanaṃ	One who does not have any origin or One who removes from root (terminates all three kinds of issues from root of it)
शूलपाणिम् भजेऽहम्	śulapāṇim bhaje'haṃ	I pray the holder of the trident
भवानीपतिम्	bhavānīpatiṃ	The divine consort of Bhavani
भावगम्यम् ॥ ५ ॥	bhāvagamyaṃ.. 5 ..	One who is achieved easily through emotions (devotion)
कलातीत	Kaalātīta	Timeless, beyond time and death (it's कलातीत i.e. one who is having command on all forms of art, the one from whom art takes birth)
कल्याण	kalyāṇa	Blissful
कल्पान्तकारी	kalpāntakārī	The terminator of Kalpas - The destroyer (Kalpa = when our universe dies)
सदा सज्जनानन्ददाता	sadā sajjanānanda dātā	Always blissful and giver of boons to righteous
पुरारि ।	purāri	The enemy of the Puras – The destroyer of Tripura (mythology)
चिदानंद संदोह मोहापहारी	cidānaṃdā saṃdohā mohāpahārī	Who is eternal bliss, and Who absolves abundant passion (absorbs happiness which comes from materialistic wishes)
प्रसीद प्रसीद	prasīda prasīda	Be pleased with me.
प्रभो मन्मथारी॥ ६ ॥	prabho manmathārī.. 6 ..	Lord, the destroyer of Kamadeva
न यावत्	Na yāvat	Those who do not / until or unless
उमानाथ पादाराविन्दम्	Umānātha pādārāvindaṃ	The lotus feet of Umanath
भजंतीह	bhajaṃtīha	Pray
लोके परे वा	loke pare vā	In the universe
नराणाम्	narāṇāṃ	Of men
न तावत् ।	na tāvat	Not their / till then men will not get
सुखम् शांति	sukhaṃ śāñti	Happiness and peace
सन्ताप नाशम्	sañtāpa nāṣaṃ	Destroy agonies
प्रसीद	prasīda	Be propitious
प्रभो सर्वभूताधिवासम् ॥ ७ ॥	prabho sarvabhūtādhivāsaṃ.. 7 ..	O’ Lord! The Lord of all beings/ elements
न जानामि	ja jānāmi	I don’t know
योगम्	yogaṃ	Yoga
जपम्	japaṃ	Meditation
नैव	naiva	nor
पूजाम्	pūjāṃ	Oblations
नतोऽहम्	nato'haṃ	I always bow
सदा सर्वदा	sadā sarvadā	Ever, always
शम्भुः	Śambhuhu	O shambhu, the bliss-giver
तुभ्यम् ।	tubhyaṃ	Before you
जरा	jarā	Old age
जन्म	janma	Birth and life
दुःखौघ	duhkhaugha	Immense sorrows of mundane life and existence
तातप्यमानम्	tātāpyamānaṃ.	Pangs of pain and agony
प्रभो	prabho	O Lord
पाहि	pāhi	Redeem me
आपन्नमामीश	āpannamāmīśa	I am saluting You, O Lord!
शम्भो ॥ ८ ॥	Śambho.. 8 ..	O Shambhu!
रुद्राष्टकम् इदम् प्रोक्तम् विप्रेण हर तोषये । (this Brahman, tulsidas, has written Rudrashtakam to praise/ satisfy Har (Shiva)) ये पठन्ति नरा भक्त्या तेषाम् शम्भुः प्रसीदति ।। (whoever men will read this with intense devotion, O Shambhu please be propitious to them)

See also

• Tulsidas
• Shiva
• Rudra
• Ram Charit Manas

References

External links

• Information in Hindi
• Rudrastakam
• Rudrastakam pdf
• Rudrastakam in Devnagari
• Rudrastakam on Youtube