SRI RUDRAM - 5: 9 - 15

namo bhate ca varayya ca (5:9)

Meaning: Salutations to the vast and great and to the one who is full of gua-s.
Notes: There are many meanings for bhat - lofty, high, tall, great, large, wide, vast,
abundant, compact, solid, massy, strong, and mighty. Bhat is often used to refer
Brahman. Both Viu Sahasranma and Lalit Sahasranma use bhat. He is the
biggest. This goes to prove His omnipresence. Kaha Upaniad (I.ii.20) explains
this: aoraiynmahato mahyntma , which means He is
smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest. There is nothing in this universe
that is either smaller to Him or bigger to Him. The Upaniad also says that those with a
clean mind alone can realize this Truth. Varika means showering and used with
particular reference to rain. Here it subtly conveys showering of various types of
energies. We have already seen that He is the source of every energy and His
attendants represent every energy that sustains the universe. Rudra showers His
energies in order to create and sustain the universe.

namo vddhya ca savdhvane ca (5:10)

Meaning: Salutations to the One who is old. Savddha means grown up, increased,
augmented, thriving and prospering.
Notes: Old does not mean He is elderly. He is di, which means He exists from the
beginning and He alone exists from the beginning. Vddha means old and He is the
oldest Soul. It is the poetic way of expressing that He is oldest in the universe and from
Him alone, everything originated. Puruaskta says that He was born much ahead of all
gods. First He alone was present and when He wanted to create the universe, He
created my who became the cause for the manifestation of the universe.Savddha
here means that His glory has grown up or increased due to His Knowledge, as He is
the source of knowledge. Ka says (Bhagavad Gta VIII.20, 21) Beyond this
Unmanifest, there is yet another unmanifest Existence, that Supreme Divine Person,
who does not perish even though all beings perish. The same Unmanifest which has
been spoken of as the Indestructible is also called the supreme goal; that again is My
supreme abode, attaining which, they return not to this mortal world.

Further reading: akt asks many questions to iva. The questions of akt and
answers of iva are in the form of various tantra stra-s. There are three positions
from which akt seeks answers from iva. The first position is akt sitting by the side
of iva. The questions asked from this position are only preliminaries. The next
position is akt sitting on the lap of iva. Questions asked from this position are
towards attaining iva. When She gets clarifications from iva and through the
knowledge gained during the question answer sessions, She merges with iva and
becomes a part of iva the Ardhanrvara form. This form leads to Liga form, the
Ultimate Reality. This is a typical example of realisation. When one is at the beginning
stage of spirituality there is a gap between the Brahman and the seeker. When he
acquires knowledge of advaita, he moves closer to Him. When He realizes the
Brahman, he merges with Him and his consciousness loses duality. Finally he
transforms into I am That. Brahman is pure consciousness and can be visualized in
three ways. The first one is paramt-caitanya (consciousness limited by intellect). The
second one is prama-caitanya (consciousness limited by knowledge). The third one
is jva-caitanya (consciousness limited by individual soul). These three types of
consciousness are also known as triad.

namo agriyya ca prathamya ca (5:11)

Meaning: Salutations to the foremost and the chief of all beings.
Notes: Foremost means hirayagarbha; hiraya also means gold. Vednta Paribhs a
17th century Scripture explains hirayagarbha. It says Hirayagarbha is the first soul to
be born and is different from Brahma, Viu and iva. The subtle body consisting of
the five vital forces, the mind, the intellect and the ten organs is produced from the five
basic elements. This paves the way for the soul to experience the result of actions or in
other words it causes karma-s. The subtle body is of two kinds, superior and
inferior. The superior one is the subtle body of hirayagarbha and the inferior is the
subtle body of living beings. The subtle body of hirayagarbha is called as mahat or the
cosmic intellect and the subtle body of living beings is called ego.
He is the chief of all beings. Brahman (Rudra) is the Ultimate and inexplicable and is
also known as Self. When the Brahman decides to create the universe, he multiplies
Himself as many. When He multiplies out of His own will, He thus becomes an
individual soul by means of contraction. As a result of this contraction the Self becomes
limited and this state is called individual soul. When one tries to understand that he is a
contracted form of the Brahman and begins to realize the Brahman within, the process

is called Self-realization. The end of Self-realization is the feeling of oneness with the
Brahman.

namo ave ca vjirya ca (5:12)

Meaning: Salutations to the one who pervades everywhere and moves swiftly.
Notes: Pervading everywhere is omnipresence and thus He is everywhere all the time.
av means quickness. Similarly ajira also means quickness. a Upaniad (verse 4)
beautifully explains this. Brahman is one without a second. It never moves, yet It goes
faster than the mind. It is always ahead..... Thus, His speed cannot be explained, as He
is beyond time and space. Brahman is beyond time and space but due to the influence
of my Brahman appears as if bound by time and space. For easier understanding,
Brahman has two aspects sagua (with attributes) and nirgua (without attributes).

nama ghriyya ca bhyya ca (5:13)

Meaning: Salutations to the One who is in the form of swift moving water and is present
in water.
Notes: He is in the form of flowing water in rivers and the Overlord present in water.

nama rmyya cvasvanyya ca (5:14)

Meaning: He is present in the waves of water as well as in still water.
Notes: rmi means wave. But it also refers to six waves of existence heat, cold (both
of the body), greed, illusion, hunger and thirst. There is another version comprising of
hunger, thirst, decay, death, grief and illusion. As the Self, He is present in all these six,
which are not avoidable. Still water means clean mind. When the mind is cleansed with
the help of His Grace, conquering the six waves discussed above is possible. A perfect
yogi attains all these qualities. But this is possible only when we are perpetually
connected to Him.

nama srotasyya ca dvipyya ca || (5:15)

Meaning: Salutations to Him who is in the form of a stream and who is secluded in an
island.
Notes: Streams mean flow of knowledge which ultimately makes a seeker to isolate
himself to meditate (tapas) on Him in order to attain Him. Even in these stages, He is
present. Omnipresence of Rudra is repeatedly emphasized in this anuvka.