श्री रुद्रम्, also called the रुद्र-प्रश्नः, is one of the most revered hymns of the कृष्ण यजुर्वेद, found in the तैत्तिरीय संहित (4.5). It is a Vedic salutation to रुद्र - the power that can appear fearsome as the remover of ignorance and obstacles, and compassionate as the healer who restores harmony.
The recitation traditionally has two parts: नमकम् (the section centered on repeated नमः - "salutations / surrender") and चमकम् (the section centered on च मे - "and to me"). Read together, they move from humility and appeasement, to praise of रुद्र in every direction and form, to prayer for wellbeing, inner strength, and a complete, well-ordered life.
कृष्ण यजुर्वेदीय तैत्तिरीय संहिता
चतुर्थं-वैँश्वदेवं कांडं पंचमः प्रपाठकः
ॐ नमो भगवते॑ रुद्रा॒य ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
Om. Salutations to the blessed Lord Rudra.
नम॑स्ते रुद्र म॒न्यव॑ उ॒तोत॒ इष॑वे॒ नमः॑ ।
नम॑स्ते अस्तु॒ धन्व॑ने बा॒हुभ्या॑मु॒त ते॒ नमः॑ ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
O Rudra, salutations to your fierce power and to your arrow; salutations to your bow and to your two arms.
या त॒ इषुः॑ शि॒वत॑मा शि॒वं ब॒भूव॑ ते॒ धनुः॑ ।
शि॒वा श॑र॒व्या॑ या तव॒ तया॑ नो रुद्र मृडय ।
Translation (भावार्थ):
May your arrow, bow, and quiver become auspicious and benevolent; with that, O Rudra, be gracious to us.
या ते॑ रुद्र शि॒वा त॒नूरघो॒राऽपा॑पकाशिनी ।
तया॑ नस्त॒नुवा॒ शंत॑मया॒ गिरि॑शंता॒भिचा॑कशीहि ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
O Rudra, with your peaceful, non-harmful, purifying form, look upon us graciously, O Lord of the mountains.
यामिषुं॑ गिरिशंत॒ हस्ते॒ बिभ॒र्ष्यस्त॑वे ।
शि॒वां गि॑रित्र॒ तां कु॑रु॒ मा हिग्ं॑सीः॒ पुरु॑षं॒ जग॑त्॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
O mountain-roamer, make the arrow in your hand auspicious; do not harm people or the world.
शि॒वेन॒ वच॑सा त्वा॒ गिरि॒शाच्छा॑ वदामसि ।
यथा॑ नः॒ सर्व॒मिज्जग॑दय॒क्ष्मग्ं सु॒मना॒ अस॑त् ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
O Lord of the mountains, we pray to you with auspicious words; may this whole world be free of affliction and may our hearts be well-disposed.
अध्य॑वोचदधिव॒क्ता प्र॑थ॒मो दैव्यो॑ भि॒षक् ।
अहीग्॑श्च॒ सर्वां᳚जं॒भय॒न्-थ्सर्वा᳚श्च यातुधा॒न्यः॑ ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
May the foremost divine healer speak on our behalf and subdue all poisons and destructive forces.
अ॒सौ यस्ता॒म्रो अ॑रु॒ण उ॒त ब॒भ्रुस्सु॑मं॒गलः॑ ।
ये चे॒माग्ं रु॒द्रा अ॒भितो॑ दि॒क्षु श्रि॒ताः स॑हस्र॒शोऽवै॑षा॒ग्ं॒ हेड॑ ईमहे ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
To the auspicious Rudra who appears in many hues, and to the Rudras established in all directions, we offer salutations to soften their fierce intensity.
अ॒सौ यो॑ऽव॒सर्प॑ति॒ नील॑ग्रीवो॒ विलो॑हितः ।
उ॒तैनं॑ गो॒पा अ॑दृश॒न्नदृ॑शन्नुदहा॒र्यः॑ ।
Translation (भावार्थ):
That blue-necked, red-hued Rudra who moves about is seen by cowherds and by those who draw water.
उ॒तैनं॒-विँश्वा॑ भू॒तानि॒ स दृ॒ष्टो मृ॑डयाति नः ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
All beings see him; may he, being perceived everywhere, be gracious to us.
नमो॑ अस्तु॒ नील॑ग्रीवाय सहस्रा॒क्षाय॑ मी॒ढुषे᳚ ।
अथो॒ ये अ॑स्य॒ सत्वा॑नो॒ऽहं तेभ्यो॑ऽकर॒न्नमः॑ ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
Salutations to the blue-necked, thousand-eyed, bountiful Lord - and to all his attendant forms.
प्रमुं॑च॒ धन्व॑न॒स्त्वमु॒भयो॒रार्त्नि॑ यो॒र्ज्याम् ।
याश्च॑ ते॒ हस्त॒ इष॑वः॒ परा॒ ता भ॑गवो वप ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
Loosen your bowstring from both ends, and set aside the arrows in your hand, O Lord.
अ॒व॒तत्य॒ धनु॒स्त्वग्ं सह॑स्राक्ष॒ शते॑षुधे ।
नि॒शीर्य॑ श॒ल्यानां॒ मुखा॑ शि॒वो नः॑ सु॒मना॑ भव ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
Unstring the bow, blunt the arrow-points, and be benevolent and kindly disposed toward us.
विज्यं॒ धनुः॑ कप॒र्दिनो॒ विश॑ल्यो॒ बाण॑वाग्ं उ॒त ।
अने॑शन्न॒स्येष॑व आ॒भुर॑स्य निषं॒गथिः॑ ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
May the bow of the matted-haired Lord be unstrung, the arrows harmless, and the quiver non-threatening.
या ते॑ हे॒तिर्मी॑डुष्टम॒ हस्ते॑ ब॒भूव॑ ते॒ धनुः॑ ।
तया॒ऽस्मान्, वि॒श्वत॒स्त्वम॑य॒क्ष्मया॒ परि॑ब्भुज ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
With that weapon-power and bow in your hand, protect us on all sides and keep us free from affliction.
नम॑स्ते अ॒स्त्वायु॑धा॒याना॑तताय धृ॒ष्णवे᳚ ।
उ॒भाभ्या॑मु॒त ते॒ नमो॑ बा॒हुभ्यां॒ तव॒ धन्व॑ने ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
Salutations to your readied weapon, to your strong arms, and to your bow.
परि॑ ते॒ धन्व॑नो हे॒तिर॒स्मान् वृ॑णक्तु वि॒श्वतः॑ ।
अथो॒ य इ॑षु॒धिस्तवा॒रे अ॒स्मन्निधे॑हि॒ तम् ॥ 1 ॥
Translation (भावार्थ):
May the missile-power of your bow not strike us but turn away on all sides; place your quiver far away from us. (End of Anuvaka 1.)
सदाशि॒वोम् ।
ॐ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॑ ।
