ಶ್ರೀ ರುದ್ರಮ್, also called the ರುದ್ರ-ಪ್ರಶ್ನಃ, is one of the most revered hymns of the ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಯಜುರ್ವೇದ, found in the ತೈತ್ತಿರೀಯ ಸಂಹಿತ (4.5). It is a Vedic salutation to ರುದ್ರ - 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: ನಮಕಮ್ (the section centered on repeated ನಮಃ - "salutations / surrender") and ಚಮಕಮ್ (the section centered on ಚ ಮೇ - "and to me"). Read together, they move from humility and appeasement, to praise of ರುದ್ರ in every direction and form, to prayer for wellbeing, inner strength, and a complete, well-ordered life.
ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಯಜುರ್ವೇದೀಯ ತೈತ್ತಿರೀಯ ಸಂಹಿತಾ
ಚತುರ್ಥಂ-ವೈಁಶ್ವದೇವ-ಙ್ಕಾಣ್ಡ-ಮ್ಪಞ್ಚಮಃ ಪ್ರಪಾಠಕಃ
ಓ-ನ್ನಮೋ ಭಗವತೇ॑ ರುದ್ರಾ॒ಯ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
Om. Salutations to the blessed Lord Rudra.
ನಮ॑ಸ್ತೇ ರುದ್ರ ಮ॒ನ್ಯವ॑ ಉ॒ತೋತ॒ ಇಷ॑ವೇ॒ ನಮಃ॑ ।
ನಮ॑ಸ್ತೇ ಅಸ್ತು॒ ಧನ್ವ॑ನೇ ಬಾ॒ಹುಭ್ಯಾ॑ಮು॒ತ ತೇ॒ ನಮಃ॑ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
O Rudra, salutations to your fierce power and to your arrow; salutations to your bow and to your two arms.
ಯಾ ತ॒ ಇಷು॑-ಶ್ಶಿ॒ವತ॑ಮಾ ಶಿ॒ವ-ಮ್ಬ॒ಭೂವ॑ ತೇ॒ ಧನುಃ॑ ।
ಶಿ॒ವಾ ಶ॑ರ॒ವ್ಯಾ॑ ಯಾ ತವ॒ ತಯಾ॑ ನೋ ರುದ್ರ ಮೃಡಯ ।
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
May your arrow, bow, and quiver become auspicious and benevolent; with that, O Rudra, be gracious to us.
ಯಾ ತೇ॑ ರುದ್ರ ಶಿ॒ವಾ ತ॒ನೂರಘೋ॒ರಾ-ಽಪಾ॑ಪಕಾಶಿನೀ ।
ತಯಾ॑ ನಸ್ತ॒ನುವಾ॒ ಶನ್ತ॑ಮಯಾ॒ ಗಿರಿ॑ಶನ್ತಾ॒ಭಿಚಾ॑ಕಶೀಹಿ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
O Rudra, with your peaceful, non-harmful, purifying form, look upon us graciously, O Lord of the mountains.
ಯಾಮಿಷು॑-ಙ್ಗಿರಿಶನ್ತ॒ ಹಸ್ತೇ॒ ಬಿಭ॒ರ್ಷ್ಯಸ್ತ॑ವೇ ।
ಶಿ॒ವಾ-ಙ್ಗಿ॑ರಿತ್ರ॒ ತಾ-ಙ್ಕು॑ರು॒ ಮಾ ಹಿಗ್ಂ॑ಸೀಃ॒ ಪುರು॑ಷ॒-ಞ್ಜಗ॑ತ್॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
O mountain-roamer, make the arrow in your hand auspicious; do not harm people or the world.
ಶಿ॒ವೇನ॒ ವಚ॑ಸಾ ತ್ವಾ॒ ಗಿರಿ॒ಶಾಚ್ಛಾ॑ ವದಾಮಸಿ ।
ಯಥಾ॑ ನ॒-ಸ್ಸರ್ವ॒ಮಿಜ್ಜಗ॑ದಯ॒ಖ್ಷ್ಮಗ್ಂ ಸು॒ಮನಾ॒ ಅಸ॑ತ್ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
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.
ಅಧ್ಯ॑ವೋಚದಧಿವ॒ಕ್ತಾ ಪ್ರ॑ಥ॒ಮೋ ದೈವ್ಯೋ॑ ಭಿ॒ಷಕ್ ।
ಅಹೀಗ್॑ಶ್ಚ॒ ಸರ್ವಾ᳚ಞ್ಜ॒ಮ್ಭಯ॒ನ್-ಥ್ಸರ್ವಾ᳚ಶ್ಚ ಯಾತುಧಾ॒ನ್ಯಃ॑ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
May the foremost divine healer speak on our behalf and subdue all poisons and destructive forces.
ಅ॒ಸೌ ಯಸ್ತಾ॒ಮ್ರೋ ಅ॑ರು॒ಣ ಉ॒ತ ಬ॒ಭ್ರುಸ್ಸು॑ಮ॒ಙ್ಗಲಃ॑ ।
ಯೇ ಚೇ॒ಮಾಗ್ಂ ರು॒ದ್ರಾ ಅ॒ಭಿತೋ॑ ದಿ॒ಖ್ಷು ಶ್ರಿ॒ತಾ-ಸ್ಸ॑ಹಸ್ರ॒ಶೋ-ಽವೈ॑ಷಾ॒ಗ್ಂ॒ ಹೇಡ॑ ಈಮಹೇ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
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.
ಅ॒ಸೌ ಯೋ॑-ಽವ॒ಸರ್ಪ॑ತಿ॒ ನೀಲ॑ಗ್ರೀವೋ॒ ವಿಲೋ॑ಹಿತಃ ।
ಉ॒ತೈನ॑-ಙ್ಗೋ॒ಪಾ ಅ॑ದೃಶ॒ನ್ನದೃ॑ಶನ್ನುದಹಾ॒ರ್ಯಃ॑ ।
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
That blue-necked, red-hued Rudra who moves about is seen by cowherds and by those who draw water.
ಉ॒ತೈನಂ॒-ವಿಁಶ್ವಾ॑ ಭೂ॒ತಾನಿ॒ ಸ ದೃ॒ಷ್ಟೋ ಮೃ॑ಡಯಾತಿ ನಃ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
All beings see him; may he, being perceived everywhere, be gracious to us.
ನಮೋ॑ ಅಸ್ತು॒ ನೀಲ॑ಗ್ರೀವಾಯ ಸಹಸ್ರಾ॒ಖ್ಷಾಯ॑ ಮೀ॒ಢುಷೇ᳚ ।
ಅಥೋ॒ ಯೇ ಅ॑ಸ್ಯ॒ ಸತ್ವಾ॑ನೋ॒-ಽಹ-ನ್ತೇಭ್ಯೋ॑-ಽಕರ॒ನ್ನಮಃ॑ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
Salutations to the blue-necked, thousand-eyed, bountiful Lord - and to all his attendant forms.
ಪ್ರಮು॑ಞ್ಚ॒ ಧನ್ವ॑ನ॒ಸ್ತ್ವಮು॒ಭಯೋ॒ರಾರ್ತ್ನಿ॑ ಯೋ॒ರ್ಜ್ಯಾಮ್ ।
ಯಾಶ್ಚ॑ ತೇ॒ ಹಸ್ತ॒ ಇಷ॑ವಃ॒ ಪರಾ॒ ತಾ ಭ॑ಗವೋ ವಪ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
Loosen your bowstring from both ends, and set aside the arrows in your hand, O Lord.
ಅ॒ವ॒ತತ್ಯ॒ ಧನು॒ಸ್ತ್ವಗ್ಂ ಸಹ॑ಸ್ರಾಖ್ಷ॒ ಶತೇ॑ಷುಧೇ ।
ನಿ॒ಶೀರ್ಯ॑ ಶ॒ಲ್ಯಾನಾ॒-ಮ್ಮುಖಾ॑ ಶಿ॒ವೋ ನ॑-ಸ್ಸು॒ಮನಾ॑ ಭವ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
Unstring the bow, blunt the arrow-points, and be benevolent and kindly disposed toward us.
ವಿಜ್ಯ॒-ನ್ಧನುಃ॑ ಕಪ॒ರ್ದಿನೋ॒ ವಿಶ॑ಲ್ಯೋ॒ ಬಾಣ॑ವಾಗ್ಂ ಉ॒ತ ।
ಅನೇ॑ಶನ್ನ॒ಸ್ಯೇಷ॑ವ ಆ॒ಭುರ॑ಸ್ಯ ನಿಷ॒ಙ್ಗಥಿಃ॑ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
May the bow of the matted-haired Lord be unstrung, the arrows harmless, and the quiver non-threatening.
ಯಾ ತೇ॑ ಹೇ॒ತಿರ್ಮೀ॑ಡುಷ್ಟಮ॒ ಹಸ್ತೇ॑ ಬ॒ಭೂವ॑ ತೇ॒ ಧನುಃ॑ ।
ತಯಾ॒-ಽಸ್ಮಾನ್, ವಿ॒ಶ್ವತ॒ಸ್ತ್ವಮ॑ಯ॒ಖ್ಷ್ಮಯಾ॒ ಪರಿ॑ಬ್ಭುಜ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
With that weapon-power and bow in your hand, protect us on all sides and keep us free from affliction.
ನಮ॑ಸ್ತೇ ಅ॒ಸ್ತ್ವಾಯು॑ಧಾ॒ಯಾನಾ॑ತತಾಯ ಧೃ॒ಷ್ಣವೇ᳚ ।
ಉ॒ಭಾಭ್ಯಾ॑ಮು॒ತ ತೇ॒ ನಮೋ॑ ಬಾ॒ಹುಭ್ಯಾ॒-ನ್ತವ॒ ಧನ್ವ॑ನೇ ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
Salutations to your readied weapon, to your strong arms, and to your bow.
ಪರಿ॑ ತೇ॒ ಧನ್ವ॑ನೋ ಹೇ॒ತಿರ॒ಸ್ಮಾನ್ ವೃ॑ಣಕ್ತು ವಿ॒ಶ್ವತಃ॑ ।
ಅಥೋ॒ ಯ ಇ॑ಷು॒ಧಿಸ್ತವಾ॒ರೇ ಅ॒ಸ್ಮನ್ನಿಧೇ॑ಹಿ॒ ತಮ್ ॥ 1 ॥
Translation (ಭಾವಾರ್ಥ):
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.)
ಸದಾಶಿ॒ವೋಮ್ ।
ಓಂ ಶಾನ್ತಿ॒-ಶ್ಶಾನ್ತಿ॒-ಶ್ಶಾನ್ತಿಃ॑ ।
