''Shri Rudrashtakam'' ( sa, श्री रुद्राष्टकम् , ') is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

composition in devotion of

Rudra Rudra (; sa, रुद्र) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. Ru ...

, composed by the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Bhakti poet

Tulsidas Tulsidas (; born Rambola Dubey; also known as Goswami Tulsidas; c.1511pp. 23–34.–1623) was a Ramanandi Vaishnava Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit and Awadhi, but ...

( sa, तुलसीदास). Tulsidas composed this prayer in the late fifteenth century in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

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 Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. 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 {{Hindu scriptures The term ashtakam ( sa, अष्टकम् aṣṭakam), also often written astakam, is derived from the Sanskrit word ''aṣṭā'', meaning "eight". In context of poetic compositions, 'ashtakam' refers to a particular form ...

is in reverence to Rudra, though the context pertains to the Shiva, the post-

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

form of Rudra. This is composed in Bhujangaprayāt chhanda and Jagati meter which consists of 12 letters in each of the four stages having only YAGANA four times in single verse consists of 48 letters. Bhujanga means snake and Prayāt means movement The Rudrashtakam is lucid and simple in style and plays an instrumental role in the

Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

traditions.

Poetry

' The term "Astakam" is derived from the Sanskrit word , meaning "eight". An astakam is made up of eight stanzas. In Rudrashtakam, each stanza is written in Jagati meter, and hence contains 48 syllables per stanza. Each line is written in the Bhujangaprayāt chhand, containing four groups of light-heavy-heavy syllables (।ऽऽ ।ऽऽ ।ऽऽ ।ऽऽ). 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

. The body of the Rudrashtakam includes many qualities, attributes and motifs associated with

, including the destruction of

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the ea ...

, the annihilation of

Kamadeva Kama ( sa, काम, ), also known as Kamadeva and Manmatha, is the Hindu god of love and desire, often portrayed alongside his consort, Rati. The Atharva Veda regards Kamadeva as the wielder of the creative power of the universe, also descri ...

etc. These symbols and motifs related to the life and deeds of

Text

See

for details of pronunciation.

References

External links

Information in Hindi

* * ttps://gyankamadhyam.blogspot.com/2021/06/rudrashtakam-mantra.html?m=1 श्रीरुद्राष्टकम् मंत्र अर्थ सहितbr>RudrastakamRudrastakam pdfRudrastakam on Youtube
{{Shaivism, state=collapsed Shaiva texts Hindu philosophers and theologians

Poetry

Context

Text

See also

References

External links