The ''Rudrahridaya Upanishad'' (,

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

: Rudrahṛdaya Upaniṣad) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and is one of the minor

Upanishad The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

s of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. The text is attached to the Krishna Yajurveda and classified under one of the 14

Shaiva Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

Upanishads. The Upanishad states that

Rudra Rudra (/ ɾud̪ɾə/; ) 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". Rudra ...

and Uma are the ultimate reality

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

. The Upanishad glorifies

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and Uma as inseparable, asserts that they together manifest as all gods and goddesses, all animate and inanimate reality of the universe. This text, like other Shaiva Upanishads, is presented with

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

nondualism Nondualism includes a number of philosophical and spiritual traditions that emphasize the absence of fundamental duality or separation in existence. This viewpoint questions the boundaries conventionally imposed between self and other, min ...

terminology, and states that the individual Atman (soul) is identical with the supreme reality

History

The date or author of Rudrahridaya Upanishad is unknown. Manuscripts of this text are also found titled as ''Hridaya Upanishad'', or ''Rudrahrdayopanisad''.Vedic Literature, Volume 1, , Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, pages 265-270, 548-549 In the

Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

of 108 Upanishads of the Muktika canon, narrated by

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

, it is listed at number 85.

The text opens by asserting that all Devas are manifestations of Rudra (Shiva), and all

Devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...

s are manifestations of Uma (Parvati). They are inseparable, in forever union. Those who love Shiva, love

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

; those who hate Shiva, hate Vishnu asserts the text. Those who worship Shiva, are worshipping Vishnu. Rudra is full of Vishnu and

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

. Uma is same as Vishnu. The masculine is Shiva, asserts the text, and the feminine is

Bhavani Bhavānī (also known as Bhāvya, Tulajā, Turajā, Tvarita, Aṃbā, Jagadambā and Aṃbē) is an epithet associated with Durga. Bhavani translates to "giver of life," meaning the power of nature or the source of creative energy. She is cons ...

(Uma). What moves in the universe, is just Rudra-Uma manifestation, and what does not move in the universe is also just Rudra-Uma manifestation, states the text.

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

is Rudra, world is Vishnu, knowledge is Brahma, all is inseparable. The text, states Shakya, is the only Upanishad that presents the composite merged form of Rudra-Uma as all truth and reality, and emphasizes this hermaphrodite-style union aspect by presenting the unison in other combinations such as Brahma-Vani and Vishnu-

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

. The later part of the ''Rudrahridaya Upanishad'' presents the Advaita theory of nonduality, by presenting threefold character of Atman. The text states that the absolute truth is " nirguna (without attributes, abstract), nirakara (without shape), with sensory organs, omnipresent, impersonal, imperishable" and identical to the soul within oneself and each living being. Everything is god, and god is in everything, asserts the text. All reality is the same Shiva and one absolute, which is identical to Om, the Atman, the satcitananda (existence-consciousness-bliss).

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History

Contents

See also

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