Chapter 296 - The five constituents of the worship of Rudra (pañcāṅga-rudra)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Fire-god said:

1-2. I shall describe the five constituents [i.e., pañcāṅga] of the worship of Rudra. It is the most excellent that confers everything. The śivasaṅkalpa (resolve for Śiva) is the heart. The Puruṣasūkta^[1] is the head. (The hymn) adbhyaḥ sambhūta^[2] is the tuft. The hymn (called) āśu^[3] is the armour. The śatarudrīya (hymn)^[4] is the weapon. These are the five constituents in the worship of Rudra.

3-4a. After having assigned the five constituents [pañcāṅga] and contemplating Him, the Rudra hymns are repeated in order. The hymn (beginning with) yajjāgrata^[5] is known to be repeated mentally. The sage (of that hymn is śivasaṅkalpa (resolve) and the metre is said to be triṣṭubh (consisting of 11 syllables in a quarter).

4b-5a. (For the hymn) sahasraśīrṣā^[6] for the head the sage is Nārāyaṇa. The deity (of this hymn) is the supreme soul. The metre is known to be triṣṭubh.

5b-6. The sage for the hymn adbhyaḥ sambhūta^[7] is the person going to the north. Iriṣṭubh is the metre for the first three hymns, anuṣṭubh for the next two and triṣṭubh for the last (hymn). The deity for this (hymn) also is the supreme soul.

7-8. Indra is the lord for the twelve hymns beginning with āśu^[8]. Triṣṭubh is said to be the metre and Pratiratha, the sage. The deities are separate for each one of the verses in the hymn of seventeen verses. The deity of the constituent part is Puruvit. The metre of the remaining deities is said to be anuṣṭubh.

9. Indra is the deity for (the hymn) asau yastāmraḥ^[9]. Puruliṅga is the deity for the constituent parts. Paṅkti is the metre. The deities of the constituent parts are vital.

10. Parameṣṭhin is the sage for all the hymns of the Rudrādhyāya^[10]. For the three hymns commencing with ‘devānāṃ kutsasya”^[11], Prajāpati is the sage.

11. For the two (hymns beginning with) mano^[12], Umā is the single deity and Rudra for rudrāśca^[13]. Ekarudra is the deity for the first anuvāka (name of a section of the collection of hymns).

12. Gāyatra is the metre for the first (hymn), anuṣṭubh for the (next) three verses and paṅkti and anuṣṭubh for the (subsequent verses).

13. Then jagatī is the metre for the (next) two (verses). The Rudra (hymns) are eighty. The Hiraṇyabāhus are three. "Obeisance to Thee! O Kirika” is one.

14. Rudra is the deity of the five hymns of the twenty mantras of the Rudrā nuvāka. Bṛhatī is known to be (the metre) of the first hymn.

15. The second one is a ṛk. The next three are in jagatī (metre). The third one is a triṣṭubh. Then the next four are yajur (mantras) in anuṣṭubh. One will gain perfection by means of the āryā (hymns).

16-17. One would be able to destroy the poison, disease and the enemy with (the repetition of) (the mantra) trailokyamohana (one that stupefies the three worlds). “Iṃ, śrīṃ, hrīṃ, hrūṃ! Obeisance to (Lord) Viṣṇu, the stupefier of the three worlds.” One could (also) destroy the poison and disease with the Nṛsiṃha (mantra) in the anṣṭubh; “Oṃ, haṃ, iṃ! I make obeisance to the fiercely brave great Viṣṇu, who is glowing and who has His faces on all sides. He is the frightening Nṛsiṃha, who is benevolent and is the destroyer of death.”

18-19. This is the mantra of five parts that accomplishes all things. The two mantras having twelve^[14] and eight^[15] letters are capable of destroying poison and disease. (The goddesses) Kubjikā, Tripurā, Gaurī and Candrikā are capable of destroying poison. The mantras relating to them also would remove poison and make one gain good health. Similarly the mantras relating to Sun, (Lords) Vināyaka (the elephant-faced god) and Rudra (would give) everything always.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ṚV. 10.904a.

[2]:

TA. 3.13.la. Cf. adbhyaḥ sambhṛtaḥ.

[3]:

Could not be traced.

[4]:

Same as Rudrādhyāya.

[5]:

Could not be traced.

[6]:

ṚV. 10.90.1a.

[7]:

See 1 above.

[8]:

Could not be traced.

[9]:

VS. 16.6a; TS.4.5.1.2a.

[10]:

The hymns beginning with namaste rudra manyave: VS. 16.1a; TS. 4.5.1.1a.

[11]:

Could not be traced.

[12]:

Cf. ṚV. 10.57.3a.

[13]:

Could not be traced.

[14]:

Oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.

[15]:

Oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya.