In India, Shri Rudram is often one of the recitations offered during yajnas, Vedic fire ceremonies. The second portion of Shri Rudram, the Chamakam, takes its name from the phrase cha me (“may I”), which is repeated with each line as one invokes the Lord’s grace for a bountiful worldly and spiritual life. By studying the Namakam, one learns about the immanent and transcendent nature of the Supreme: the Lord has taken the form of everything in creation and, at the same time, exists beyond creation. These syllables form the basis of the mantra that the Siddha Yoga Gurus impart for spiritual initiation- Om Namah Shivaya. Appearing within the Namakam is the Shiva Panchakshara Mantra, the five-syllable mantra honoring Lord Shiva: Namah Shivaya.

In the Namakam, the first portion of Shri Rudram, salutations ( namah) are repeatedly offered to the Lord in his innumerable aspects and attributes. Shri Rudram has two main parts-the Namakam and the Chamakam. The text of Shri Rudram is drawn from the Krishna Yajur Veda, one of the four Vedas, the most ancient scriptures of India.

Shri is an honorific title that implies radiance, auspiciousness, and power-all qualities we associate with Lord Rudra and with this text that venerates him.īaba Muktananda first established the recitation of Shri Rudram in 1978 as part of the daily practice of svadhyaya in Gurudev Siddha Peeth. For this reason, Rudra is also known as the lord of yoga. Shri Rudram is a scriptural text that praises Rudra, a form of Lord Shiva that represents the resplendent fire of the Divine this fire purifies limitations and restores the awareness of oneness in a yogi.

Recitation of Shri Rudram by Swami Shantananda

Sama veda sri rudram