Rudra Suktam
॥ श्रीरुद्रसूक्तम् ॥
What is the Rudra Suktam?
Rudra Suktam on this page is the first anuvaka of the Namakam from the Sri Rudram (Krishna Yajurveda), fifteen verses that ask Rudra to loosen his bowstring and lay down his weapons, turning his anger into peace, health and protection.
Sri Rudram is built from two halves, the Namakam and the Chamakam, and learning the whole text takes real training. This page covers the first anuvaka of the Namakam, the opening fifteen verses in which the devotee bows to Rudra’s fierce and gentle forms alike and asks him to loosen his bowstring and put his arrows away. It stands complete on its own as a short, protective prayer meant for daily use.
Rudra Suktam Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Roman transliteration is shown first with the Devanagari beneath. Tap ‘Meaning’ under any verse for a plain-English explanation.
Opening Invocation
oṃ namo bhagavate rudrāya
ॐ नमो भगवते रुद्राय
Meaning
Om. Salutations to Lord Rudra.
namaste rudra manyava utota iṣave namaḥ |
namaste astu dhanvane bāhubhyāmuta te namaḥ ||
नमस्ते रुद्र मन्यव उतोत इषवे नमः ।
नमस्ते अस्तु धन्वने बाहुभ्यामुत ते नमः ॥
Meaning
Salutations to your wrath, O Rudra, and salutations to your arrows. Salutations to your bow, and salutations to your two arms.
yā te rudra śivā tanūraghorā’pāpakāśinī |
tayā nastanvā śantamayā giriśantābhicākaśīhi ||
या ते रुद्र शिवा तनूरघोराऽपापकाशिनी ।
तया नस्तन्वा शन्तमया गिरिशन्ताभिचाकशीहि ॥
Meaning
O Rudra who dwells on the mountains and grants happiness, look upon us with your peaceful, auspicious form that destroys sin, and make us glad.
yāmiṣuṃ giriṣanta haste bibharṣyastave |
śivāṃ giritra tāṃ kuru mā hiṃsīḥ puruṣaṃ jagat ||
यामीषुं गिरिशन्त हस्ते बिभर्ष्यस्तवे ।
शिवां गिरित्र तां कुरु मा हिंसीः पुरुषं जगत् ॥
Meaning
O lord of the hills, let the arrow you hold in your hand be gentle. Do not harm our people or this world.
śivena vacasā tvā giriśācchāvadāmasi |
yathā naḥ sarvamijjagadayakṣmaṃsumanā asat ||
शिवेन वचसा त्वा गिरिशाच्छावदामसि ।
यथा नः सर्वमिज्जगदयक्ष्मंसुमना असत् ॥
Meaning
O dweller of the mountains, we address you with auspicious words so that our whole world may be free of disease and at peace.
adhyavocadadhivaktā prathamo daivyo bhiṣak |
ahīṃśca sarvān jambhayantsarvāśca yātudhānyaḥ ||
अध्यवोचदधिवक्ता प्रथमो दैव्यो भिषक् ।
अहीँश्च सर्वान् जम्भयन्त्सर्वाश्च यातुधान्यः ॥
Meaning
May the first divine physician, who speaks on our behalf and defends us, destroy every serpent, scorpion and hostile force.
asau yastāmro aruṇa uta babhruḥ sumaṅgalaḥ |
ye cemāṃ rudrā abhito dikṣu śritāḥ sahasraśo’vaiṣāṃ heḍa īmahe ||
असौ यस्ताम्रो अरुण उत बभ्रुः सुमङ्गलः ।
ये चेमाँ रुद्रा अभितो दिक्षु श्रिताः सहस्रशोऽवैषाँ हेड ईमहे ॥
Meaning
This radiant one, copper-red, golden-brown and deeply auspicious, and the thousand Rudras seated in every direction around him, we approach in devotion to calm their anger.
asau yo’vasarpati nīlagrīvo vilohitaḥ |
utainaṃ gopā adṛśannadṛśannudahāryaḥ |
utainaṃ viśvā bhūtāni sa dṛṣṭo mṛḍayāti naḥ ||
असौ योऽवसर्पति नीलग्रीवो विलोहितः ।
उतैनं गोपा अदृशन्नदृशन्नुदहार्यः ।
उतैनं विश्वा भूतानि स दृष्टो मृडयाति नः ॥
Meaning
This blue-throated, red-bodied lord who moves across the sky is seen even by simple cowherds and women carrying water, seen indeed by every creature. May he, so seen, show us mercy.
namo’stu nīlagrīvāya sahasrākṣāya mīḍhuṣe |
atho ye asya satvāno’haṃ tebhyo’karaṃ namaḥ ||
नमो अस्तु नीलग्रीवाय सहस्राक्षाय मीढुषे ।
अतो ये अस्य सत्वानोऽहं तेभ्योऽकरन्नमः ॥
Meaning
Salutations to the blue-throated one, the thousand-eyed giver of blessings. I bow also to all his attendants.
pramuñca dhanvanastvamubhayorārtniyorjyām |
yāśca te haste iṣavaḥ parā tā bhagavo vapa ||
प्रमुञ्च धन्वनस्त्वमुभयोरार्त्नियोर्ज्याम् ।
याश्च ते हस्त इषवः परा ता भगवो वप ॥
Meaning
Loosen the string from both ends of your bow, O lord, and lay aside the arrows in your hands.
avataty dhanuṣṭvaṃ sahasrākṣa śateṣudhe |
niśīrya śalyānāṃ mukhā śivo naḥ sumanā bhava ||
अवतत्य धनुष्ट्वँ सहस्राक्ष शतेषुधे ।
निशीर्य शल्यानां मुखा शिवो नः सुमना भव ॥
Meaning
O thousand-eyed one with a hundred quivers, unstring your bow and blunt the tips of your arrows. Be at peace and well disposed toward us.
namasta āyudhāyānātātāya dhṛṣṇave |
ubhābhyāmuta te namasta bāhubhyāṃ tava dhanvane ||
नमस्त आयुधायानातताय धृष्णवे ।
उभाभ्यामुत ते नमस्त बाहुभ्यां तव धन्वने ॥
Meaning
Salutations to your weapon, unstrung yet powerful. Salutations to both your arms and to your bow.
vijyaṃ dhanuḥ kapardino viśalyo bāṇavāṅ uta |
aneśannasyeṣava āburasya niṣaṅgadhiḥ ||
विज्यं धनुः कपर्दिनो विशल्यो बाणवाङ् उत ।
अनेशन्नस्येषव आभुरस्य निषङ्गधिः ॥
Meaning
May the matted-haired lord's bow stay unstrung and his quiver empty. Let his arrows be rendered harmless and his sheath be still.
yā te hetir-mīḍhuṣṭama haste babhūva te dhanuḥ |
tayāsmān viśvatastvamayakṣmayā paribhuja ||
या ते हेतिर्मीढुष्टम हस्ते बभूव ते धनुः ।
तयास्मान् विश्वतस्त्वमयक्ष्मया परिब्भुज ॥
Meaning
O most generous lord, with the bow and weapon in your hands, free of any power to cause disease, shield us from every side.
namaste astvāyudhāyānātātāya dhṛṣṇave |
ubhābhyāmuta te namo bāhubhyāṃ tava dhanvane ||
नमस्ते अस्तु आयुधायानातताय धृष्णवे ।
उभाभ्यामुत ते नमो बाहुभ्यां तव धन्वने ॥
Meaning
Salutations to your weapon, unbent yet powerful. Salutations to both your arms and to your bow.
pari te dhanvano hetirasmānvṛṇaktu viśvataḥ |
atho ya iṣudhista vāre asmandhehi tam ||
परि ते धन्वनो हेतिरस्मान्वृणक्तु विश्वतः ।
अथो य इषुधिस्तवारे अस्मन्निधेहि तम् ॥
Meaning
May the shaft of your bow pass us by unharmed from every direction, and may you set your quiver far away from us.
Closing Invocation
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Meaning
Om. Peace, peace, peace.
What Does the Rudra Suktam Mean?
Every verse in this anuvaka circles back to one image, Rudra standing with a drawn bow. In Vedic thought a raised weapon is more than a picture of anger, it stands for the return of our own actions, the consequences that come due whether we are ready for them or not. Asking Rudra to unstring his bow and set the arrows down is really a request to soften that return, to receive grace in place of what is strictly owed.
The hymn does not treat Rudra as purely fearsome. Verse five calls him Prathamo Daivyo Bhishak, the first among divine physicians, and several lines address him as giriśanta, the one who brings happiness from the mountains. Fierceness and healing sit side by side here, which is exactly the balance the anuvaka tries to strike: a god capable of great harm is asked, and trusted, to choose care instead.
Verse seven adds a quieter point. It says Rudra, seen crossing the sky with his blue throat, is visible to cowherds and to women carrying water just as much as to any scholar. The suktam was never meant only for specialists in Sanskrit ritual. It is written for anyone willing to sit down and ask, sincerely, for peace.
How Do You Chant the Rudra Suktam?
- Sit facing east or north – on a clean mat of wool or darbha grass, spine straight and shoulders relaxed
- Settle the breath and mind – take three slow breaths and picture Shiva's peaceful form seated on Mount Kailash
- Chant with steady intent – recite each line slowly and evenly, letting the word Namah dissolve the pull of the ego with every repetition
What Are the Benefits of Chanting the Rudra Suktam?
Reciting this first anuvaka is said to bring three kinds of grace, each tied to lines in the verses above.
- Calms disturbed energy: The verses are built to settle aggressive or unsettled forces, easing karmic knots and the strain of difficult planetary periods, Saturn and Rahu-Ketu in particular
- Invokes the physician within the hymn: Verse five names Rudra as Prathamo Daivyo Bhishak, the first divine physician, and the anuvaka is chanted for relief from illness, fear and for a long, steady life
- Clears negative influence from the home: Regular recitation is held to keep out harmful thought patterns, difficult people and other unseen obstacles
Where Does the Rudra Suktam Come From?
Sri Rudram belongs to the Krishna Yajurveda, preserved in the Taittiriya Samhita, and ranks among the oldest and most revered hymns addressed to Rudra, the fierce and compassionate form later Shiva worship builds on. Tradition splits it into two connected sections: the Namakam, where the worshipper bows again and again to Rudra in every guise he takes, gentle and terrifying alike, and the Chamakam, where the worshipper asks for specific blessings, material and spiritual.
The Namakam itself runs across eleven anuvakas. This page covers only the first, the fifteen verses priests and householders lean on most because they stand complete without the rest of the text. Their subject is narrow and urgent: Rudra is pictured holding a drawn bow, and the devotee asks him, verse after verse, to loosen the string and set the arrows down. It is a hymn of pacification before it is anything else, meant to be chanted when protection from harm, illness or misfortune feels needed right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the whole Sri Rudram?
No. Sri Rudram is a much longer hymn built from two parts, the Namakam and the Chamakam, spread across eleven anuvakas of praise followed by a section of specific requests. This page carries only the first anuvaka of the Namakam, the fifteen verses of pacification that ask Rudra to lay his weapons down. It is complete and effective on its own, but it is not the full text.
Why does this anuvaka talk so much about bows and arrows?
The bow and arrow are a way of picturing consequence, the return of our own actions in the form of hardship or misfortune. Asking Rudra to unstring his bow is a way of asking for the harsher edge of that law to be softened, so that grace can stand in where strict justice would otherwise fall.
Why is Shiva called Nilagriva, the blue-throated one, in verse seven?
This points to the story of the Samudra Manthan, the churning of the ocean, when Shiva swallowed the Halahala poison rather than let it harm the universe. Holding it in his throat rather than letting it pass turned that spot blue, and the name became a lasting reminder of what he was willing to carry for everyone else.
Who are the gopas and udaharyas named in verse seven?
Gopas are cowherds and udaharyas are women out fetching water, ordinary people going about an ordinary day. The verse places them alongside every other living being as witnesses to Rudra, making the point that his presence is not reserved for priests or scholars. Anyone paying attention can see it.
What does Prathamo Daivyo Bhishak in verse five mean?
It translates to the first divine physician. The line credits Rudra as the source of healing itself, both for the body's illnesses and for the deeper trouble of ignorance that keeps a person bound to suffering. It is one of the oldest textual roots connecting Shiva to the tradition of Ayurveda.
Can I chant just this first anuvaka without learning the rest of the Namakam?
Yes. It was composed to stand on its own as a short prayer of protection and peace, and it is what most households and daily practitioners actually recite. Learning the remaining anuvakas and the Chamakam is a separate, longer undertaking that this anuvaka does not require.
॥ ॐ नमः शिवाय शम्भवे नमः ॥