Rudra Suktam from Rg Veda: A Vaishnavite commentary

ā te pitarmarutāṃ sumnametu mā naḥ sūryasya sandṛṣo yuyothāḥ |
abhi no vīro arvati kṣameta pra jāyemahi rudra prajābhiḥ ||

A tE – bring your, pitarmarutAm – father of nitya sUrIs, sumnamEtu –your nirhEtuka krupa, mA – not, naH – us, sUryasya  sandRso yuyothAH – keep us away from seeing the light of knowledge, abhi – on account of/against/to/for the sake of, no – us, vIro – strength, arvati – kill, ksameta – endurance, prajAyemahi – bringing forth our intellect, rudra – the indrIyas which make us weep at the time of departure, prajAbhiH – who have birth.

Meaning: Bestow your nirhEtuka krupa on us, the cause of (greatness of) nitya sUrIs and do not keep us away from knowledge of our true nature which is like sunlight (that destroys the darkness of ignorance). For the sake of those who have birth, give us strength to kill (ignorance) and endure the distress of the indriyAs (and subsequently to end deaths, ie samsArA) by bringing forth our intellect, ie, making our knowledge blossom.

marutA – mA rutA – those who do not cry, ie, who are not subject to distress of samsArA – the nitya sUrIs. He is their pita as their knowledge is also dependent on him and they are subject to him. “pitA” means cause; he is the cause of their knowledge and hence, greatness.

prajAyemahi – mahi refers to intellect. PrajA means to bring it forth. This refers to dharma bhUta jnAna.

Rudra – The indrIyas that make us weep at the time of departure. Killing these indrIyas may imply transcending them. Or, it may just imply that we have to endure the distress of the indrIyas.

vIra – strength that is a metaphor for knowledge, ie, bhakti yOgA.

tvādattebhī rudra śantamebhiḥ śataṃ himā aśīya bheṣajebhiḥ |
vyasmad dveṣo vitaraṃ vyaṃho vyamīvāścātayasvā viṣūcīḥ ||

tvAdattebhI – you give, rudra – One who makes us weep by experiencing his kalyAna guNams, santamebhih – the most wholesome, satam himA asIya bhEsajEbhiH – by medicine to attain a 100 winters, vyasmad – from us, dvEso vitaram – remove dvEsam (ie, duality),  vayamha – certainly (for) us, avayamIvAscAtayasvAvisUchiH – make free of disease and trouble in all portions (ie, kAyika, vAchasIka, mAnasIka as well as tApatrayam).

Meaning:  One who makes us weep upon experiencing his kalyAna guNams! You bestow us this most wholesome, ie, the best medicine of the form of your kalyAna guNams, (the meditation of which) enables us to live the 100 years (the lifespan stipulated by the Vedas). Remove the quality of dvEsham which arises from duality (ie, not seeing everything as sarIram of paramAtma) from us. Make us free of disease, ie, faults committed by action, speech and mind as well as troubles arising from tApatraya.

avayam – refers to portions, hence to action, speech, mind.

svAvisUchiH – sva (self) + a-visUchIH, where visUchiH – disease.  

“vedanUl pirAyam nUru” – 100 years is the life of a vaidika. Multiples of this number is the lifespan of other yugas. This number is of course, multiplied for every yuga. 100 = kali yuga, 100*10 = dwapara yuga, 100*100 = Treta yuga, 100*1000 = krita yuga. Brahma also has a 100 deva years as his lifespan.

śreṣṭho jātasya rudra śhariyāsi tavastamastavasāṃ vajrabāho |
parṣi ṇaḥ pāramaṃhasaḥ svasti viśvā abhītī rapaso yuyodhi ||

srEshto – most praiseworthy, jAtasya – of those who are born (ie, the gods), rudra – destroyer of the disease of samsara, shariyAsi – appearing as a ferocious lion, tavastamastavAsam – stronger than the strongest, vajrabAho – arms like the thunderbolt, parsi – carrying over, naH – us, pAramamhasaH – the other side of samsArA, svastiviSva  – well-being of the Universe, abhIti – fearlessness, rapasO – disease,   yuyodhi – remove (for us).

Meaning: Rudra (Destroyer of the Disease of SamsArA)! You, the most praiseworthy of all the Gods who are born such as Brahma, etc., who are stronger than the strongest, have appeared in the form of a ferocious lion with arms resembling thunderbolts. You will remove the disease (ie, obstacles to knowledge of Brahman) for the well-being (ie, provide knowledge) of all beings in the Universe and carry us over samsArA to the other side, ie, srI vaikunTa.

The name “saktimatAm srEshta” in the sahasranAmA shows that he is the most praiseworthy of the gods. Brahma, Rudra, Indra, etc are samsArIs and have births, hence denoted as “jAtasya”. The nArAyaNopanishad says “nArAyaNat brahma jAyatE, nArAyaNat rudrO jAyatE, nArAyaNat indrO jAyatE”.

So, “jAtasya” denotes the gods, including vishNu who unlike the others, is born of his own will and hence, he is the greatest. This is the interpretation of Bhattar for the name “saktimatAm srEshta”.

mā tvā rudra cukrudhāmā namobhirmā duṣṭutī vṛṣabha māsahūtī |
un no vīrānarpaya bheṣajebhirbhiṣaktamaṃ tvā bhiṣajāṃ śṛṇomi ||

mA – not, tvA – you, rudra – One who makes us weep on experiencing his kalyAna guNas, cukrudhAmA – make you angry, namobhi – salutations, mAdustuti – my faulty praise, vrishaba – he who gives blessing to his devotees and protects them from the fire of samsArA, mAsahUtI -  my invocations equating you to other gods, un nO – we, who are deficient, vIrAnaparya – rejuvenating our strength (expanding attributive knowledge, ie, dharma bhUta jnAnA), bhEsajEbhirbhisaktamam – strengthening medicine (of the form of experiencing your kalyAna guNams that drives away the fear of samsArA), tvA – you, bhEsajam -  physician (for the disease of samsArA, ie, you are the upAyam), srnOmi – I have heard from AchAryAs.

Meaning: O Rudra (One who makes us weep on experiencing your kalyAna guNams)! O vRshaba (you who give blessings to your devotees and protect them from the fire of samsArA)! Let me offer myself to you with “nama:” and not make you angry with faulty praise which can never completely praise your guNams and united invocations (combined praise of everyone including bhagavAn) which is also insufficient. The experience of your kalyAna guNams is the medicine to drive away the fear of samsArA and rejuvenate our knowledge (ie, expand the dharma bhUta jnAnA) in us who are deficient (ie, lacking such jnAnam). I have heard from pUrvAchAryAs that you are the physician who cures the disease of samsArA as well, ie, you are the supreme upAyam (siddhOpAyam that is prapatti).

bhEsajam bhishak – he is the medicine to drive away fear of samsArA and he is the physician who cures the disease of samsArA.

Vrshaba – sahasranama.

mAdustuti – My faulty praise. In srI rangarAja stavam (sloka 13), Bhattar says that bhagavAn’s kalyAna guNams are infinite and even the vedas back off from praising him fully. Azhwar says that if we praise him, it only underestimates his stature and thus, our praise is faulty. That is the meaning conveyed by this rk.

mAsahUtI – My conjoined invocations. In the same srI rangarAja stavam (sloka 14), Bhattar says that if all the devotees and bhagavAn himself joined together and praised his guNams, it would still be insufficient. Bhattar says that if he is granted a 1000 heads like Adi Sesha, then he, Adi Sesha and BhagavAn would all be “sahasra sIrsha”, but all three of them together would not be able to praise the kalyAna guNams of bhagavAn sufficiently!

virAnaparya – augmenting our attributive knowledge. “virAn” is in plural since bhagavad kalyANa guNams are many, so knowledge about them is many, as per srI periyavacchan pillai.

bhEsajam srnOmi – That he is the upAyam (medicine) for crossing samsArA is known from the teachings of pUrvAchAryAs. In srI rangarAja stavam (sloka 17), Bhattar says that he is able to compose a stOtra on bhagavAn because he has heard about prapatti being the upAyam for crossing the mAyA known as prakrti from his AchAryAs.

havīmabhirhavate yo havirbhirava stomebhī rudraṃ diṣīya | ṛdūdaraḥ suhavo mā no asyai babhruḥ suśipro rīradhan manāyai ||

havIm – call, abhirhavate – for the sake of sacrifice (prapatti)  yaH – who, havirbhirava – accepts praise , stomEbhi – in the form of stuti, rudram – One who makes us weep at experiencing his kalyAna guNams, disIya – One who is odd in appearance (half-man, half-lion),  rdUdaraH – One who has a pleasing nature, suhavO – One who is easily invoked, ie, without effort, mA – not, no – us, asyai – unto, babhruH – the supporter, susipra – beautiful jaws, rIradhan – possessing teeth (to chew the asuras)   manAyai – pride (ie, ego) or attachments arising from the mind.

Meaning: We call (ie, ask him to be the upAyam for protection) Rudra (One who makes us weep on experiencing his kalyAna guNams) of an odd yet beautiful appearance (as half-man, half-lion), he who accepts our praise (by his grace and the grace of AchAryAs, no matter how deficient) in the form of stuti (of his kalyAna guNams) for the sake of sacrifice that is prapatti. May you, who are easily pleased without us making an effort or by our deficient efforts and who has a pleasing nature, who is the supporter of the worlds (and hence the protector from tApatrayam), with beautiful jaws and possessing teeth to chew the asurAs as Narasimha, not give us unto the ego or attachments arising from the wayward mind, ie, may you destroy such ego and attachments.

havIm – refers to an angam of prapatti, gOptrutva vAraNam, ie, begging for protection and for him to be the upAyam like how GajendrAzhwan called him for help.

abhirhavate – nyAsa vidyA that is prapatti.

havirbhirava – Commenting on the name “havirhariH in sahasranama”, Bhattar says that he is the recipient of havis offered in yajna. Root of havis is “hu” to accept. “rava” means songs or praise – he loves praise as per the name “stavya stave priya stOtra stuti stOtAraNa priya:” in the sahasranAmA.

dIsya – he has an odd but extremely beautiful appearance (outlandish) as half-man, half-lion.

suhavO – He is easily pleased. “patram pushpam phalam tOyam”. Gajendrazhwan called him as “Adi mUlamE” and he responded swiftly. “dakshaH” in the sahasranAma (akrurO peshalO dakshaH) means he who responded to the call of Gajendra very swiftly.

rdUdaraH – he has a pleasing nature. The name “rAmA” means he who gives anandam to everyone.

mAnayai – mind that gives rise to ego and attachments. Swami periyavAchan pillai gives the following pramAna while commenting on the 51st pAsuram of thirucchandaviruttam:

"The Lord destroys the monstrous mind (Ravana) with ten heads formed by the ten senses of the spiritual seeker by the use of the arrows of wisdom." (~sAtvata samhitA, 12.51)

Due to the prapatti done by the acharyas mentioned in the previous rk by “srunOmi” and me following their path as an AchArya abhimAni as well as your nature of being easily pleased by the least of praise, I will praise you in the form of a stuti of your kalyAna guNams – this is the meaning. The same meaning is conveyed by both srI thondaradippodi azhwar in thirumAlai and Sri parAsara bhattar in the sahasranAmA.

un mā mamanda vṛṣabho marutvān tvakṣīyasā vayasā nādhamānam |
ghṛṇīva chāyāmarapā aśīyā vivāseyaṃ rudrasya sumnam ||

un mA mamanda -  You delight me, vRshabo – One who gives blessings to his devotees and saves them from the fire of samsArA, marutvAn – Lord of nitya sUrIs, tvaksIyasA – your food (ie, kalyANa guNams), vayasA -  strengthening (ie, making me realise my true nature by knowledge) nAdhamAnam – by my supplication (Anjali mudra), ghRNIva chAyAmarapa – Like finding shade that affords protection from injury in the burning sun that is samsArA, asIya – that I may, vivAsEyam – dwell (under the protection), rudrasya – of the destroyer of the disease of samsara, sumnam – the nirhEtuka krupa.

Meaning: One who gives blessings to his devotees and saves them from the fire of samsArA! Lord of nitya sUrIs! You delight me, ie, give me brahmAnandam and kaimkarya ruchi, upon my gesture of the Anjali mudra, by experience of your kalyANa guNams which also provides me with the realisation of my essential nature which is seshatvam and pAratantriyam.  Like finding a shade that affords protection from injury in the burning sun, May I dwell under the protection of the nirhEtuka krupa bestowed upon me by the destroyer of the disease of samsArA.

ksIyasA – pertaining to consumption.

nAdhamAnam – supplicant, refers to the Anjali mudra.

ghRNiva chAyAmarapa – “arapa” refers to not being injured.

Bhattar’s vyAkhyAnaM for “vRksha” in sahasranAmA – he who is like a shady tree in providing protection is highly relevant here. Swami periyavAchan pillai uses the same analogy many times in his divya vyAkhyAnams on arulichEyal.

kva sya te rudra mṛḷayākurhasto yo asti bheṣajo jalāṣaḥ |
apabhartā rapaso daivyasyābhī nu mā vṛṣabha cakṣamīthāḥ ||

kvasya – where is, tE – your, rudra – destroyer of the disease of samsArA, mRLayAkurhasto – your protection, due to your nirhEtuka krupa, yaH – which, asti – there is, ie, acts as, bhEsajO jalAsaH – medicine for the fear of samsArA, ie, waters of avarice and greed or the rakshasas, apabhartA – destroying, rapasO – disease that is the tApatrayam, daivyasyAbhI – of the devas, ie, the devotees, nu – surely, mA – for me, vRshaba – One who showers blessings on his devotees and protects them from the fire of samsArA, caksAmIthaH – look upon me with grace and compassion, ie, jAyamAna kaTaksham.

Meaning: O Rudra (the destroyer of the disease of samsArA)! Where is your protection that you give us due to your nirhEtuka krupA, which acts as the supreme medicine for the fear of samsArA, ie, the waters of avarice and greed or the rAkshasAs like hiranyakasipu? O vRshaba (One who showers blessings on his devotees and protects them from the fire of samsArA)! Bestow your gracious and compassionate kaTaksham, which surely destroys the diseases that are the three-fold tApatrayam (AdhyAtmika, Adhidaivaka, Adhibautika) for your devotees (devas), on me so that I gain sattva guNam and jnAnam from birth.

Hasta – metaphor for protection.

vRshaba – The name occurs in the sahasranAma and is interpreted by Bhattar as one who showers blessings on his devotees and protects them from the fire of samsArA.

Daivya – refers to his devotees.

His three eyes destroys tApatrayam. This is mentioned by srI nigamAntha mahA desikan in his kAmAshikAshtakam as follows:

Thapane  indhwagni nayana ThapAn apachinothu na,

ThapanIyas rahasyanAm sara Kama shikhA hari

Meaning: This kAmAshika Hari, who is the essence of the narasimha tApanIya Upanishad, will remove our tApatrayam (three-fold sufferings) by his three eyes (Sun, Moon, Agni). (~kAmAshikAshtakam).

jalasA bhEsajI – he is of the form of medicines for waters. The term “waters” has the meanings of either greed and avarice or the waters of rakshaSas like hiranyakasipu as per the pramAnams quoted by Bhattar in sahasranAma bhAshya under the names “mantra” and “bhAskarOdyuti” respectively.

In Brahma purANa, BhagavAn says -

thr*shNA toya samAkIrNAt ghorAt samsAra sAgarAt         |

apArAt pAramApnoti yo mAm smarati nityaSah                  ||

Meaning: "He who thinks of me always, will certainly cross this vast and frightful sea of samsAra which is filled with the waters of greed and avarice".

In srImad rAmAyaNa, it is said:

Sara jAlAmSumAnSUrah kape! RAma-divAkarah           |

Satru-rakshomayam toyam uapSosham nayishyati            ||

(sundara kANdam 37-18)

"O Monkey (HanumAn)! The sun-like rAma, who is valiant and who has heaps of ray-like arrows, will certainly dry up the water of the inimical rAkshasa-s."

para babhrave vṛṣabhāya śvitīce maho mahīṃ suṣṭutimīrayāmi |
namasyā kalmalīkinaṃ namobhirghṛṇīmasi tveṣaṃ rudrasya nāma ||

para – Supreme, babhravE – the supporter of the worlds, vRshabAya – He who showers blessings on his devotees and protects them from the fire of samsArA, svItIce – white, ie, suddha sattva mUrthy, mahO mahIm – Of great intellect, sustutimIrayAmi – I praise his kalyAna guNams with excellent stuti (ie, he considers it excellent), namasya – perform services without the feeling of “I”-ness, kalmalIkinam – the effulgent jwAla narasimhan who has pirAtti on his chest, namObhirghRNImasi – with salutations of “not mine”, I praise, tavESam rudrasya – The destroyer of the disease of samsArA who meditates (on ways to save the chEtanas), nAma – the names.

Meaning: I praise the kalyAna guNams of he who is supreme, the supporter of the three worlds (ie, he removes tApatrayam of three worlds with his three eyes), who showers blessings on his devotees and protects them from the fire of samsArA, who has a suddha sattvam divya mangala vigrahaM and who is of great intellect as he understands the sufferings of the chEtanas and knows how to remove such sufferings with stuti that is considered excellent because he likes it (and because he is all this, he alone is worthy of such stuti as well, ie, ananyagatitvam). I praise the names of the destroyer of the disease of samsArA, who meditates on ways to save the chEtanas, who is jwAlA narasimhan, effulgent due to pirAtti on his chest, with salutations of “nama:” to remove obstacles to service and perform services to the divya dampathi without ahamkAram (ie, service is performed for the pleasure of divya dampathi only).

Meanings of dvaya mahAmantram are included in this rk. Please refer mumukkshupadi for explanation of “nama:” in the dvayam to understand this rk.

The names of bhagavAn to be praised are particularly those favoured by him. “ongi ulagalanda uttaman pEr pAdi” is the way shown by our andAl thAyAr. Also, bhagavAn himself declared that he responded to Draupadi’s call of “Govinda” and swami ulagAriyan says that it is his preferred name. GajendrAzhwan called him as “Adi mUlamE”. These are names he likes to be called by.

sthirebhiraṅghaiḥ pururūpa ughro babhruḥ śukrebhiḥ pipiśehiraṇyaiḥ |
īśānādasya bhuvanasya bhūrerna vā u yoṣad rudrādasuryam ||

sthirEbhirangaiH – Firm limbed (ie, very capable of blessing his devotees like prahlAda and beautiful as well), pururUpa – he who has various forms (to please his devotees), ugrO – he whose lofty actions makes the jivAs grow, babhruH – who supports the worlds in this way, sukrEbhiH – who has a shining form and hence makes everything shine, pipiSehiranyaiH – whose is adorned with golden ornaments, IsAnadasya bhuvanasya bhUrEna – The controller of all in the Universe at all times and hence superior as well as different from the baddhAs, muktAs and nityAs, vA u yoSad – who is the medicine, rudrAdasUryaM – the destroyer of the disease of samsArA, who moves towards his devotees.

Meaning: His body is firm limbed and hence very capable of providing bliss to his devotees as well destroying asurAs, he has various such forms to please his devotees, his lofty actions elevate the jivAs and destroy the asurAs, he supports the worlds in this way (ie, he is the supreme refuge), he has a shining form and makes others shine by his effulgence and his arms are adorned with golden ornaments. In this way, he is the controller of the Universe at all times and hence superior as well as different from the baddhAs, muktAs and nityAs, and remains the destroyer of the disease of samsArA with unfailing strength (to remove the blight of samsArA for his devotees).

nArasimha vapu srimAn – His body is firm limbed and extremely beautiful.

The name “sthAnuH” in the sahasranAmA says that he is very firm in blessing his devotees, so his form was sturdy and able to defeat hiranyakasipu.

pururUpA – he takes numerous such forms of his own will to please his devotees as per Bhattar’s commentary for “anEka mUrtiH” in sahasranAma. Azhwar also says “pErumpala palaver, pala palaver soDi vaDivu (~ thiruvAimozhi 2.5.6).

ugraH – As per the mantra rAja pada stOtra, his lofty actions elevates the jivAs and destroys the asurAs.

babhruH – This name also occurs in the sahasranAmA and means that he is the supporter as per Bhattar bhAshyam..

SukrEbhiH – He has a shining form. He is “dIptamUrthi” as per the sahasranAmA and makes everything shine according to Bhattar. “sObhana” in the mantra rAja pada stOtram also states this.

pipiSehiranyaiH – he is hiranyabAhu, ie, his arms are adorned with golden ornaments as per the SatarudrIyam and mahAnArAyaNopanishad.

IsAnadasya bhuvanasya bhUrEna – Thus, due to all this, he is the supreme controller and regulator of the Universe and everything in it, and is superior as well as different from the baddhAs, muktAs and nityAs.The name “IsAna” occurs in the sahasranAmA. “bhUrEna” signifies he is the controller at all times.

asuryaM – Refers to strength. Owing to his supreme controllership, he is possessed of strength greater than all and hence, is the supreme refuge for all with the power to remove the blight of samsArA for his devotees.

arhan bibharṣi sāyakāni dhanvārhan niṣkaṃ yajataṃ viśvarūpam |
arhannidaṃ dayase viśvamabhvaṃ na vā ojīyo rudra tvadasti ||

arhan – capable one, ie, sarvasaktan, bibharSi – you are bearing, sAyakAnI – arrows (faculties of action and perception), ie, , dhanvArhan – a capable bow known as sArnga (rAjasa and mAnasa ahamkAram in its two-fold divisions), niSkam – a necklace known as vaijayanti (the five tanmAtras  - taste, sight, sound, smell and sensation), yajataM – worthy of worship, viShvarUpaM – One who has the Universe as his body,  arhannidam – being capable here, dayase – sustaining, viSvambhavam – all that is existing, na – not, vA ojIyO – strength (knowledge to lead the jivAs out of samsArA), rudra – Destroyer of the disease of samsArA, tvadasti – there cannot be other than you.

Meaning: You, who are capable (ie, sarvasaktan, to protect us),  are bearing the arrows which stand for the faculties of action and perception, a capable bow called sArnga that stands for the rAjasa and mAnasa ahamkAram in its two-fold division, a necklace or garland known as vaijayanti studded with 5 gems that stand for the 5 tanmAtras – taste, sight, sound, smell and sensation and hence are worthy of worship (ie, worthy of meditation as your divya mangala vigraham is subhAshrayam) as you have the Universe as your body. You are capable of sustaining all that exists here (ie, the jivAs exist only with him as their inner self and themselves as his sarIram). Thus, there cannot be anyone other than you, who are the destroyer of the disease of samsArA, who possesses the strength, ie, knowledge to lead the chEtanas out of samsArA.

After praising his firm limbs and shining form, a doubt may arise – why must one meditate only on the form of bhagavAn and not the devas? That doubt is dispelled by this rk which declares that the form of bhagavAn is the abode of all the tattvas and hence, alone is subhAsrayam. The forms of the devas are prakrtic and not subhAsrayam, hence not worthy of contemplation.

The presence of the word “viSvarUpa” gives us the guidance to take this rk as pertaining to the tattvas mentioned in the astra bhUshana adhyAya of vishNu purAna and not merely a superficial description of his form. The term “yajataM” shows that this form is alone worthy of worship, ie, meditation, as it is subhAsrayam, as opposed to the bodies of devas which are prakrtic.

stuhi śrutaṃ ghartasadaṃ yuvānaṃ mṛghaṃ na bhīmamupahatnumughram |
mṛlā jaritre rudra stavāno.anyaṃ te asman ni vapantu senāḥ ||

Meaning: Praise the famous (ie, well known by the narasimha tApanIya Upanishad or well known in shruti) Rudra (the destroyer of the disease of samsArA) who dwells in the cave of the heart, who is eternally young, and who is fierce like a lion. O Rudra (One who makes us shed tears on enjoying your kalyAna guNams)! Being praised by our words, confer happiness to us who have been afflicted by having a body subjected to old age and death. Let Your forces annihilate others who are Your enemies and spare us.

This has been explained in adiyEn’s write-up of the satarudrIyam. Our enemies are his enemies as he wants us to gain mOksham so we can serve him. “seNa” refers to his divya mangala vigraha which has divya shaktIs that are like an army to attract us (as per Bhattar bhAshyam for the nAma “sushEna” in the sahasranAmA. Or, it refers to his army of nitya sUrIs who destroy the obstacles to knowledge of Parabrahman, sriman nArAyaNa (yasya dvirada vaktrAdhyA…).

kumāraścit pitaraṃ vandamānaṃ prati nānāma rudropayantam |
bhūrerdātāraṃ satpatiṃ ghṛṇīṣe stutastvaṃ bheṣajā rāsyasme ||

kumArascit pitaraM vandamAnaM – As a son bows before his father who greets him, prati nAnAma – bowing to you in such a manner, rudrOpayantam – I approach you, who make us weep on experiencing your kalyAna guNams, bhUrerdAtAram – One who is like a kalpaka vRksha in bestowing purushArthams, satpatiM – Lord of devotees, ghRNIsE  stutastvam – you are praised as, bhEsajA rAsyasmE – give us palatable medicines, ie, experience of your kalyAna guNams that cure the fear of samsArA.

Meaning: I approach you, who make us weep on experiencing your kalyAna guNams, bowing to you in the same manner as a son bows before his father who greets him. You, who are known to be like a kalpaka vRksha in showering purushArthams by your name of varadan, who is known as the Lord of his devotees who seek the 4 purushArthams (and hence, grants them their desires), must therefore give us the experience of your delectable kalyAna guNams that are like medicine to cure us of the fear of samsArA.

In the divya sukti known as nava-vidha sambandham, swami pillai lOkAchAryar explains the pita-putra sambandham between jivAtma and paramAtma. BhagavAn is called “pita” because he is the cause and the jivAtma is called “putra” because he is the effect. The tirumantra contains the “AkAram” which denotes this sambandham.

Just as the father protects the son, so do we seek protection from bhagavAn. Just as the father requires nothing on the part of the son, ie, the love is mutual and natural, our relationship with him is natural and we do not need to make any efforts. Just as a wayward son, long lost to bad habits and estranged from his father is nonetheless greeted with love by his father when he realises his mistake and approaches the latter, so can the erring jivA approach bhagavAn without fear and be accepted by the latter with love.

He is famously known as “varada” so he possesses the kalyAna guNams to cure our fear of samsArA.

“sat-patim” – he is Lord of those mahAtmAs with sattva guNa who resort to him for the 4 purushArthams – arta, artArti, jignyAsu and jnAni. BhagavAn refers to all four as “mahAtmAs” and hence, of sAttvic disposition in the gita.

yā vo bheṣajā marutaḥ śucīni yā śantamā vṛṣaṇo yā mayobhu |
yāni manuravṛṇītā pitā nastā śaṃ ca yoścarudrasya vaśmi ||

yA vO bhEsaja – of those medicines, ie, purushArthams,  marutaH – One who is the breath of his devotees,  sucIni – that which is pure, yA santamA – which is agreeable, vRSaNo – shower, yA – which, mayObhu – you must, yAni – which, manuravRNitA – desired by the (good) intellect, pitA – which causes, nastA sam ca yOsca – pleasure, ie, bliss and freedom from suffering, rudrasya vasmi – I ask from the destroyer of the disease of samsArA.

Meaning: One who is the breath of his devotees! You must shower that purushArtham out of the four (namely, brahmAnandam and kaimkarya prApti) that which is pure (ie, which doesn’t bind us to samsArA) and is agreeable (to the true nature of the jivAtmA (seshatvam/pAratantriyam). I ask from the destroyer of the disease of samsArA (that purushArtam of kaimkaryam) which is desired by good intellect, which causes bliss and freedom from suffering.

The previous rk talked about bhagavAn being the Lord of all 4 types of devotees. This rk talks about which purushArtham is truly desirable and worth seeking – ie, kaimkaryam. The word “sucIni” implying purity rules out aishwaryam that is tainted by prakrti. The word “santamA” rules out kaivalyam which is against the nature of the jivAtma as a dAsabhUtan.

This kaimkarya ruchi results in brahmAnandam on seeing his happiness in receiving our services (paDiyAy kidandhu un pavalavAy kAnbEnE ~ perumAl thirumOzhi) and freedom from suffering. Thus it is said in AchAra Hrudayam by swami azhagiya manavAla perumAl nAyanAr that the jivAs have two desires – 1) May I always be happy, 2) May I never have suffering. This is indicated by “sam ca yOsca”.

Therefore, this rk is an appeal for kaimkarya prApti and brahmAnandam resulting from seeing bhagavAn enjoying our kaimkaryam, that is suited to the nature of the jivAtma and which gives us both bliss and freedom from suffering.

pari ṇo hetī rudrasya vṛjyāḥ pari tveṣasya durmatirmahīghāt |
ava sthirā maghavadbhyastanuṣva mīḍhvastokāya tanayāya mṛḷa |

parinO – surrounding (prakrti), rudrasya – of Rudra (the destroyer of the disease of samsArA), hetir – weapons, na – of us, parivrnaktu – leaving aside (come), tveshasya – impulse (drives), durmati – unsound intellect (viparIta jnAnA) (may leave us), aghayo – intending harm, Avasthira – faultless (with respect to purushArthams, maghavadbhya – be munificent to us, avatanushva – the jivAs associated with body, mIdva – shower your grace, tokaya – for our children, tanaya – for our family, mRda – grant happiness.

Meaning: O Rudra (the destroyer of the disease of samsArA), leaving aside your weapons (come to us) so that (this prakrti) surrounding us, which drives us to do harm (by not understanding our nature) owing to viparIta jnAnA, (may leave us). Faultless (in bestowing purushArthams), Be munificent to us, the jivAs associated with bodies (and hence stuck in samsArA) and shower your grace, granting happiness for our children and family.This mantra occurs in the satarudrIyam as well and has been explained by adiyEn. It is a request to bhagavAn to grant peace to children, family, etc because these are accessories for upAsaNa. He alone is worshipped by the kAmya karmas.

evā babhro vṛṣabha cekitāna yathā deva na hṛṇīṣe na haṃsi |
havanaśrun no rudreha bodhi bṛhad v. v. s. ||

evA – only, babhru – supporter of the worlds, vRShaba – One who showers blessings on his devotees and protects them from the fire of samsArA, cekitAna – intelligent (ie, knows our sufferings and how to remove them), yathA – so that, deva – One with vAtsalya guNam, na – not, hRNISe – anger, na – not, haMsi – intent to harm (as you did hiranyakasipu), havansrun – listen to the call (ie, prapatti done by mind, body or speech), no – us, rudra – the destroyer of the disease of samsArA, iha – here (in this birth itself), bOdhi brhad – of great knowledge (ie, One who always remembers as he promised in varAha charama slOka), va.va.sa – with strength like (a lion).

Meaning: One who showers blessings on his devotees and protects them from the fire of samsArA! You alone are the supporter of the worlds,  intelligent as you know the sufferings of the jivAs and how to remove them, One with vAtsalya guNam so do not be angry with us or harm us even if we possess as much faults as Hiranyakasipu. O Rudra, the destroyer of the disease of samsArA for us in our current birth itself! Listen to our prapatti, which is chaitanya kRt, expressed by speech such as “saranam prapadyE” and bodily prostrations of “nama:” as you possess great knowledge to remember such an appeal and with the strength of a lion to grant us mOksham when we lie weak and deprived of reason at the time of death.

“bOdhi brhad” is synonymous to “mEdhAvI” in sahasranAma – he has a powerful memory as per Bhattar’s interpretation. This can be linked to srI varAha charama slOka where bhagavAn says he remembers our prapatti at the time of death when our faculties diminish. As he has strength like a lion, he can relieve us of samsArA.

Thus, this suktam ends with the declaration that the assurance given by srI varAha perumAl in his charama slOka is our upAyam for mOksha prApti and will be fulfilled by tElliya singam as well.