The Namakam is the first and larger half of Sri Rudram, the great Vedic hymn to Rudra, the Vedic form of Shiva. It is the fifth prapathaka of the fourth kanda of the Taittiriya Samhita of the Krishna Yajur Veda, and it is named after the word namah, salutation, which comes in nearly every line. Its second half is the Chamakam. The whole is also called the Rudra Prashna, the Rudradhyaya and the Shatarudriya, because the old fire ritual known as the Shatarudriya used it.
The text is long, with eleven anuvakas, or sections, and is divided across two pages here. This page gives anuvakas 1 to 5, and the rest are on the second page. An overview of Sri Rudram and its place in worship is on the main page for the Sri Rudram.
The first anuvaka begins with a salutation to Rudra’s anger and his weapons and asks him to put them aside. The second to fifth anuvakas are long lists of salutations: to Rudra as lord of armies and directions, of paths and trees, of those whom society fears and those it honours, and to him in the bow, the bowstring, the chariot, the potter’s wheel and the hound. The tradition reads these lists as saying that the divine is present in every kind of being and every role, and the commentator Sayana says so in plain words.
The text, transliteration and meaning
The verses of the first anuvaka are given one to a block. In the second to fifth, the print runs the salutations together as one unbroken chant. We have cut the lines at each salutation, so that each line ends in its own pause form.
Anuvaka 1
The first anuvaka is the oldest and best known. It is a prayer addressed to Rudra’s anger, his bow and his arrows, asking him to put them aside and be kind. It has fifteen verses.
Anuvaka 1, verse 1
नमस्ते रुद्र मन्यव उतो त इषवे नमः ।
नमस्ते अस्तु धन्वने बाहुभ्यामुत ते नमः ॥
Namaste rudra manyava uto ta ishave namah
Namaste astu dhanvane bahubhyamuta te namah
MeaningSalutation to your anger, Rudra, and to your arrow. Salutation to your bow, and to both your arms.
Anuvaka 1, verse 2
या त इषुः शिवतमा शिवं बभूव ते धनुः ।
शिवा शरव्या या तव तया नो रुद्र मृडय ॥
Ya ta ishuh shivatama shivam babhuva te dhanuh
Shiva sharavya ya tava taya no rudra mridaya
MeaningThe arrow of yours that is the most kindly, and your bow, which has become kindly, and your quiver, which is kind: with that, Rudra, be gracious to us.
Anuvaka 1, verse 3
या ते रुद्र शिवा तनूरघोराऽपापकाशिनी ।
तया नस्तनुवा शंतमया गिरिशन्ताभि चाकशीहि ॥
Ya te rudra shiva tanuraghora'papakashini
Taya nastanuva shantamaya girishantabhi chakashihi
MeaningThat body of yours, Rudra, that is kind, not terrible, and shows nothing evil: with that most peaceful body, look on us, dweller on the mountain.
Anuvaka 1, verse 4
यामिषुं गिरिशन्त हस्ते बिभर्ष्यस्तवे ।
शिवां गिरित्र तां कुरु मा हिंसीः पुरुषं जगत् ॥
Yamishum girishanta haste bibharshyastave
Shivam giritra tam kuru ma himsih purusham jagat
MeaningThe arrow, lord of the mountain, that you hold in your hand to throw: make it kind, protector of the mountain. Do not harm the person, nor the world.
Anuvaka 1, verse 5
शिवेन वचसा त्वा गिरिशाच्छा वदामसि ।
यथा नः सर्वमिज्जगदयक्ष्मं सुमना असत् ॥
Shivena vachasa tva girishachchha vadamasi
Yatha nah sarvamijjagadayakshmam sumana asat
MeaningWith a kind word we speak to you, dweller on the mountain, so that all this world of ours may be free of sickness and of good mind.
Anuvaka 1, verse 6
अध्यवोचदधिवक्ता प्रथमो दैव्यो भिषक् ।
अहींश्च सर्वाञ्जम्भयन्त्सर्वाश्च यातुधान्यः ॥
Adhyavochadadhivakta prathamo daivyo bhishak
Ahimshcha sarvanjambhayantsarvashcha yatudhanyah
MeaningThe first divine physician has spoken on our behalf. He puts down all the serpents and all the harmful beings, the yatudhanas.
Anuvaka 1, verse 7
असौ यस्ताम्रो अरुण उत बभ्रुः सुमङ्गलः ।
ये चेमां रुद्रा अभितो दिक्षु श्रिताः सहस्रशोऽवैषां हेड ईमहे ॥
Asau yastamro aruna uta babhruh sumangalah
Ye chemam rudra abhito dikshu shritah sahasrasho'vaisham heda imahe
MeaningThe one who is coppery, red and brown and altogether auspicious, and those Rudras around him, thousands of them, standing in all directions: we ask that their anger be turned away from us.
Anuvaka 1, verse 8
असौ योऽवसर्पति नीलग्रीवो विलोहितः ।
उतैनं गोपा अदृशन्नदृशन्नुदहार्यः ।
उतैनं विश्वा भूतानि स दृष्टो मृडयाति नः ॥
Asau yo'vasarpati nilagrivo vilohitah
Utainam gopa adrishannadrishannudaharyah
Utainam vishva bhutani sa drishto mridayati nah
MeaningThe one who goes up, blue-necked and red: the cowherds see him, the women who carry water see him, all beings see him. May he, seen, be gracious to us.
Anuvaka 1, verse 9
नमो अस्तु नीलग्रीवाय सहस्राक्षाय मीढुषे ।
अथो ये अस्य सत्वानोऽहं तेभ्योऽकरं नमः ॥
Namo astu nilagrivaya sahasrakshaya midhushe
Atho ye asya satvano'ham tebhyo'karam namah
MeaningSalutation to the blue-necked, thousand-eyed, bountiful one, and to his attendants too I have offered salutation.
Anuvaka 1, verse 10
प्र मुञ्च धन्वनस्त्वमुभयोरार्त्नियोर्ज्याम् ।
याश्च ते हस्त इषवः परा ता भगवो वप ॥
Pra muncha dhanvanastvamubhayorartniyorjyam
Yashcha te hasta ishavah para ta bhagavo vapa
MeaningLoosen the bowstring from both the tips of your bow, and cast away the arrows that are in your hand, lord.
Anuvaka 1, verse 11
अवतत्य धनुस्त्वं सहस्राक्ष शतेषुधे ।
निशीर्य शल्यानां मुखा शिवो नः सुमना भव ॥
Avatatya dhanustvam sahasraksha shateshudhe
Nishirya shalyanam mukha shivo nah sumana bhava
MeaningUnstring your bow, lord with a thousand eyes and a hundred quivers. Break off the points of the arrows, and be kind and well-minded towards us.
Anuvaka 1, verse 12
विज्यं धनुः कपर्दिनो विशल्यो बाणवां उत ।
अनेशन्नस्येषव आभुरस्य निषङ्गथिः ॥
Vijyam dhanuh kapardino vishalyo banavam uta
Aneshannasyeshava abhurasya nishangathih
MeaningMay the bow of the matted-haired one lie without its string, and his archer be without arrowheads. May his arrows be lost, and his quiver be at rest.
Anuvaka 1, verse 13
या ते हेतिर्मीढुष्टम हस्ते बभूव ते धनुः ।
तयास्मान्विश्वतस्त्वमयक्ष्मया परि ब्भुज ॥
Ya te hetirmidhushtama haste babhuva te dhanuh
Tayasmanvishvatastvamayakshmaya pari bbhuja
MeaningThat weapon of yours, most bountiful one, that was in your hand together with your bow: with that, protect us on every side and keep sickness away from us.
Anuvaka 1, verse 14
नमस्ते अस्त्वायुधायानातताय धृष्णवे ।
उभाभ्यामुत ते नमो बाहुभ्यां तव धन्वने ॥
Namaste astvayudhayanatataya dhrishnave
Ubhabhyamuta te namo bahubhyam tava dhanvane
MeaningSalutation to your weapon that is not drawn, you who are bold. Salutation to both your arms, and to your bow.
Anuvaka 1, verse 15
परि ते धन्वनो हेतिरस्मान्वृणक्तु विश्वतः ।
अथो य इषुधिस्तवारे अस्मन्नि धेहि तम् ॥
Pari te dhanvano hetirasmanvrinaktu vishvatah
Atho ya ishudhistavare asmanni dhehi tam
MeaningMay the missile of your bow keep away from us on every side, and put that quiver of yours far away from us.
Anuvaka 2
The second anuvaka salutes Rudra as the lord of many things: armies, directions, trees, paths, fields, forests and herbs.
Anuvaka 2, part 1
नमो हिरण्यबाहवे सेनान्ये दिशां च पतये नमः ।
नमो वृक्षेभ्यो हरिकेशेभ्यः पशूनां पतये नमः ।
नमः सस्पिञ्जराय त्विषीमते पथीनां पतये नमः ।
नमो बभ्लुशाय विव्याधिनेऽन्नानां पतये नमः ॥
Namo hiranyabahave senanye disham cha pataye namah
Namo vrikshebhyo harikeshebhyah pashunam pataye namah
Namah saspinjaraya tvishimate pathinam pataye namah
Namo babhlushaya vivyadhine'nnanam pataye namah
MeaningSalutation to the golden-armed one, the leader of the armies, the lord of the directions. Salutation to him as the trees with their green hair, the lord of the cattle. Salutation to him who is tawny as young grass and full of radiance, the lord of the paths. Salutation to the brown one, the piercer, the lord of food.
Anuvaka 2, part 2
नमो हरिकेशायोपवीतिने पुष्टानां पतये नमः ।
नमो भवस्य हेत्यै जगतां पतये नमः ।
नमो रुद्रायाऽऽतताविने क्षेत्राणां पतये नमः ।
नमः सूतायाहन्त्याय वनानां पतये नमः ॥
Namo harikeshayopavitine pushtanam pataye namah
Namo bhavasya hetyai jagatam pataye namah
Namo rudraya''tatavine kshetranam pataye namah
Namah sutayahantyaya vananam pataye namah
MeaningSalutation to the green-haired one who wears the sacred thread, the lord of the well-nourished. Salutation to the weapon of Bhava, the lord of the worlds. Salutation to Rudra with his bow drawn, the lord of the fields. Salutation to the charioteer whom none can slay, the lord of the forests.
Anuvaka 2, part 3
नमो रोहिताय स्थपतये वृक्षाणां पतये नमः ।
नमो मन्त्रिणे वाणिजाय कक्षाणां पतये नमः ।
नमो भुवन्तये वारिवस्कृतायौषधीनां पतये नमः ।
नम उच्चैर्घोषायाक्रन्दयते पत्तीनां पतये नमः ॥
Namo rohitaya sthapataye vrikshanam pataye namah
Namo mantrine vanijaya kakshanam pataye namah
Namo bhuvantaye varivaskritayaushadhinam pataye namah
Nama uchchairghoshayakrandayate pattinam pataye namah
MeaningSalutation to the red one, the master builder, the lord of the trees. Salutation to the counsellor and the merchant, the lord of the thickets. Salutation to the one who cherishes the world and grants wealth, the lord of the herbs. Salutation to the loud-voiced one who makes enemies cry out, the lord of the foot-soldiers.
Anuvaka 2, part 4
नमः कृत्स्नवीताय धावते सत्वनां पतये नमः ॥
Namah kritsnavitaya dhavate satvanam pataye namah
MeaningSalutation to the one who runs with the whole host about him, the lord of the brave.
Anuvaka 3
The third anuvaka salutes Rudra as the lord of those who are feared in the world, and then turns to the many kinds of beings, doing and resting.
Anuvaka 3, part 1
नमः सहमानाय निव्याधिन आव्याधिनीनां पतये नमः ।
नमः ककुभाय निषङ्गिणे स्तेनानां पतये नमः ।
नमो निषङ्गिण इषुधिमते तस्कराणां पतये नमः ।
नमो वञ्चते परिवञ्चते स्तायूनां पतये नमः ॥
Namah sahamanaya nivyadhina avyadhininam pataye namah
Namah kakubhaya nishangine stenanam pataye namah
Namo nishangina ishudhimate taskaranam pataye namah
Namo vanchate parivanchate stayunam pataye namah
MeaningSalutation to the one who overpowers and pierces, the lord of the piercing troops. Salutation to the lofty one with his sword, the lord of the thieves. Salutation to the one with sword and quiver, the lord of the robbers. Salutation to the one who deceives and cheats, the lord of the pilferers. The tradition reads these epithets as saying that the divine is present in every role in the world, including those that people fear, and as a prayer that such forces may be kept from us.
Anuvaka 3, part 2
नमो निचेरवे परिचरायारण्यानां पतये नमः ।
नमः सृकाविभ्यो जिघांसद्भ्यो मुष्णतां पतये नमः ।
नमोऽसिमद्भ्यो नक्तं चरद्भ्यः प्रकृन्तानां पतये नमः ।
नम उष्णीषिणे गिरिचराय कुलुञ्चानां पतये नमः ॥
Namo nicherave paricharayaranyanam pataye namah
Namah srikavibhyo jighamsadbhyo mushnatam pataye namah
Namo'simadbhyo naktam charadbhyah prakrintanam pataye namah
Nama ushnishine giricharaya kulunchanam pataye namah
MeaningSalutation to the one who roams in the dark and goes about, the lord of the forests. Salutation to the spear-bearers who seek to kill, the lord of plunderers. Salutation to the sword-bearers who roam by night, the lord of those who cut and take. Salutation to the turbaned one who moves in the mountains, the lord of the stealers.
Anuvaka 3, part 3
नम इषुमद्भ्यो धन्वाविभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नम आतन्वानेभ्यः प्रतिदधानेभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नम आयच्छद्भ्यो विसृजद्भ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमोऽस्यद्भ्यो विध्यद्भ्यश्च वो नमः ॥
Nama ishumadbhyo dhanvavibhyashcha vo namah
Nama atanvanebhyah pratidadhanebhyashcha vo namah
Nama ayachchhadbhyo visrijadbhyashcha vo namah
Namo'syadbhyo vidhyadbhyashcha vo namah
MeaningFrom here the form changes: the salutation is to you, plural, the many forms. Salutation to those who bear arrows and bows. Salutation to those who stretch the bow and fit the arrow. Salutation to those who draw back and who let go. Salutation to those who shoot and those who pierce.
Anuvaka 3, part 4
नम आसीनेभ्यः शयानेभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमः स्वपद्भ्यो जाग्रद्भ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमस्तिष्ठद्भ्यो धावद्भ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमः सभाभ्यः सभापतिभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमो अश्वेभ्योऽश्वपतिभ्यश्च वो नमः ॥
Nama asinebhyah shayanebhyashcha vo namah
Namah svapadbhyo jagradbhyashcha vo namah
Namastishthadbhyo dhavadbhyashcha vo namah
Namah sabhabhyah sabhapatibhyashcha vo namah
Namo ashvebhyo'shvapatibhyashcha vo namah
MeaningSalutation to those who are seated and those who lie down. Salutation to those who sleep and those who are awake. Salutation to those who stand and those who run. Salutation to the assemblies and the lords of the assemblies. Salutation to the horses and the lords of the horses.
Anuvaka 4
The fourth anuvaka goes on to bands and groups, the great and the small, the warriors and the craftsmen.
Anuvaka 4, part 1
नम आव्याधिनीभ्यो विविध्यन्तीभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नम उगणाभ्यस्तृंहतीभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमो गृत्सेभ्यो गृत्सपतिभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमो व्रातेभ्यो व्रातपतिभ्यश्च वो नमः ॥
Nama avyadhinibhyo vividhyantibhyashcha vo namah
Nama uganabhyastrimhatibhyashcha vo namah
Namo gritsebhyo gritsapatibhyashcha vo namah
Namo vratebhyo vratapatibhyashcha vo namah
MeaningSalutation to you who pierce and who pierce through. Salutation to those who gather in force and who crush. Salutation to the clever and to the lords of the clever. Salutation to the bands and to the lords of the bands.
Anuvaka 4, part 2
नमो गणेभ्यो गणपतिभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमो विरूपेभ्यो विश्वरूपेभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमो महद्भ्यः क्षुल्लकेभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमो रथिभ्योऽरथेभ्यश्च वो नमः ॥
Namo ganebhyo ganapatibhyashcha vo namah
Namo virupebhyo vishvarupebhyashcha vo namah
Namo mahadbhyah kshullakebhyashcha vo namah
Namo rathibhyo'rathebhyashcha vo namah
MeaningSalutation to the groups and to the lords of the groups. Salutation to those of ugly form and those of every form. Salutation to the great and to the small. Salutation to those who ride in chariots and to those who do not.
Anuvaka 4, part 3
नमो रथेभ्यो रथपतिभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमः सेनाभ्यः सेनानिभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमः क्षत्तृभ्यः संग्रहीतृभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमस्तक्षभ्यो रथकारेभ्यश्च वो नमः ॥
Namo rathebhyo rathapatibhyashcha vo namah
Namah senabhyah senanibhyashcha vo namah
Namah kshattribhyah sangrahitribhyashcha vo namah
Namastakshabhyo rathakarebhyashcha vo namah
MeaningSalutation to the chariots and the lords of the chariots. Salutation to the armies and their leaders. Salutation to the charioteers and to the stewards who gather. Salutation to the carpenters and the chariot-makers.
Anuvaka 4, part 4
नमः कुलालेभ्यः कर्मारेभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमः पुञ्जिष्टेभ्यो निषादेभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नम इषुकृद्भ्यो धन्वकृद्भ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमो मृगयुभ्यः श्वनिभ्यश्च वो नमः ।
नमः श्वभ्यः श्वपतिभ्यश्च वो नमः ॥
Namah kulalebhyah karmarebhyashcha vo namah
Namah punjishtebhyo nishadebhyashcha vo namah
Nama ishukridbhyo dhanvakridbhyashcha vo namah
Namo mrigayubhyah shvanibhyashcha vo namah
Namah shvabhyah shvapatibhyashcha vo namah
MeaningSalutation to the potters and the smiths. Salutation to the bird-catchers and the fishermen, as the commentator Sayana reads the words. Salutation to the makers of arrows and the makers of bows. Salutation to the hunters and those who keep hounds. Salutation to the hounds and to the masters of hounds. The commentator notes that this anuvaka shows the Lord in the many kinds of living beings and trades.
Anuvaka 5
The fifth anuvaka gives the names of Rudra and the opposites of size, age and speed, and then the places in the water.
Anuvaka 5, part 1
नमो भवाय च रुद्राय च ।
नमः शर्वाय च पशुपतये च ।
नमो नीलग्रीवाय च शितिकण्ठाय च ॥
Namo bhavaya cha rudraya cha
Namah sharvaya cha pashupataye cha
Namo nilagrivaya cha shitikanthaya cha
MeaningSalutation to Bhava and to Rudra. Salutation to Sharva and to the lord of beings. Salutation to the blue-necked and to the one with the white throat. Bhava, Rudra and Sharva are names the later tradition counts among the eight forms of Shiva.
Anuvaka 5, part 2
नमः कपर्दिने च व्युप्तकेशाय च ।
नमः सहस्राक्षाय च शतधन्वने च ।
नमो गिरिशाय च शिपिविष्टाय च ॥
Namah kapardine cha vyuptakeshaya cha
Namah sahasrakshaya cha shatadhanvane cha
Namo girishaya cha shipivishtaya cha
MeaningSalutation to the one with matted hair and to the one with shaven head. Salutation to the thousand-eyed and to the one with a hundred bows. Salutation to the one who lives in the mountain and to Shipivishta, a name the commentator Sayana connects with Vishnu, quoting the Vedic words that Vishnu is Shipivishta.
Anuvaka 5, part 3
नमो मीढुष्टमाय चेषुमते च ।
नमो ह्रस्वाय च वामनाय च ।
नमो बृहते च वर्षीयसे च ॥
Namo midhushtamaya cheshumate cha
Namo hrasvaya cha vamanaya cha
Namo brihate cha varshiyase cha
MeaningSalutation to the most bountiful one and to the one who bears arrows. Salutation to the short and to the dwarf. Salutation to the great and to the greater.
Anuvaka 5, part 4
नमो वृद्धाय च संवृध्वने च ।
नमो अग्रियाय च प्रथमाय च ।
नम आशवे चाजिराय च ॥
Namo vriddhaya cha samvridhvane cha
Namo agriyaya cha prathamaya cha
Nama ashave chajiraya cha
MeaningSalutation to the aged and to the one who grows. Salutation to the foremost and to the first. Salutation to the swift and to the one who runs fast.
Anuvaka 5, part 5
नमः शीघ्रियाय च शीभ्याय च ।
नम ऊर्म्याय चावस्वन्याय च ।
नमः स्रोतस्याय च द्वीप्याय च ॥
Namah shighriyaya cha shibhyaya cha
Nama urmyaya chavasvanyaya cha
Namah srotasyaya cha dvipyaya cha
MeaningSalutation to the quick one and to the one in the rushing water. Salutation to the one in the wave and to the one in still water. Salutation to the one in the stream and to the one on the island.
Text: the Taittiriya Samhita of the Krishna Yajur Veda with the commentary of Sayana (Anandashrama Sanskrit Series 42, part 6, Pune, 1903), fourth kanda, fifth prapathaka, read from the page images; checked against Sanskrit Wikisource, Taittiriya Samhita 4.5. Transliteration is simplified; the Vedic tone marks are not shown; meanings are our own.
Where the readings differ
The text above follows the Anandashrama print. Wikisource’s typed Taittiriya Samhita, which we used as a witness, has the same words as the print in anuvakas 1 to 5. The differences are in the way the words are written.
- The print writes the whole chant of the second to fifth anuvakas as one run, joining words by the usual rules: pataye namo namo vrikshebhyo where a typed text may show pataye namah, namo vrikshebhyah with spaces. The page gives each salutation on its own line.
- At the end of each kandika, a numbered subsection, the print shows a pause form, for example namo namah (1) rohitaya. In the continuous chant this reads namo namo rohitaya, and the page gives that form.
- Where the print writes a final m before a consonant as a dot above the line (anusvara), as in शिवं बभूव, the page does the same. The print’s special Vedic nasal sign is also written here as a plain dot above the line.
- In the first anuvaka the print writes yatudhanyah as one word. Wikisource writes it as two.
- Customs differ over where the tone marks and the breath marks fall. The page leaves the tone marks out altogether.
If you recite with a teacher, follow the teacher’s tone marks and pronunciation.
When and how it is traditionally recited
Sri Rudram is recited by Brahmin priests and many lay people in the south of India, in Shiva temples and in homes. It is the text most used for Rudrabhishekam, the ritual bathing of the Shiva lingam, and it is chanted on the night of Maha Shivaratri, on Mondays and on Pradosha. The Namakam is chanted with the Chamakam in the full ritual (the Laghunyasa and other preparatory mantras come before them), and in a larger form known as Ekadasha Rudra it is chanted eleven times, as the tradition describes.
Chanting is done with the three Vedic tones and is learned from a teacher by ear. Those who cannot yet chant read the text and its meaning, or follow a recording. Fasting, bathing and clean clothes are the usual preparation. These are customs of the tradition. The text itself lays down no rule of day, count or posture.
What the hymn says and what the tradition says it is for
The Namakam is a hymn of homage. It opens with fear and softens into trust. In the first anuvaka a worshipper speaks to the lord of storms and asks him to turn his arrows away; it then closes by calling the god good, kind and a healer. The later anuvakas name him in everything: in the bow and the arrow, in the leader and the thief, in the rich field and the barren road, in the river, the pool and the cloud.
The tradition holds that reciting it brings the grace of Shiva and protection from harm. These are claims of faith. The hymn makes no promise of health, wealth or any outcome, and nothing in it replaces medical, legal or financial advice. Many people find the slow, rhythmic chanting calming whatever their belief.
Pronunciation notes
The Namakam is chanted with three tones and a fixed rhythm, which only a teacher can give. For a first reading, say each syllable evenly and give long vowels a little more time. The sh in shiva and sharva is the sh of “shoe”. The ri of vriksha is a light rolled r. The jn is said as gya or jna. The sound ksh in kshetra is a k followed by sh. A final h after a vowel, as in namah, is a light breath, and in the continuous chant it often turns into o, as in namo.
How the text on this page is sourced
The Devanagari follows an old printed edition: the Krishnayajurvediya Taittiriya Samhita with the commentary of Sayana, in the Anandashrama Sanskrit Series (number 42), part 6, edited by Kashinath Shastri Agashe and published in Pune in 1903 (archive.org item MiZn_krishna-yajurvediya-taittiriya-samhita-with-sayan-bhashya-part-6-by-kashinath-sh, scan pages 602 to 645). The fourth kanda’s fifth prapathaka, anuvakas 1 to 5, was read from the page images, one page at a time, because the machine-read text of this print is poor. Sanskrit Wikisource’s typed text of the Taittiriya Samhita (4.5) was used as a second witness and to draft the reading. The Vedic tone marks of the print are not reproduced. The hymn has no named human author, as is usual for Vedic texts, and the meanings are our own, following the commentary of Sayana where the words are obscure.
Related mantras and pages
- Sri Rudram: an overview of Rudram, the Namakam and the Chamakam
- Namakam, anuvakas 6 to 11: the rest of the Namakam
- Chamakam: the Chamakam, the second half of Rudram
- Rudrashtakam: eight verses to Rudra
- Shiva Panchakshara Stotram: the five-syllable hymn
- Maha Shivaratri: the night of Shiva
- Maha Shivaratri puja: how the night is kept
- Mahamrityunjaya Mantra: the Rigveda mantra to Rudra
- Lingashtakam: eight verses to the lingam
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Namakam?
The Namakam is the first half of Sri Rudram, from the Taittiriya Samhita of the Krishna Yajur Veda. It is named after the word namah, salutation, and has eleven anuvakas of homage to Rudra.
↳ Why is it divided into anuvakas?
An anuvaka is a section of a Vedic text. The Namakam has eleven. The first and the tenth are in verse, and the second to the ninth are long runs of salutations.
↳ Is the Namakam a hymn of fear?
It begins by speaking to Rudra's anger and his weapons and asks him to put them aside, and it ends by calling him kind and a healer. The tradition reads it as a prayer for gentleness and protection.
↳ Do I need to learn it with a teacher?
To chant it in the Vedic way with its tones, yes. A teacher gives the tones by ear. To read it for meaning, the transliteration and the explanations here are enough.
↳ Where does the word shivaya appear?
The words namah shivaya are found in the eighth anuvaka, which is on the second page of the Namakam. The five-syllable mantra is connected with that line in the tradition.