Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam

Marking the end of Anuvaka 1 and signaling the entry to Anuvaka 2, is a deeply meaningful interlude that is not a part of Sri Rudram but is chanted by convention nonetheless. This verse in entreched in Bhakti, bridging the gap of duality and immersing the sadhaka in the vision of oneness. 

Settle down and sit in a quiet place for this 30 minutes guided meditation to cultivate a healthy objectivity of your own body and mind as witness awareness. 

Disclaimer: Please do not listen to this mediation while driving or operating machinery.

In this episode we finish Anuvaka 1.

In the last episode, we contemplated on the qualities of Isvara as being all pervasive, one with complete overlordship and as the indweller of all beings. In this episode, we internalize these qualities further. We pray to Rudra to continue to be a pleasing presence in our lives and to neutralize our karma. 

In the beginning Rudra was seen as the chastiser but now the devotee having undergone an extraordinary transformation in vision sees Rudra as the very source and giver of Life, one whose presence shines in everything. The devotee who is in awe of the creation of this world including oneself is humbled and rendered prayerful.

The devotee marvels at the beauty of this whole universe seeing everything as Ishwara, including one's own karma phala. He/She revels in seeing Bhagavans presence all around . In this seeing, the seen and the seer soon resolves and there is no duality, no distortion or separation. Listen to learn more!

A deep sense of lack haunt all beings. This feeling of 'I am not enough', 'I need more' pervades the psyche at both the micro level -within the recesses of our own hearts, and at the macro level -as world economics. This talk delves deep into the explanation of the root cause of this 'scarcity-mentality' and gives it's antidote from a non-dualistic perspective, and as stated in the Vedas -the ancient Hindu scriptures.

The following verses take a beautiful turn in appreciating everything as the form of Bhagavan. The sun is worshipped as Rudra signifying the dawn of knowledge which chases away darkness and dispels ignorance. 

The mantra covered in this episode is an extremely sophisticated prayer where we ask for the most superior protection in the form of a Kavach (energy field). We invoke Rudra as our ultimate healer/doctor -one who relieves us from samsara. We also invoke Rudra as our advocate towards the pursuit for moksha. Listen more to understand this relationship between Bhagavan and yourself. Dwell in these verses to cultivate deep love and surrender. 

The Sadhaka who is now a Mumukshu -one desirous of liberation, proceeds with a single-minded focus on gaining the knowledge. He/she prays to Bhagavan to ward off all karmic obstacles that may come in the way of this pursuit for Mukti (liberation). Listen to learn more!

Practice this meditation to heal from the deep-seated hurt, discontentment, judgement and blame towards oneself and others. Understand the nature of your thoughts and the correlation between the order of the manifest world and yourself. 

Disclaimer: Please do not listen to this mediation while driving or operating machinery.

In this mantra, the Sadhaka (aspirant) takes a quantum leap and invokes Rudra in the form of the words of Vedas. He/she asks for this ultimate blessing of the knowledge -the knowledge which dismisses all notions of bondage and fear & blesses one with moksha (liberation). 

In this episode, the person who was earlier afraid of Rudra, seeing him as the angry wielder of the arrows of karma phala (results of action) has matured in understanding and surrenders gracefully to the Lord (Ishvara). Listen to the full episode to understand the knowledge behind this transformation and learn the significance of 'Namah' in this exquisite prayer.

In this episode, we begin with the unfoldment of the 1st Anuvaka (section), where the invocatory verses are explained beautifully. The Lord is invoked as 'Rudra' -one who is the cause as well as the remover of all pains and sorrows. For this reason, Sri Rudram starts off from the standpoint of the one who is terrified of Rudra. Who is Rudra? What is the meaning of Bhagavan and what is my relation to this Bhagavan? What is Karma and what indeed are it's laws? Listen to understand all this and more! 

An advanced guide to mantra-japa, repetition of the chant.

The conscious and regular practice of japa enables one to discover oneself as the consciousness, the sentient presence that pervades the chanter, the chant, and Isvara, the object of the chant. Understanding this one discovers oneself as whole.

Disclaimer: Please do not listen to this mediation while driving or operating machinery.

The Sri Rudram is one of the holiest chants in the Veda. It expounds a sophisticated understanding of God, Isvara as immanent and transcendental. All that is here in the universe is non-separate from its cause —Isvara. Everything that is present and everything that comes to light borrows its presence and sentience from Isvara. The air that we breathe, the sun that lights up the sky, the cool light of the moon, are all manifestations of Isvara. The entire universe is nothing but Isvara, but Isvara, being limitless, is not any one thing in the universe. Understanding Isvara in this manner, it is easy to see that Isvara pervades everything including one’s own body-mind-sense complex. One is never away from Isvara -in fact, one is Isvara. Listening to the meaning of this hymn reduces and eliminates the sense of alienation and disconnection that one feels from the Universe, from one’s fellow-beings, and from Isvara. This oneness is the essence of the vision of Vedanta, gaining which one is free from samsara manifest as sorrow and fear.