Adhyāya 16: Śatarudriya — hundred-fold hymn to Rudra

HoMAQB be paid unto thy wrath, Rudra, homage to thy shaft : to thy two arms be homage paid.

With that auspicious form of thine, mild, RudraS pleasant

The shaft which. Mountain-haunter, thou art holding ia

Dweller on the Mountain, we salute thee with auspiciou)^

The Advocate, the first divine Physician, hath defended us. Crushing all serpents, drive away all Yl^tudh^ois down below.

That most auspicious One whose hue is ooppery and red

May he who glides away, whose neek is azure, and whose

Homage to him the Azure-necked, the thousand-eyed, tke

Loosen thy bowetring, looaea it from thy bow*a two extre- mities,

Now stringlessbe Kapardin's bow, his quiver hold no pointed

Thy weapon, Most Bountiful, the bow that resteth in thy

So may the arrow of thy bow, in all directions, pass us by, And in a place remote from us lay thou the quiver that thou

Do thou no injury to great or small of us, harm not the

Harm us not in our seed or in our progeny, harm us not in

Homage to the golden-armed leader of hosts, lord of the

Homage to the brown-hned piercei^ to tke Lord of food Kb

Homage to the red arehiteet, to the Lord of trees hcnnage \

Homage to the runner at fall stretch, to the Lord of min-

Homage to the cheat, to the arch-deceiver, to the ImA of

To the turban-wearing haunter of mountains, Lord of

Homage to assemblies and to you lords of assemblies, ho- mage to horses and to you masters of horses, homage to you hosts that wound and pieroe, to you destructive armies with excellent bands be homage.

H<>mage to the troops and to you lords of troops be homage, flomage to the companies and to you lords of companies,

Homage to you carpenters, and to you chariot-makers homage. Homage to you potters and to you blacksmiths, homage. Homage to you NisblUlas and to you Fufijishthas, homage. Homage to you dog-leaders, and to you hunters, homage.

Homage to dogs, and to you matters of dogs, homage. Homage to Bhava, and to Rudra homage, homage to SarT»

Homage to him with braided hair and to him with shaveii

Homage to the short, and to the dwarf, homage, homage to

Homage to the swift, and to the active be homage, and to

Homage to the eldest and to the youngest, to the first-bonr

Homage to Sobhya and to the dweller in th^ magic amulet,

Homage to him in woods and to him in bashes, homage!

Homage to him who wears a helmet, and to him who wears

Homage to the bold one and to the prudent, homage to him

Homage to him who dwells on paths and roads, homage to

Homage to him who dwells in wells and pits, homage to him

Homage to him who dwells in wind and to him who dwells

Homage io the giver of iweal, and to Paaupati, homage to

Homage to the source of happiness and to the source of de-

Homage to him who is beyond and to hitti who is on this

Homage to him who is in sand and to him who is in running

Homfige to him who is in herds of cattle and to him who

Homage to him who is in dij things and to him who is in

Sprinklert: senders of rain. The heartt of the Gods: meaniin:, accord- ing to Mnbldhara, Agni, V4yu, and Sftrya ; ' the sparkling hearts of the gods ' : Egi?eling.

To the strong Rudra bring we these our songs of praise, to

Budra, with that auspicious form of thine which healeth

May Rudra'g missile turn aside and spare us, the great

Most bounteous, most auspicious, be auspicious, well inclioed

Wound-averter, purple-hued, to thee be homage, holy Lord! May all those thousand darts of thine strike dead another

Thousands of thousands are the shafts, the missiles ready

Innumerable thousands are the Rudras on the face of earth : Of all these Rudras we unbend the bows a thousand leagues

Bhavas there are above us in this mighty billowy sea of air^ Of all of these do we unbend, etc.

Rudras are dwelling in the sky, whose necks are blue, whose

Sarvas haunt realms beneath the earth — their necks are blue^

Those, green like young grass, in the trees, with azure necks

Those, ministering spirits' lords, with no hair-tufts, with

Those, the protectors of the paths, bringers of food, who

Those who with arrows in their hand, and armed with

Those who, inhabiting the food, vex men while drinking from

Homage to Rudras, those whose home is sky, whose arrows

Homage to Rudras, those whose home is air, whose arrows

Homage to Rudras, those whose home is earth, whose ar-

SMya : said to niesn, dweller in Sobha the City of the Oandhftrvaa. Magic amulet : a string bound round the neck or arm vrith inoantations. Mlled to Yama-: iu Yauia'« (death's) power ; Eggeling.