Rudra. While most of the rituals relating to the other Gods stop limited to the
particular purpose intended in the Karma Kanda, it was felt that the Rudram
could not and should not be so confined, but put to further varied uses. Hence
we find that Rudram and Chamakam are used invariably for all the Vedic worship
of Siva in all the households and temples. The kalpas had devised their
application in other functions like Ayushya Homa etc. Like the Gita, it has
earned the sobriquet of the Rudropanishad, the highest conceivable use to which
it can be put. Tha Jabala Upanishad and the Kaivalya Upanishad are the
authorities for this. In both of them the "Satarudriyam" is mentioned. The
Chamakam occurs in the 4th Kanda, 7th Prapataka of the Yajur Veda. In the
earlier 6 Prapatakas, rites depending upon "Parishechana" had been dealt with.
In the 7th, the pouring of clarified butter into the sacred fire
with a wooden ladle called "Vasordhaara" is stated. For the purposes of this
rite, the entire Chamakam is one. The splitting up of the Chamakam into 11
Anuvakas is to use them as 11 Mantras in non-sacrificial rites. A long list of
desiderata are prayed for in it - 347 to be precise - by the votary, coupled
with the article 'Cha'.Should we pray?Should we pray at all ?Does not God know
our wants and desires ?Should He not and would He not satisfy them ?The
Chamakam answers in the language of the Bible: "Ask and it shall be given". God
is there to give. Ask regularly; not in an abashed, whining and pulling manner.
Ask abundantly; not for one or two; now and then; and apologetically. Ask for
all things in a full-throated manner. He is bound to give as Lord and Creator,
and He will grant all the desires of His creatures. There is also no
distinction between the things of this world and the next. Ask for one and all.
Prayer
DifficultMan does not know how to pray to the Supreme Being for the simple
reason that he is ignorant of what is ultimately good or bad for him. In our
Itihasas and Puranas we find how the Asuras and Rakshasas perform severe
penances and austerities and ask for stupid boons from the Gods, which brought
ruin upon them in the end. If wisely directed, most of them could have become
Gods or could have attained immortality, with a fraction of their efforts.
Hence, it is that all religions teach men how to pray and what to pray for. The
Rudram and Chamakam are some of the foremost examples in the art of prayer in
the Vedas. Yours George Pillai http://rudraaksha.com
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