The Upanishads

Nilarudra Upanishad

ॐ अपश्यं त्वाऽवरोहन्तं दिवितः पृथिवीमवः ।
अपश्यमस्यन्तं रुद्रं नीलग्रीवं शिखण्डिनम् ॥१॥

1) Om. Thee I beheld in thy descending down from the heavens to the earth, I saw Rudra, the Terrible, the azure-throated, the peacock-feathered, as he hurled.

दिव उग्रोऽवारुक्षत्प्रत्यष्ठाद् भूम्यामधि ।
जनासः पश्यतेमं नीलग्रीवं विलोहितम् ॥२॥

2) Fierce he came down from the sky, he stood facing me on the earth as its lord; the people behold a mass of strength, azure-throated, scarlet-hued.

एष एत्यवीरहा रुद्रो जलासभेषजीः ।
वि तेऽक्षेममनीनशद्वातीकारोऽप्येतु ते ॥३॥

3) This that cometh is he that destroyeth evil, Rudra the Terrible, born of the tree that dwelleth in the waters; let the globe of the storm winds come too, that destroyeth for thee all things of evil omen.

नमस्ते भव भामाय नमस्ते भव मन्यवे ।
नमस्ते अस्तु बाहुभ्यामुतोत इषवे नमः ॥४॥

4) Salutation to thee who bringeth the world into being, salutation to thee, the passionate with mighty wrath. Salutation be to thy arms of might, salutation be to thy angry shaft.

यामिषुं गिरिशन्त हस्ते बिभर्ष्यस्तवे ।
शिवां गिरित्र तां कृणु मा हिंसीः पुरुषान्मम ॥५॥

5) The arrow thou bearest in thy hand for the hurling, O thou that liest on the mountains, make an arrow of blessing, O keeper of the hills, let it not slay my armed men.

Page 421

शिवेन वचसा त्वा गिरिशाच्छा वदामसि ।
यथा नः सर्वमिज्जगदयक्ष्मं सुमना असत् ॥६॥

6) With fair speech, O mountain-dweller, we sue to thee in the assembly of the folk, that the whole world may be for us a friendly and sinless place.

या त इषुः शिवतमा शिवं बभूव ते धनुः ।
शिवा शरव्या या तव तया नो मृड जीवसे ॥७॥

7) That thy arrow which is the kindliest of all and thy bow which is well omened and that thy quiver which beareth blessing, by that thou livest for us, O lord of slaughter.

या ते रुद्र शिवा तनूरघोरा पापनाशिनी ।
तया नस्तन्वा शंतमया गिरिशन्ताभिचाकशत् ॥८॥

8) That thy body, O terrible One, which is fair and full of kindness and destroyeth sin, not thy shape of terror, in that thy body full of peace, O mountaineer, thou art wont to be seen among our folk.

असौ यस्ताम्रो अरुण उत बभ्रुर्विलोहितः ।
ये चेमे अभितो रुद्रा दिक्षु श्रिताः सहस्त्रशो वैषां हेड ईमहे ॥९॥

9) This Aruna of the dawn that is tawny and copper-red and scarlet-hued, and these thy Violent Ones round about that dwell in the regions in their thousands, verily, it is these whom we desire.

Page 422