#shaiva

मृत्युंजायाय रुद्राय नीलकंठाय शंभवे l

अमृतेशाय शर्वाय महादेवाय ते नम: ll

 mṛtyuñjāyāya rudrāya nīlakaṇṭhāya śambhave l

amṛteśāya śarvāya mahādevāya te nama: ll

 mṛtyuñjāyāya – to mṛtyuñjāya

 Mruthyu - death

Jaya - one who wins

One who has won death. One who wins the death of his devotees. (i.e.) one who stops death from touching his devotees.

यस्मिम् युक्ता ऋषयो देवताश्च तमेव ज्ञात्वा मृत्युपाशान्छिनत्ति

yasmim yuktā ṛṣayō dēvatāṡca tamēva jñātvā mṛtyupāṡānchinatti

In whom the devas and rishis are always connected by understanding him one cuts all the bonds of death.

Here the lord gives us victory over death in two ways. The lord protects us from diseases, injuries and other harms and protects us from akaalamrutyu (death in young age)

The lord teaches us the wisdom of self-realization and makes us realize the fact that we are not body, mind or senses. Our true self is in no way attached with the body and is not affected when the body is affected. We are the part of that limitless brahman (so we are limitless) we have no separate identity from god. We are non-dual to him.

चन्द्रोपरिष्ठात्संबद्धपद्मासनविराजितं

चन्द्रवर्णं स्रवद्दिव्यामृतचन्द्रकलाधरं

योगमुद्रैकसंबद्धाधरहस्तद्वयान्वितं

अमृतापूर्णकनककलशाप्तकरद्वयं

सोमसूर्याग्निनेत्रं च बद्धपिङ्गजटाधरं

नागाभरणसंभूषं नागयग्योपवीतिनं

व्याघ्रचर्मांबरधरं देवं भक्तानुकंपिनं

भस्मानुलेपिनं रुद्रं मृत्युञ्जयमिमं समरेत्

 candropariṣṭhātsaṃbaddhapadmāsanavirājitaṃ

candravarṇaṃ sravaddivyāmṛtacandrakalādharaṃ

yogamudraikasaṃbaddhādharahastadvayānvitaṃ

amṛtāpūrṇakanakakalaśāptakaradvayaṃ

somasūryāgninetraṃ ca baddhapiṅgajaṭādharaṃ

nāgābharaṇasaṃbhūṣaṃ nāgayagyopavītinaṃ

vyāghracarmāṃbaradharaṃ devaṃ bhaktānukaṃpinaṃ

bhasmānulepinaṃ rudraṃ mṛtyuñjayamimaṃ samaret

He is seated upon the moon orbit in the posture of padmāsana. (lotus posture) he bears a half moon on his crest from which the amruta leaks. His lower two hands are joined in a yogic posture. His upper two hands are holding golden pot filled with amruta. He has moon, sun and fire as his three eyes. He has long twisted locks of hair which are knotted. He wears serpents as his ornaments and a serpent as his sacred thread (yagyopavita) he wears tiger skin and is very kind to devotees. He wears the holy ash all over his body. Such rudra the mrutyunjaya should be remembered.

rudrāya  -  to rudra

 Rud - sorrow, pain, obstruct, disease, grief,

Dra-  to drive away

 रुत् दुखं दुखहेतुरज्ञानं च द्रावयतीति रुद्र:

rut dukhaṃ dukhahēturajñānaṃ ca drāvayatīti rudra:

 in vāyu samhitā

 रुद्दुखं दुखहेतुर्वा तद्द्रवयति न: प्रभु:

रुद्र इत्युच्यते तस्मात् शिव: परमकारणम्

 ruddukhaṃ dukhahēturvā taddravayati na: prabhu:

rudra ityucyatē tasmāt ṡiva: paramakāraṇam

rud means sorrow and the reason of sorrow. Lord drives it away and hence he is known as rudra. The lord rectifies the pain and also the reason for all pains which is ignorance. The lord blesses us with wisdom and permanently solves all our troubles.

 in harivamsha

 रुद्रो देवो रोदनाद्द्रावणाचच

rudrō dēvō rōdanāddrāvaṇācaca

The lord is named rudra for he makes us cry and he also because drives away pains.  It may be surprising that it is written that the lord makes us cry. We know about the limitless compassion and kindness of the lord but he also punishes us to correct our mistakes so he is said to make us cry.

Rudra the destroyer - a form of Shiva is also referred here.

रोदयत्यन्तकाले सर्वं इति रुद्र:

rōdayatyantakālē sarvaṃ iti rudra:

 rudra is one who destroys the worlds and gives death to beings in the end .

 सूर्यात्मा भगवान् देव: सर्वदेवविभूतिद:

रुद्र इत्युच्यते देवैर्भगवान् भुक्तिमुक्तिद:

- लैङ्गे

 sūryātmā bhagavān dēva: sarvadēvavibhūtida:

rudra ityucyatē dēvairbhagavān bhuktimuktida:

- laiṅgē

 Lord who is in the center of the sun who gives powers to all other gods is called as rudra by the gods. He is bhagavān. He is the giver of all kinds of comforts, joy and pleasures and liberation

रुजं द्रावयतीति रुद्र:

rujaṃ drāvayatīti rudra:

 One who drives away diseases is called rudra.

 The group of eleven rudras are also called as rudra ghana (collective rudras)

 They are shambhu, pinaaki, girisha, sthanu, bharga, sadaashiva, shiva, hara ,sharva ,kapaali, bhava as given in shaivagamas. Quoted in the book shri tatva nidhi.

 This name is praised in the Vedas

  नमस्ते रुद्र मन्यवे

namastē rudra manyavē

 रुद्र यतते दक्षिणं मुखं

rudra yatatē dakṣiṇaṃ mukhaṃ

 इमा रुद्राय

imā rudrāya

 रुद्राय तीरसदे नम:

rudrāya tīrasadē nama:

 nīlakaṇṭhāya – to nīlakaṇṭha

the blue necked lord

nīla – blue

Kanta - neck

One who has poison in his neck

One whose neck is decorated with the venom of hālāhala. The dark blue mark of the venom which would be generally considered ugly also adds elegance to him.

 śambhave  -  to shambhu

Sham means changeless bliss (eternal bliss). 

One who creates eternal bliss is shambhu.

Shambhu means shivamkara - one who does good. One who blesses with bliss, pleasance.

One who helps us attain sham - eternal bliss. One who directs us towards eternal bliss. One who is the primal source of eternal bliss. One who is the birth place of all goodness, pleasance and bliss.

One who is in the form of bliss or happiness we get. One who is the embodiment of eternal bliss.

Upanishads say that all kinds of happiness that we experience or feel are only a glimpse of the eternal happiness that is non dual to our own true self.

आनन्दं ब्रम्हणो रूपं

ānandaṃ bramhaṇō rūpaṃ 

eternal bliss is the form of brahman

आनन्द आत्मा

ānanda ātmā

Real self is eternal bliss.

 amṛteśāya – to amṛteśa

 the lord of the death stopping nectar of the gods. The lord of elixir which puts a stop to death.

 śarvāya –  to śarva

 One who destroys everything in the end.

 Sharva is one of the eight important forms of lord Shiva. This name is also praised in the Vedas in Aghora mahā mantra. He is the one who bears us in the form of earth.

 His name is praised in the Vedas.

 सर्वत: शर्वसर्वेभ्य:

sarvata: ṡarvasarvēbhya:

 Verse of contemplation of the form sharva as given in shritattvanidhi

 तिसृणांच पुरांहन्ता कृतान्तमदभन्जनः

खड्गपाणिस्तीक्ष्णदम्ष्ट्रः शर्वाख्योस्तु मुदे मम

tisṛṇāṃca purāṃhantā

kṛtāntamadabhanjanaḥ

khaḍgapāṇistīkṣṇadamṣṭraḥ

śarvākhyostu mude mama

 He who has destroyed the three cities, he who has destroyed the pride of Yama the god of death, he who holds a sword on his hand and have sharp fang like teeth, may that sharva be for my happiness.  

 mahādevāya - to mahādeva

 The greatest of the gods.

 Vedas praise this quality of Shiva.

 तमीश्वराणां परमं महेश्वरं तं देवतानां परमं च दैवतं

tamīṡvarāṇāṃ paramaṃ mahēṡvaraṃ taṃ dēvatānāṃ paramaṃ ca daivataṃ

The greatness of Shiva is that everyone (even the gods) worship him and he controls and commands everyone

 in sāmba purāna, his greatness is described.

 पूज्यते स सुरै: सर्वैर्महांश्चैव प्रमाणात:

धातुर्महेति पूजायां महादेवस्तत: स्मृत:

pūjyatē sa surai: sarvairmahāṃṡcaiva pramāṇāta:

dhāturmahēti pūjāyāṃ mahādēvastata: smṛta:

 He is worshiped by all the gods, the root word mahā means to worship and hence he is known as mahādēva.

 सहस्राक्षोयुताक्षो वा सर्वतोक्ष इवेक्षते

यच्च विश्वं महत्पाति महादेवस्ततस्मृत:

 sahasrākṣōyutākṣō vā sarvatōkṣa ivēkṣatē

yacca viṡvaṃ mahatpāti mahādēvastatasmṛta:

 He is the all-seeing eyes like he has thousand ten thousand or infinite eyes. He protects the whole universe and hence he is called Mahaadeva.

 This is the lord Shiva’s form which blesses is in the form of moon.

 आप्याययति यो नित्यं अमृतांशुर्निशाकर:

महादेवस्य सामूर्तिर्महादेव समाह्वया

- शिव पुराणे

āpyāyayati yō nityaṃ amṛtāṃṡurniṡākara:

mahādēvasya sāmūrtirmahādēva samāhvayā

- ṡiva purāṇē

 He who pleases us with his nectarous rays of light, that moon is of form of Shiva known by the name mahādēva

 This name is praised in the Vedas

 तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे महादेवाय धीमहि तन्नो रुद्र: प्रचोदयात्

tatpuruṣāya vidmahē mahādēvāya dhīmahi tannō rudra: pracōdayāt

 Verse of contemplation of mahādēva as given in devata murti prakaranam

 चित्रवस्त्रधरं देवं चित्रयग्योपवीतिनं

चित्ररूपं महेशानं चित्रैश्वर्यसमन्वितं

चतुर्बाहुं चैकवक्त्रं सर्वालङ्कारभूषितं

खड्गं चापं शरं खेटं शशाङ्ककृतशेखरं

 citravastradharaṃ devaṃ citrayagyopavītinaṃ

citrarūpaṃ maheśānaṃ citraiśvaryasamanvitaṃ

caturbāhuṃ caikavaktraṃ sarvālaṅkārabhūṣitaṃ

khaḍgaṃ cāpaṃ śaraṃ kheṭaṃ śaśāṅkakṛtaśekharaṃ

 The lord of the gods, the greatest of the lords, who has a wonderful appearance, wonderful powers, four hands and one head, he is adorned with all kinds of ornaments and decorations, is holding sword, bow, arrow, and shield. Bearing the moon on his crest.

 te – to you

 namah – salutation