Rudrashtakam for Pitru and Daivik Shraap Relief

The speaker says that when hardship comes into life, people wander from place to place looking for its cause: what deed of theirs brought these events and accidents, and the troubles in the family, whether financial, social or physical. He says that in this search, either on one's own or through someone else, it sometimes comes out that the household deities are displeased, or that some deity's wrath (deva-dosha) has fallen because the person or a family member committed a grave offence: a murti dosha, a murti that was broken, or one that was insulted. Because of this, he says, the deity, that is the shakti, is displeased; their wrath is on the person's life, and that wrath is the reason for the troubles. He says that if one comes to know which deity it is, which shakti, and what the trouble is, then their seva and puja can of course be done. But very often, he says, this is not known, or the person never finds out at all. He says that if someone has been doing many remedies and pujas in life and still feels somewhere in their heart that some dosha remains which is not being calmed, then for the pacifying of that dosha they should do the Prayoga he describes in the rest of the talk.

The speaker says the Uttarkand of Shri Ramcharitmanas describes Kakbhushundi ji, a most excellent sadhak and devotee, doing Japa of Bhagwan Shiva's name in a Shiva temple, when his Guru arrived there. He says the same thing happens in our own lives. One is seated in japa or puja and some very learned, elevated person arrives, or one's own guru arrives; then the difficulty comes of having to think whether to leave the puja at that moment and offer them pranam or not. He says it is one thing if one is in dhyana and simply does not notice; but if one does see them come, the question stands whether to bow and honour them or not. He says this is exactly the episode here: Kakbhushundi, under the sway of pride (AbhimanaSpiritual pride or ego over one's own accomplishment — boastful declarations of invincibility or severe penance are treated as a sign that true attainment is actually absent, since Abhimana itself obstructs further progress.), did not offer pranam. His guru, being of a very simple, calm and compassionate nature, was not affected at all. But Bhagwan Sadashiv did not let it go. Shiva said that Kakbhushundi's sadguru is compassionate and will not be angry with him, but that this is against niti: if one's guru comes and one does not honour him, that is a violation of the niti the Vedas have laid down, and by this the Vedic path would be corrupted. The speaker adds that it is also said that those who envy their guru lie in hell for crores of yugas, then take birth as animals and birds and suffer for thousands of years and thousands of births; therefore one must not bear hatred toward one's guru. Shiva then said: sit before your guru like a python (ajgar), or attain a degraded state. Such was the Shraap he gave. He says that when Kakbhushundi's guru heard of this curse, it pained him greatly that Bhagwan Sadashiv had cursed his disciple; gurus are like this, he says, and there was much remorse and sorrow in his heart for his disciple. In that state, the guru composed a praise of Bhagwan Sadashiv, recorded in the Uttarkand of the Ramcharitmanas, which is called the Rudrashtakam: a stuti made through eight mantras of Rudra, the one heard as "Namami Shamishan Nirvana Rupam".

The speaker says that if any such dosha exists in one's life, for instance one did not bow to a learned person out of pride and their wrath fell on one, this happens very often. He gives further cases: many times some insult to the ancestors happens in the course of some situation (Pitru Dosha); or one went to a pilgrimage place, did not even know which deities are there, did not bow to them, and a dosha attached there through that disrespect. In these ways, he says, many doshas attach knowingly and unknowingly. For the removal of all of these, he says, one should recite the Rudrashtakam. He says that with its recitation these doshas, daivik doshas in particular, are relieved, whether they relate to Upadevata, to deities, or to the shaktis of some specific place who, in anger, gave some curse; from that one obtains release, and the dosha is pacified.

Asked how the paath should be done, the speaker says it can be started on any monthly Shivratri, on Mahashivratri, or on any day in Shravan. He says the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. for this Rudrashtakam recitation must specifically be taken in these words: for the pacifying of every kind of daivik dosha, for the pacifying of the anger of every kind of deity and Upadevata, I take the sankalp to recite the Rudrashtakam ("le raha hoon" or "le rahi hoon"). This, he says, is what one must say. He says that even if one recites the eight mantras of the Rudrashtakam only once, one AkshatUnbroken raw rice grains, held in hand along with water and flowers while taking a Sankalpa. is to be offered to Shiva ji with each mantra; so one should have eight akshat, and after reading each mantra one grain is dedicated to Shiva. If there is a ShivlingThe aniconic form of Lord Shiva worshipped at home and in temples. at home, offer it on the shivling; if a photo, on the photo; if one has a shri Vigreh, on that. On timing, he says to keep the paath either in the morning or at Godhuli BelaThe evening twilight period around dusk, traditionally favoured for Akarshana (attraction) rites. in the evening. One lamp is lit, and one sits in the ordinary clothes one normally wears when sitting for puja. He says that if one does more than one paath, up to five, that is most excellent, and that if the suffering is quite intense this should be done. He says that if one has grown tired doing remedy after remedy and never found out, then whether it is a deva-dosha will not be found out either; whatever is written to be endured will have to be endured. But when one does this, he says, there will be a reduction in the deva dosha and a reduction in the deities' anger.

The speaker says Shiva calms everyone; if one takes refuge in him through the Rudrashtakam for this purpose, one will benefit immensely. He says there are also many vidhi-vidhan of the hymn through which other and different kinds of wellbeing come about. He says it has several effects in jyotish too: for example, if RahuThe shadow graha of the ascending node, associated with occult affliction and sudden reversal.'s influence is on, or a Rahu MahadashaIn jyotish, the long governing period of a single planet within a life, during which that planet's results predominate. is running, it works quite well at that time as well, and one may do it for that purpose. But he says that if one uses it specifically for the pacifying of deva-dosha, one will gain the greatest benefit.