Rudrashtadhyayi: Adhyaya 7 - Jata
जटा
The seventh adhyaya of the Rudrashtadhyayi, Jata, with the Maruts (storm-gods) as its devata. Seven mantras built around a striking image: each of several Rudra-forms is offered a specific organ or tissue of the body, before the final mantras generalise this into offerings of every bodily element and every stage of human striving and suffering. This adhyaya's closing verses also appear independently in antyeshti (funeral) rites.
Sanskrit
हरिः ॐ उ॒ग्रश्च॑ भी॒मश्च॒ वर्ध्वा॑न्तश्च धु॒निश्च॑। सास॑ह्वाꣳश्चाभि॑युग्वा च॑ विक्षि॒पश्च॒ स्वाहा॑ ॥१॥
Transliteration
hariḥ oṃ ugraś ca bhīmaś ca vardhvāntaś ca dhuniś ca | sāsahvāṃś cābhiyugvā ca vikṣipaś ca svāhā ||1||
Translation
To Ugra, to Bhima, to Vardhvanta and to Dhuni; to Sasahva, to Abhiyugva and to Vikshipa - svaha.
Deep Meaning
The adhyaya opens by naming the seven Maruts directly by name, each receiving the oblation-word svaha - Jata ("matted hair") names this chapter for the storm-wildness these seven embody.
Sanskrit
अ॒ग्निꣳ हृद॑येनाश॒निꣳ हृद॑याग्रेण पशु॒पतिं॒ कृ॒त्स्न॒हृद॑येन॒ भवꣳ॒ यकृ॑ता। शर्वं॑ म॒त्स्नाभ्या॒मीशा॑नं॒ मन्त्यु॑ना महा॒देवं॒ पार्श्व्ये॑नो॒ग्रं दे॒वं व॒निष्ठु॑ना वसि॒ष्ठं ह॑नु॒भ्यां शिङ्गिणी॒ कोश्या॑भ्याम् ॥२॥
Transliteration
agniṃ hṛdayenāśaniṃ hṛdayāgreṇa paśupatiṃ kṛtsnahṛdayena bhavaṃ yakṛtā | śarvaṃ matsnābhyām īśānaṃ mantyunā mahādevaṃ pārśvyeno graṃ devaṃ vaniṣṭhunā vasiṣṭhaṃ hanubhyāṃ śiṅgiṇī kośyābhyām ||2||
Translation
Agni by the heart, Ashani by the heart's tip, Pashupati by the whole heart, Bhava by the liver; Sharva by the two kidneys, Ishana by the inner anger, Mahadeva by the ribs, the fierce god by the rectum, Vasishtha by the two jaws, the twin Shingi-deities by the heart's sheaths.
Deep Meaning
A sequence of deities is paired with specific organs of the body - the heart, liver, kidneys, ribs. The book's own footnote here (cited from the Mahanarayana Upanishad) is explicit that this is not literal anatomical sacrifice: "I offer myself to myself" - the worshipper's whole being, named organ by organ, offered as Brahman to Brahman.
Sanskrit
उ॒ग्रꣳ लो॑हि॒तेन॑ मि॒त्रꣳ सौव्र॑त्येन रु॒द्रं दौव्र॑त्येने॒न्द्रं परा॑क्रमेण म॒रुतो॑ ब॒लेन॒ साध्या॑न्प्र॒मुदा॑। भव॑स्य क॒ण्ठाद्रु॑द्रस्यान्तः पार्श्व्यं महादेव॒स्य य॑कृ॒च्छर्व॑स्य व॒निष्ठुः॑ पशु॒पतेः॑ पुरी॒तत् ॥३॥
Transliteration
ugraṃ lohitena mitraṃ sauvratyena rudraṃ dauvratyenendraṃ parākrameṇa maruto balena sādhyān pramudā | bhavasya kaṇṭhād rudrasyāntaḥ pārśvyaṃ mahādevasya yakṛc charvasya vaniṣṭhuḥ paśupateḥ purītat ||3||
Translation
Ugra by blood, Mitra by good conduct, Rudra by harsh conduct, Indra by valour, the Maruts by strength, the Sadhyas by joy. Bhava by the throat, Rudra by the inner ribs, Mahadeva by the liver, Sharva by the rectum, Pashupati by the heart-membrane.
Deep Meaning
The organ-offering sequence continues and widens, now pairing deities with qualities (valour, strength, joy) as well as body-parts, before returning to a second round of throat, ribs, liver and rectum offerings to the Bhava-Rudra-Mahadeva-Sharva-Pashupati group named throughout this book.
Sanskrit
लो॒म॒भ्यः स्वाहा॒ लो॒म॒भ्यः स्वाहा॒ त्व॒चे स्वाहा॒ त्व॒चे स्वाहा॑ लोहि॒ताय॒ स्वाहा॑ लोहि॒ताय॒ स्वाहा॑ मे॒दोभ्यः॑ स्वाहा॒ मे॒दोभ्यः॑ स्वाहा॒ मां॒से॒भ्यः स्वाहा॒ मां॒से॒भ्यः स्वाहा॒ स्नाव॑भ्यः स्वाहा॒ स्नाव॑भ्यः स्वाहाऽस्थ॑भ्यः स्वाहाऽस्थ॑भ्यः स्वाहा म॒ज्जभ्यः॑ स्वाहा म॒ज्जभ्यः॑ स्वाहा॒ रेत॑से स्वाहा॒ पाय॑वे स्वाहा ॥४॥
Transliteration
lomabhyaḥ svāhā lomabhyaḥ svāhā tvace svāhā tvace svāhā lohitāya svāhā lohitāya svāhā medobhyaḥ svāhā medobhyaḥ svāhā māṃsebhyaḥ svāhā māṃsebhyaḥ svāhā snāvabhyaḥ svāhā snāvabhyaḥ svāhāsthabhyaḥ svāhāsthabhyaḥ svāhā majjabhyaḥ svāhā majjabhyaḥ svāhā retase svāhā pāyave svāhā ||4||
Translation
Oblation to the hairs, oblation to the hairs; to the skin, to the skin; to the blood, to the blood; to the fat, to the fat; to the flesh, to the flesh; to the sinews, to the sinews; to the bones, to the bones; to the marrow, to the marrow; to the seed; to the organ of excretion.
Deep Meaning
The organ-by-organ offering of the previous two mantras now becomes total and systematic - every single tissue of the body, named twice over for emphasis, is offered in turn. The book's own commentary frames this as complete self-surrender ("your own thing, O Govinda, I offer back to you alone"), not a literal rite.
Sanskrit
आ॒यासा॑य॒ स्वाहा॑ प्रायासाय॑ स्वाहा॒ सं॒यासा॑य स्वाहा॒ वि॒यासा॑य॒ स्वाहोद्यासा॑य स्वाहा। शु॒चे स्वाहा॒ शोच॑ते स्वाहा॒ शोच॑मानाय॒ स्वाहा॒ शोका॑य॒ स्वाहा॑ ॥५॥
Transliteration
āyāsāya svāhā prāyāsāya svāhā saṃyāsāya svāhā viyāsāya svāhodyāsāya svāhā | śuce svāhā śocate svāhā śocamānāya svāhā śokāya svāhā ||5||
Translation
Oblation to exertion, to excessive exertion, to restraint, to separation, to striving-forth. Oblation to purity, to the one grieving, to the one in grief, to grief itself.
Deep Meaning
The offering shifts from the physical body to inner, emotional states - effort, restraint, separation, grief - all equally named and equally offered, nothing held back as unworthy of being given over.
Sanskrit
त॒र्पसे॑ स्वाहा॒ तप्य॑ते स्वाहा॒ तप्य॑मानाय॒ स्वाहा॒ तप्ता॑य॒ स्वाहा॒ घ॒र्माय॒ स्वाहा॒ निष्कृ॑त्यै॒ स्वाहा॑ प्रायश्चि॒त्त्यै स्वाहा॑ भेष॒जाय॒ स्वाहा॑ ॥६॥
Transliteration
tarpase svāhā tapyate svāhā tapyamānāya svāhā taptāya svāhā gharmāya svāhā niṣkṛtyai svāhā prāyaścittyai svāhā bheṣajāya svāhā ||6||
Translation
Oblation to austerity, to the one undergoing austerity, to the one being made ardent, to the one made ardent, to ritual heat, to atonement, to expiation, to healing medicine.
Deep Meaning
Continuing the same pattern, the offering now moves through the stages of tapas (austerity) itself - from undertaking it, through its heat, to the atonement and healing that follow.
Sanskrit
य॒माय॒ स्वाहाऽन्त॑काय॒ स्वाहा॒ मृत्य॑वे॒ स्वाहा॒ ब्रह्म॑णे॒ स्वाहा॑ ब्रह्महत्या॑यै॒ स्वाहा॒ विश्वे॑भ्यो दे॒वेभ्यः॑ स्वाहा॒ द्यावा॑पृथि॒वीभ्यां॒ स्वाहा॑ ॥७॥
Transliteration
yamāya svāhāntakāya svāhā mṛtyave svāhā brahmaṇe svāhā brahmahatyāyai svāhā viśvebhyo devebhyaḥ svāhā dyāvāpṛthivībhyāṃ svāhā ||7||
Translation
Oblation to Yama, to Antaka, to Mrityu, to Brahma, to the sin of killing a Brahmin, to all the gods, to heaven and earth.
Deep Meaning
The closing mantra of Adhyaya 7 confronts death directly by name - Yama, Antaka, Mrityu, three names for the same reality - before widening the offering outward one final time to all the gods and to heaven and earth together, closing the Jata adhyaya.