Rudrashtadhyayi: Adhyaya 10 - Swasti-Prarthana (closing the text)
स्वस्तिप्रार्थनामन्त्राध्यायः
The tenth and final part of the Rudrashtadhyayi, the Swasti-Prarthana (prayer for well-being) - 13 mantras closing the entire ten-adhyaya text. Opens with the well-known "svasti na indro vriddhashravah" verse, includes the Panchabrahma mantras (Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora) and the Rudra Gayatri, repeats the great Shanti litany from Adhyaya 9 one final time, and closes with the book's own apology for any error in recitation and its dedication to Sambasadashiva. Note on numbering: like Adhyaya 9, this edition's structure table describes "12 mantras" but the scan shows 13 numbered mantras - flagged rather than silently resolved.
Sanskrit
हरिः ॐ स्व॒स्ति न॒ इन्द्रो॑ वृ॒द्धश्र॑वाः स्व॒स्ति नः॒ पूषा॒ विश्व॑वेदाः। स्व॒स्ति न॒स्तार्क्ष्यो॑ऽअरिष्टनेमिः स्व॒स्ति नो॒ बृह॒स्पति॑र्दधातु ॥१॥
Transliteration
hariḥ oṃ svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ | svasti nas tārkṣyo ariṣṭanemiḥ svasti no bṛhaspatir dadhātu ||1||
Translation
May Indra of great renown grant us well-being; may Pushan, knower of all, grant us well-being; may Tarkshya of the unbroken rim grant us well-being; may Brihaspati grant us well-being.
Deep Meaning
The final adhyaya opens with one of the most widely recited closing-prayers in Vedic tradition, asking for swasti - general well-being - from four powers in succession, the same structural method this book has used throughout.
Sanskrit
ॐ पयः॑ पृथि॒व्यां पय॒ऽओष॑धीषु॒ पयो॑ दि॒व्यन्त॑रिक्षे॒ पयो॑धाः। पय॑स्वतीः प्रदि॒शः स॑न्तु॒ मह्य॑म् ॥२॥ ॐ विष्णो॑रराट॒मसि॒ विष्णोः॒ श्नप्त्रे॒स्थो विष्णोः॒ स्यूर॑सि॒ विष्णो॑र्ध्रु॒वोऽसि। वैष्ण॑वमसि॒ विष्ण॑वे त्वा ॥३॥
Transliteration
oṃ payaḥ pṛthivyāṃ paya oṣadhīṣu payo divyantarikṣe payodhāḥ | payasvatīḥ pradiśaḥ santu mahyam ||2|| oṃ viṣṇor arāṭam asi viṣṇoḥ śnaptre stho viṣṇoḥ syūr asi viṣṇor dhruvo 'si | vaiṣṇavam asi viṣṇave tvā ||3||
Translation
Essence in the earth, essence in the herbs, essence-bearing in the divine atmosphere - may the directions be full of this essence for me (2). You are Vishnu's outer rail; you stand at Vishnu's binding-post; you are Vishnu's tie-beam; you are Vishnu's fixed pillar. You belong to Vishnu; to Vishnu I offer you (3).
Deep Meaning
Mantra 3 is drawn from the altar-construction verses of the Yajurveda, originally addressed to the physical timbers of a sacrificial post - its presence here, as elsewhere in this book, treats even technical ritual-construction language as worthy of inclusion in the closing prayer.
Sanskrit
ॐ अ॒ग्निर्दे॒वता॒ वातो॑ दे॒वता॒ सूर्यो॑ दे॒वता॒ चन्द्र॑मा दे॒वता॒ वस॑वो दे॒वता॒ रुद्रा॑ दे॒वता॒ऽऽआदि॒त्या दे॒वता॒ मरु॑तो दे॒वता॒ विश्वे॑ दे॒वा दे॒वता॒ बृह॒स्पति॑र्दे॒वते॒न्द्रो दे॒वता॒ वरु॑णो दे॒वता॑ ॥४॥
Transliteration
oṃ agnir devatā vāto devatā sūryo devatā candramā devatā vasavo devatā rudrā devatā ādityā devatā maruto devatā viśve devā devatā bṛhaspatir devatendro devatā varuṇo devatā ||4||
Translation
Agni is the deity, Vata is the deity, Surya is the deity, Chandrama is the deity, the Vasus are deities, the Rudras are deities, the Adityas are deities, the Maruts are deities, the Vishvedevas are deities, Brihaspati is deity, Indra is deity, Varuna is deity.
Deep Meaning
A roll-call of nearly every deity named throughout this entire book, assembled together one final time before the closing mantras turn specifically back to Rudra in his Panchabrahma forms.
Sanskrit
ॐ स॒द्योजा॑तं प्र॒पद्या॑मि स॒द्योजा॑ताय॒ वै नमो॒ नमः॑। भवे॑ भवे॒ नाति॑भवे॒ भव॑स्व॒ मां भवो॑द्भवाय॒ नमः॑ ॥५॥ वा॒म॒दे॒वाय॒ नमो॒ ज्येष्ठा॑य॒ नमः॒ श्रेष्ठा॑य॒ नमो॒ रुद्रा॑य॒ नमः॒ काला॑य॒ नमः॒ क॒ल॒वि॒क॒र॒णाय॒ नमो॑ ब॒ल॒वि॒क॒र॒णाय॒ नमो॒ बला॑य॒ नमो॑ ब॒ल॒प्र॒म॒थ॒नाय॒ नमः॒ सर्व॑भूतदमनाय॒ नमो॑ मनोन्मनाय॒ नमः॑ ॥६॥ अघो॑रेभ्योऽथ घो॒रेभ्यो॒ घोर॑घोरतरेभ्यः। सर्वे॑भ्यः सर्व॒शर्वे॑भ्यो॒ नम॑स्तेऽस्तु रु॒द्ररू॑पेभ्यः ॥७॥
Transliteration
oṃ sadyojātaṃ prapadyāmi sadyojātāya vai namo namaḥ | bhave bhave nātibhave bhavasva māṃ bhavodbhavāya namaḥ ||5|| vāmadevāya namo jyeṣṭhāya namaḥ śreṣṭhāya namo rudrāya namaḥ kālāya namaḥ kalavikaraṇāya namo balavikaraṇāya namo balāya namo balapramathanāya namaḥ sarvabhūtadamanāya namo manonmanāya namaḥ ||6|| aghorebhyo 'tha ghorebhyo ghoraghoratarebhyaḥ | sarvebhyaḥ sarvaśarvebhyo namas te 'stu rudrarūpebhyaḥ ||7||
Translation
I take refuge in Sadyojata; salutation, salutation to Sadyojata. In birth after birth, let me not fall into excessive becoming; be thus for me - salutation to Bhavodbhava (5). Salutation to Vamadeva, to Jyeshtha, to Shreshtha, to Rudra, to Kala, to Kalavikarana, to Balavikarana, to Bala, to Balapramathana, to Sarvabhutadamana, to Manonmana (6). To the not-terrible, and to the terrible, to those more terrible than the terrible; to all, to all the Sharva-forms - salutation be to your Rudra-forms (7).
Deep Meaning
The Panchabrahma mantras - Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, the five faces of Shiv facing each direction - appear here for a second time in this book (the first was within the broader puja-vidhi), confirming their place as a recurring, load-bearing element of the whole text rather than an isolated appearance.
Sanskrit
तत्पु॑रुषाय वि॒द्महे॑ म॒हादे॑वाय धीमहि। तन्नो॑ रु॒द्रः प्र॑चोदयात् ॥८॥
Transliteration
tat puruṣāya vidmahe mahādevāya dhīmahi | tan no rudraḥ pracodayāt ||8||
Translation
We seek to know that Purusha; we meditate on the great god. May that Rudra inspire our understanding.
Deep Meaning
The Rudra Gayatri - already familiar from the very first stotra on this site - appears here in its traditional place as part of the closing prayers of this entire 229-page book, tying its beginning and end together.
Sanskrit
ई॒शानः॒ सर्व॑विद्यानामी॒श्वरः॒ सर्व॑भूता॒नाम्। ब्र॒ह्माधि॑पति॒र्ब्रह्म॑णोऽधि॒पति॒र्ब्रह्मा॑ शि॒वो मे॒ऽअस्तु॒ सदा॑ शि॒वोऽम् ॥९॥
Transliteration
īśānaḥ sarvavidyānām īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānām | brahmādhipatir brahmaṇo 'dhipatir brahmā śivo me 'stu sadā śivo 'm ||9||
Translation
Ishana, lord of all knowledge, lord of all beings, overlord of Brahma, overlord of the Veda, himself Brahma - may that Shiv be, for me, the ever-auspicious one.
Deep Meaning
This verse too echoes the opening of the very first stotra on this site - the same declaration of Shiv as Ishana, overlord of all knowledge and all beings, placed here near the close of the Rudrashtadhyayi's own text.
Sanskrit
ॐ शि॒वो नामा॑सि स्व॒धितिः॑ ते॒ऽपि॒ता नम॑स्तेऽअस्तु॒ मामा॑हिꣳसीः। निव॑र्तयाम्या॒युषे॑ऽअन्ना॒द्याय॑ प्रज॒ननाय॒ रायस्पोषाय सु॒प्रजा॑स्त्वाय सु॒वीर्या॑य ॥१०॥
Transliteration
oṃ śivo nāmāsi svadhitiḥ te 'pitā namas te 'stu māmāhiṃsīḥ | nivartayāmy āyuṣe 'annādyāya prajananāya rāyas poṣāya suprajāstvāya suvīryāya ||10||
Translation
Shiv is your name; your blade is set down. Salutation to you - do not harm me. I turn this back, for long life, for food, for progeny, for the increase of wealth, for good offspring, for valour.
Deep Meaning
The mundan (tonsure) mantra, word-for-word identical to Adhyaya 6's closing mantra, appears here a second time - this book deliberately repeats its most important practical mantras at multiple closing points rather than treating each adhyaya as entirely self-contained.
Sanskrit
ॐ विश्वा॑नि देव सवितर्दुरि॒तानि॒ परा॑ सुव। यद्भ॒द्रं तन्न॒ऽआ सु॑व ॥११॥
Transliteration
oṃ viśvāni deva savitar duritāni parā suva | yad bhadraṃ tan na ā suva ||11||
Translation
O god Savitar, drive away all our misfortunes far off; bring to us whatever is auspicious.
Deep Meaning
A short, famous Savitar-verse recited independently at the close of many rites, asking for the simplest possible exchange: misfortune removed, good brought near.
Sanskrit
ॐ द्यौः॒ शान्ति॑र॒न्तरि॑क्षꣳ॒ शान्तिः॑ पृथि॒वी शान्ति॒रापः॒ शान्ति॒रोष॑धयः॒ शान्तिः॑। वन॒स्पत॑यः॒ शान्ति॒र्विश्वे॑देवाः॒ शान्ति॒र्ब्रह्म॒ शान्तिः॒ सर्वं॒ शान्तिः॒ शान्ति॑रे॒व शान्तिः॒ सा मा॒ शान्ति॒रेधि॑ ॥१२॥
Transliteration
oṃ dyauḥ śāntir antarikṣaṃ śāntiḥ pṛthivī śāntir āpaḥ śāntir oṣadhayaḥ śāntiḥ | vanaspatayaḥ śāntir viśvedevāḥ śāntir brahma śāntiḥ sarvaṃ śāntiḥ śāntir eva śāntiḥ sā mā śāntir edhi ||12||
Translation
Heaven is peace, the atmosphere is peace, the earth is peace, the waters are peace, the herbs are peace. The forest-trees are peace, all the gods are peace, Brahman is peace, everything is peace, peace alone is peace - may that peace abide in me.
Deep Meaning
The great Shanti litany returns here for a third time in the book (after Adhyaya 9 and the operative abhisheka mantras later in the puja-vidhi), confirmed directly against the scan as the same stock verse reused at every major structural close - not a transcription duplication but the book's own deliberate practice.
Sanskrit
ॐ सर्वे॑षां वा ए॒ष वेदा॑नां॒ रसो॒ यत्साम॒ सर्वे॑षामे॒वैन॑मे॒तद्वे॑दानां र॒सेना॑भिषिञ्चति ॥१३॥ ॐ शान्तिः॑ शान्तिः॑ शान्तिः॑। सु॒शान्ति॑र्भवतु। स॒र्वारि॑ष्टशान्ति॑र्भवतु। **॥ इति स्व॒स्ति॒प्रार्थ॑ना॒मन्त्रा॑ध्यायः ॥** **॥ इति रु॒द्राष्टा॑ध्यायी स॑मा॒प्ता ॥**
Transliteration
oṃ sarveṣāṃ vā eṣa vedānāṃ raso yat sāma sarveṣām evainam etad vedānāṃ rasenābhiṣiñcati ||13|| oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ | suśāntir bhavatu | sarvāriṣṭaśāntir bhavatu | iti svastiprārthanāmantrādhyāyaḥ || iti rudrāṣṭādhyāyī samāptā ||
Translation
This Sama is indeed the essence of all the Vedas; with this very essence of the Vedas, it anoints them all (13). Peace, peace, peace. May there be good peace. May there be peace from all misfortune. Thus ends the Swasti-Prarthana adhyaya. Thus the Rudrashtadhyayi is complete.
Deep Meaning
The final numbered mantra of the entire book identifies the Samaveda as the distilled essence of all four Vedas - the book's own Hindi commentary links this directly to the Gita's "vedanam samavedo 'smi" (among the Vedas, I am the Samaveda) - before the triple Shanti and the book's own colophon formally close the ten-adhyaya text.
Sanskrit
य॒द॒क्ष॒र॒प॒द॒भ्रष्टं॒ मात्रा॑हीन॒ञ्च॒ यद्भ॑वेत्। तत्सर्वं॒ क्ष॒म्यतां॑ देव॒ प्रसी॑द परमेश्वर॥ अ॒ने॒न कृ॒तेन॒ श्रीरु॑द्राभिषेककर्मणा श्रीभवानीशङ्करमहारुद्रः प्रीयताम्, न मम। ॐ श्रीसाम्बसदाशिवार्पणमस्तु॥
Transliteration
yad akṣarapadabhraṣṭaṃ mātrāhīnaṃ ca yad bhavet | tat sarvaṃ kṣamyatāṃ deva prasīda parameśvara || anena kṛtena śrī rudrābhiṣekakarmaṇā śrī bhavānīśaṅkaramahārudraḥ prīyatām, na mama | oṃ śrīsāmbasadāśivārpaṇam astu ||
Translation
Whatever syllable or word has been dropped, whatever measure has been deficient - may all of that be forgiven, O god; be gracious, Supreme Lord. By this act of Rudrabhisheka performed, may Bhavani-Shankara, the Great Rudra, be pleased - not for my sake alone. Om, may this be offered to Sri Sambasadashiva.
Deep Meaning
The book's own final words are not a boast of completion but an apology - a direct acknowledgement that any recitation of a text this long and this demanding will likely contain some error, asked to be forgiven, before the entire effort is dedicated away from the reciter's own benefit and offered to Shiv alone. This is the true closing of the Rudrashtadhyayi's ten-adhyaya text, after which the book continues with the back half of its puja-vidhi (Rudrabhisheka procedure) rather than more recitation proper.