Shata Rudra is a hundred cyclic repetition of one rudra unit.
What Is One Rudra Unit?
One rudra unit passage is defined as – the repetition, as per the prescribed rules, of two units of Krishna Yajurveda – Taittiriya Samhita – fourth Vaisvadeva Kanda, the first unit, starting with ‘om namo bhagavate rudraya – om Namaste rudra manyava uitota – (total eleven sections, characteristically having the repetition of namo; hence called as namaka section – ending with ‘tam vo jambhe dadhami’; coupled with the second unit-passage starting with ‘om agnavishnu sajosa sema” (eleven sections in all, charactersically having the repetition of ‘ca me’; and hence called as camaka, section – ending with ‘bhuvanasca bhuvanasadhipatisca.” This is called one unit of rudra for the purpose of japa, homa and worship.
The first unit passage (eleven sections of namaka) is recited first, and then the first section of the second passage (camaka) is recited. Then all the eleven sections of namaka are recited again.
On the second repetition, the second passage of camaka is recited.
Similarly, by the time the eleventh passage of camaka is recited, all the eleven sections of namaka would have been recited eleven times.
Then the last portions of namaka and camaka units are finally recited for the completion of one cycle of the recitation of these Vedic passages. On such cycle (eleven repetitions of namaka for one cycle of the camaka) is called one basic unit of rudra, though it is called as ‘sata’ technically one hundred cycles.
The actual repetitions would be eleven times eleven, i.e, one hundred and twenty one units.
Bibliography
- Satarudriya: Vibhuti or Shiva’s Iconography (2004) C Sivaramamurti – Abhinav Publications New Delhi
- Encyclopedia of Hinduism Volume IX page 310 – 311