Shiva is Supreme.  The concept of Shiva cannot be explained in a nut shell and it needs a through and detailed study. Rudra, Shiva, Mahadeva, Sadhashiva, and Bhairava are the popular names of Shiva.  There are various interpretations for Shiva.  We will discuss all these aspects and try to understand Shiva, the Supreme.

Brahma the creator did penance with a desire to create.  But nothing materialized for Brahma.  He got angry and started crying.  From his tears appeared deadly snakes.  Brahma got upset on seeing these snakes and lost his senses and ultimately died.  From the body of Brahma appeared 11 Rudras. They are calledeka dasa(eleven) Rudras. The name Rudra is formed out of ru and dru.  Ru means cry and dru means move.  Therefore Rudra means roaming around crying. This explanation is given in puranas.  But Upanishads give different interpretation.  The eleven Rudras represent ten sensory organs in the human body and eleventh Rudra is mind says Brhadaranyaka Upanishad.  This explanation seems to be logical. There is yet another explanation for Rudra which says he is the remover of misery. Dru also means dissolve or melt and ru also means fear.  This meaning also appears to be appropriate.  Rudran removes all miseries of men.  This is the reason for performingeka dasa rudram.  Eka dasa Rudram names 11 Rudras.  They are – 1. Shivan, 2.Rudran, 3.Shankaran, 4. Neelalohithan, 5. Ishanan, 6.Vijayan, 7.Bhiman, 8.Devadevan, 9.Bavothbhavan, 10.Adhityamaka Rudran and 11. Sambha Parameshwaran.

In Krishna Yajur Veda kanda (chapter) IV, chapter 5 anuvakas 1 to 11 praise Lord Rudra and this IV.5 is called Rudram.  The recitation of Rudram 11 times is calledeka dasarudra parayana.  This chapter is also callednamakam, because the wordnamais used several times in Sri Rudram.  The recitation of Rudram is very popular in India.  Chanting of Rudram is supposed to prevent untimely death.  In the middle of kanda IV, chapter 5 the mantra of Lord Shiva is placed. This mantra is calledpanchaksharami.epancha(five) +aksharam(letters) or five lettered mantra.Na + ma +shi + va +ya=namashivayais the mantra.

Rudra is said to supply force for the creation of Brahma.  Brahma is the lord of creation, Vishnu the sustainer and Shiva the destroyer.  Destroyer is not the apt word to describe Rudra.  Rudra does not like anybody acting against rules and regulations.  If somebody does, Rudra does not hesitate to destroy them.  It is wrong to say that He kills a person who unknowingly commits mistakes.  He only destroys the thought and energy for committing mistakes.  If he is the killer, nobody will recite Rudram, whereas it has become a ritual to chanteka dasaRudramduring birthdays of elderly persons.  The chanting of Sri Rudram removes all evil energies.  It is firmly believed that when chanted, the energy generated out of the words of Sri Rudram drives away the lord of death Yama.  The exact interpretation for this is that a person may not have a premature death like accidents or injury.  However, every one of us has to ultimately die. There is one verse calledmritunja mantram(mrityumeans death) in Sri Rudram beginning withtryambagam

Sri Rudram has 11 anuvakas.  Anuvakas can be called as stanzas. There is no relevance between the names of 11 Rudras and the 11 anuvakas.  Let us briefly look into the interpretation of Sri Rudram.

It begins with salutation to Rudra's arrow and his bow.  It is said that these arms of Rudra are auspicious and give happiness and blessings.Shivamamongst other things means blessings. He dwells in a mountain called Kailash or Maha Kailash (Maha Kailasa nilaya – Lalitha Sahasranamam 578).  Maha Kailasam means top head chakra or sahasrara.  He guides one's speech.  His neck is blue in color due to the swallowing of poison.  On seeing Him swallowing poison, His consort held Her hand in His throat to prevent the poison entering His system (humanity).  Here the poison means the worldly attachments.  Rudra in his prakasha form prevents the poison of material attachments percolating into the humanity.  Obeisance is paid to Him to give right frame of mind and for protection against diseases.  Here disease means disease of our mind and action.  He is also prayed for wealth and knowledge.  He is calledsatvanam, the lord for people with satvic (one of the three gunas) qualities.

He is called the killer of enemies.  Enemies mean our inner qualities such as greed, anger etc.  He is prayed to destroy such undesirable qualities.  He is called a thief as He steals the hearts of His devotees. He is in the heart of everybody, irrespective of a person being a thief.  He is in the form of Atman and exists everywhere and thieves cannot be an exception.Taskaraanaammeans thieves.  Then, permeating qualities of Rudra is expressed.  The attendants of Rudra are praised.  Rudra is calledBhavameaning exists everywhere.Bhairavaoriginated from the wordBhava.  Rudra is saluted as the lord who destroys sins.  Rudra is addressed asvamanaan incarnation of lord Vishnu.  In another verse he is praised by saying that he is old in age whose glory is enhanced.  This epithet is a clear indication that we gain knowledge as we grow old.  He is calledprathamayameaning the first, possibly first created.  As a matter of fact nobody has created him.  He has created himself. In Sanskrit He is calledaathiandanaathi.  Vimarsha form of Shiva created the prakasha form of Shakthi.  Rudra is also called as the controller of Yama, the lord of death.  He is present in all the mantras.  It can be recalled here that all the tantra sastra are in the form of teachings by Shiva to Shakthi.  To substantiate this theory Rudra is calledbilmameaning illumination.  He is praised as the one in the form ofshrutha.  Shruthi means Vedas.

His trishul (trident), drum, bow and arrow are considered auspicious and rich tributes are paid to them.  He is also worshiped as the lord of rain.  When there is drought, Rudra is invoked and Sri Rudram chanted for getting rain.  Kanda IV, chapter 5, auvaka 8, verse 11 saysnama shivaya cha shivataraya cha.  This is thepanchakshari mantra.  In this mantra Shiva is invoked as auspicious form ofParamatmanor the Absolute.  The Absolute is the combination of prakasha and vimarsha forms.   In the whole of Sri Rudram, Shiva is invoked in every form beginning with grass to the form of the Absolute. As a matter of fact, he is worshiped even in dust.  Rudra gives two aspects of life; one is materialistic pleasures and another jnana or knowledge.  Here knowledge means self realization or the knowledge of the Brahman within.  Rudra is also worshiped to protect our parents.Pitaram mota mataramsays Sri Rudram.  Rudra is said to be vital force for any living being and the cause for evolution.  He makes everyone to progress.  He makes everyone to think about this moment and the life after death.  He does not encourage people to think about the past and the future.  Rudra wants cleanliness of both body and mind.  Sri Rudram ends by worshipping Him in all the directions and with a plea to destroy enemies.  Enemies should not be taken in literal sense.  Enemies are the materialistic pleasures and attachments that go against the path of Self-realization.