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Rudrashtakam (Sanskrit: रुद्राष्टकम्, Rudrāṣṭakam) is a Sanskrit devotional composition to Rudra, an epithet of Shiva. It was composed by the Hindu Bhakti poet Tulsidas (Sanskrit: तुलसीदास). Tulsidas composed this prayer in the late fifteenth century in what is now Uttar Pradesh and created many other literary pieces including the magnum opus Ramcharitmanas.

Rudrashtakam appears in the Uttara Kand of the Ramcharitmanas, where the sage Lomasha composed the hymn to propitiate Shiva. His main purpose was to set his pupil free from the curse of Shiva. He succeeded and asked also a second favour; that in the next life, his pupil would be the bird, Kakabhushundi, a devotee of Rama and an excellent teller of the life story of Rama.

This is composed in Bhujangaprayāt chhanda and Jagati meter which consists of 12 letters in each of the four stages having only YAGANA four times in single verse consists of 48 letters.^{[clarification needed]}

Poetry

The term "Astakam" is derived from the Sanskrit word aṣṭan, meaning "eight". An astakam is made up of eight stanzas.

In Rudrashtakam, each stanza is written in Jagati meter, and hence contains 48 syllables per stanza. Each line is written in the Bhujangaprayāt chhand, containing four groups of light-heavy-heavy syllables (।ऽऽ ।ऽऽ ।ऽऽ ।ऽऽ).

An astakam belong to the genre of lyric poetry, which tends to be short, extremely melodic, and contemplative. It reflects and portrays the poet's own feelings, states of mind, and perceptions about the theme or character in the Astakam.

Context

The Rudrashtakam narrates the qualities and deeds of Rudra.

The body of the Rudrashtakam includes many qualities, attributes and motifs associated with Shiva, including the destruction of Tripura, the annihilation of Kamadeva, etc. These symbols and motifs related to the life and deeds of Rudra.

Text

See Sanskrit for details of pronunciation.