The Sri Rudram is one of the holiest chants in the Veda. It expounds a sophisticated understanding of God, Īśvara as immanent and transcendental . All that is here in the universe is non-separate from its cause —Īśvara. Everything that is present and everything that comes to light borrows its presence and sentience from Īśvara. The air that we breathe, the sun that lights up the sky, the cool light of the moon, are all manifestations of Īśvara. The entire universe is nothing but Īśvara, but Īśvara, being limitless is not any one thing in universe. Understanding Īśvara in this manner, it is easy to see that Īśvara pervades everything including one’s own body-mind-sense complex. One is never away from Īśvara —in fact, one is Īśvara. Listening to this meaning of this hymn reduces and eliminates the sense of alienation and disconnection that one feels from the Universe, from one’s fellow-beings, and from Īśvara. This oneness is the essence of the vision of Vedanta, gaining which one is free from saṃsāra manifest as sorrow and fear.
