Sri Rudram hymn is an invocation to Lord Siva.  Sri Rudram consists of two parts, namely, Namakam and Chamakam. Namakam sings the glory of Lord Siva and Chamakam is requesting the Lord to grant the devotee materialistic and spiritual grace so that he/she can elevate himself/herself and serve Lord’s creation in this universe. Each of Namakam and Chamakam consists of 11 chapters called “Anuvakams”.

• Routine chanting of Sri Rudram is called “Roopam” and consists of chanting the Namakam once followed by chanting the Chamakam once.
• Eleven recitations of Namakam followed by one recitation of Chamakam are called “Ekadasa Rudram”.
• Eleven rounds of Ekadasa Rudram chanting constitute a “Laghu Rudram”.
• Eleven rounds of Laghu Rudram chanting constitutes a “Maha Rudram”, and
• Eleven rounds of MahaRudram chanting constitute an “Ati Rudram”.

If 11 devotees chant Ekadasa Rudram simultaneously that would result in completing a Laghu Rudram. If 121 Ritviks chant Ekadasa Rudram simultaneously that would result in completing a MahaRudram. Typically, a MahaRudram is completed in 1 day resulting in the chanting of the Rudram 1331 (121×11) times.  If a MahaRudram is repeated for 11 days then we would have completed an Ati Rudram during which the Sri Rudram would have been chanted a total of 14,641 (121×121) times.

Amma has said that Vedic mantras are in the cosmos and predate ALL religions as we know them today.    Sri Rudram is the centerpiece of the entire Veda and represents their “core.”   According to Sanatana Dharma, Sri Rudram has the power to attract “divine positive energy” (which literally means “Siva”) for the benefit of the practitioner, his or her household, the world, and the universe at large. Vedic chanting, Sri Rudram in particular, is open to anyone who wants to learn and/or listen to these cosmic sounds.  Amma told us during the temple tour that the cosmic sound embodied in the Vedas is the manifestation of God’s physical form.  The beauty of Vedic chanting is that you don’t have to know the meaning of the words; it is the tone and rhythm that are important and which help guide us from darkness to light.

Chanting the Sri Rudram is called Rudra Parayanam.  Ati Rudram Maha Yajna consists of performing a fire ceremony (Homa) while chanting the Sri Rudram.  In the Ati Rudram Maha Yajna we will have 11 Homa Kundas (pits). Each Homa Kunda will have 11 priests or Vedic scholars (called Ritviks) sitting around the Kunda and offering sacred holy items (collectively referred to as Samagri) and Ghee (clarified butter) into the Homa fire.  There will be a head Homa Kunda, where Amma will also be chanting the Sri Rudram and performing the Homa along with the head priest.  Simultaneously and in perfect unison the 121 Ritviks will chant the Sri Rudram and perform the Homa. Each Ritvik will complete an Ekadasa Homa in one sitting lasting about 3 hours. Thus, a MahaRudra Homa would have been completed. When this MahaRudra Homa is repeated for 11 consecutive days, it results in the completion of the AtiRudram Maha Yajnam.

Chanting Sri Rudram purifies the individual at all levels including the body, mind, and the intellect. Purification of the self leads to peace within and unity with the creation and the creator, and ultimately leads to realizing the divinity within ourselves and in the entire creation. The energy emanating from the continuous chanting of Sri Rudram for 11 consecutive days and the healing powers of the holy smoke arising from the Homa Kundas are indescribable. The power of the Rudra mantras removes darkness and brings light into one’s life. The abhishekam milk and the energized holy kalasa waters can help cure sickness and ill-health.

• 11 Homa Kundas will be setup for the sacred fire ceremony, along with Amma’s main Homa Kunda.
• Each Homa Kunda will have 1 Priest and 10 Ritviks who are fluent in chanting Sri Rudram.  Thus there will be 121 Homa kartas combined around the 11 Homa Kundas.
• Amma will perform the Homa at the main Homa Kunda along with the chief priest.
• Daily event will start with Rudra abhishekam of SivaLingam by Amma.
• Abhishekam will be followed by Ekadasa Rudra Homam (sacred fire ceremony) by the 121 Homa kartas.
• On each of the 11 days, the daily event will start at 8 AM and conclude around 1 PM followed by lunch prasadam.
• There will be dance and music offering and evening worship including Lalita Sahasranama, bhajans, and satsang.
• Grand finale will be on the 11th day.  The 11th day festivities will be limited to only the morning program and is expected to conclude by 3 PM. In addition to the Rudra Homa, Chandi Homa will also be performed on the 11th day to balance the energies.

The milk from the abhishekam will be distributed to all the devotees every day.  Water from the holy Indian rivers will be brought in and energized during the Homa and will be made available to the devotees at the conclusion of the 11-day program.

AMMA WILL BE PRESENT FOR THE DURATION OF THE THIS DIVINE EVENT. WHAT A BOON TO BE IN AMMA’S PRESENCE FOR 11 CONSECUTIVE DAYS!IT IS ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF AN ATI RUDRAM MAHA YAJNAM, SO PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND PLAN TO ATTEND THIS UNIQUE EVENT.AS AMMA HAS ALWAYS SUGGESTED, WEARING WHITE CLOTHES ENHANCES THE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE ONE GETS FROM A HOMA.