Rudra was formed in mid-1992 as a trio, then made up of Kathir (bass, vocals), Shiva (drums) and Bala (guitar). It was then known as Rudhra. A fourth member, Selvam, was recruited to supplement Bala on guitar. With this line-up they released a 4-track demo, The Past, in 1994. Prior to this release, Rudhra was also featured in a few underground death metal compilation albums with Singaporean underground metal bands.
In early 1996, the band had a hiatus and the members were involved in separate bands. Towards the end of 1996, Kathir decided to resurrect Rudhra with a slight alteration to its name; thus Rudra (the most common English transliteration for the Sanskrit word) was born. Kathir teamed up with Shiva and started work in the studio, soon to be joined by Bala and Alvin Chua to complete the line up before recording the self-titled debut album in late 1997, which was released in June 1998. The band played a couple of gigs and also starting work on new material. The band replaced its two guitarists with Selvam (ex-member) and Kannan in January 2000.
With that line-up Rudra released its second album, The Aryan Crusade, in September 2001. In January 2002, Big O magazine[1] named this album as one of the top 40 albums of the year. In July 2003, Rudra released a third album, named after the battlefield featured in the Indian epic the Mahabharata, Kurukshetra.
After touring in Singapore, India, Indonesia and Thailand, Rudra released Brahmavidya: Primordial I, in April 2005. Brahmavidya: Primordial I represents a slight shift in the band's sound as it exhibits more black metal influences than the previous albums and presents a denser recording that showcases the band's progressive move into more dynamic leads, complex bass-lines, and tighter, faster drumming with a bigger emphasis on blast beats. With this release, Rudra toured the USA in January 2007.
In 2008, Kannan was replaced by Devan. In 2009, Rudra released Brahmavidya: Transcendental I as the second chapter in the Brahmavidya trilogy. They have collaborated with Singapore director Jacen Tan on the music video for Hymns from the Blazing Chariot. In 2009, the band went through another line up change with Vinod replacing longtime member Selvam.
In August 2010, Rudra headlined the first day of Baybeats, an annual 3-day alternative music festival, held in Singapore. This was probably one of the rarest moments in history where an Extreme Metal band headlines a non-metal music festival. The band has also invited the interest of musicologists and research papers have been published about both Vedic Metal and the band.
In November 2011, Rudra announced that they will be closing the 2011 Brahmavidya Tour by headlining the Strawberry Fields Rock Fest @ Bangalore, India. It has been more than 7 years since the band last played Bangalore.
In July 2011, Devan left the band to focus on his personal life. Subash joined the band officially in January 2012 to replace Devan.
Atmavichara
Rudra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Self is the object to be known
The knower too is non-separate from the self
So who am I? What am I?
All my knowledge fails to reveal what I am
My ignorance causes fear of the world and my mortality
I doubt my self-existence. Is it or is it not?
Am I the body or am I the mind?
Pain, pleasure, sorrow, tranquillity
All of which arises in me
I witness them all standing apart from them!
Not the body nor the breath
Not the ego nor the mind
[solo - selvam]
In the waking I perceive the world
In the dream I create my world
In deep sleep, being blissfully ignorant
I destroy them all
[solo - selvam]
"Sthoola sookshma kaarana shariraad vyatiriktah
Panchakoshaatiitah san avasthaa trayasaakshi
Saccidaananda svaroopah san yastishthati sa aatmaa" [*]
[solo - selvam]
Not part of the universe but it in me
In me it is yet I am not in it
Creation, sustenance and dissolution
I cause them all!!!!!
The one supreme is the I, like the eye of the eye
Existent in every thought, in every word and in every deed
Not an isolated experience but the only experience
I exist, I am aware, I am, I am-.
Neither the body nor the breath!
Neither the ego nor the mind
All of which arises in me
I witness them all standing apart from them!
[* a verse from Tattva Bodha]
The lyrics of Rudra's song Atmavichara explore the concept of self-enquiry, encouraging the listener to question their true identity. The song opens with the statement "I am," suggesting a focus on self-awareness and discovery. The singer then emphasizes that the self is the object to be known and that the knower is not separate from the self. This leads to the central question of the song - who am I and what am I?
The singer reflects on their knowledge and ignorance, acknowledging that their understanding of themselves is limited. There is a fear of mortality and a lack of certainty about the self's existence. This leads to a process of inquiry into what the self is not - whether it is the body, the mind, or the different experiences that arise.
In the latter part of the song, the singer contemplates their place in the universe and how creation, sustenance, and dissolution are all caused by the self. The song concludes with the statement that the self is the only experience and that it exists in every thought, word, and deed.
Overall, "Atmavichara" is a thought-provoking reflection on the nature of the self and the importance of self-inquiry in discovering one's true identity.
Line by Line Meaning
I am therefore let the enquiry begin!
I exist and thus the process of self-inquiry should commence.
The Self is the object to be known
The true Self is what needs to be understood and realized.
The knower too is non-separate from the self
The knower is not different from the Self which is to be understood.
So who am I? What am I?
That is the question that needs to be answered through self-enquiry.
All my knowledge fails to reveal what I am
Despite all my worldly knowledge, I am still unaware of my true identity.
My ignorance causes fear of the world and my mortality
Due to my lack of knowledge, I am afraid of the world and my own mortality.
I doubt my self-existence. Is it or is it not?
I am uncertain about whether I truly exist or not.
The enquiry is in knowing what I am not
Through self-enquiry, I aim to understand what I am not in order to realize what I truly am.
Am I the body or am I the mind?
I question whether my true identity is associated with my physical body or my mind.
Pain, pleasure, sorrow, tranquillity. All of which arises in me
I experience various emotions, but they are not a part of my true identity.
I witness them all standing apart from them!
I am aware of these emotions and experiences, but they do not define me.
Not the body nor the breath. Not the ego nor the mind
My true identity is not associated with my physical body, breath, ego, or the mind.
In the waking I perceive the world. In the dream I create my world.
During the waking state, I perceive the external world, and during the dream state, I create my own reality.
In deep sleep, being blissfully ignorant. I destroy them all
During deep sleep, I am unaware of both the external and internal worlds, and everything ceases to exist for me.
"Sthoola sookshma kaarana shariraad vyatiriktah Panchakoshaatiitah san avasthaa trayasaakshi Saccidaananda svaroopah san yastishthati sa aatmaa" [*]
This verse from Tattva Bodha describes the true Self as being beyond the physical, subtle, and causal bodies and the five sheaths. It remains the witness of all three states of consciousness and exists as pure being, consciousness, and bliss.
Not part of the universe but it in me
The true Self is not a part of the universe, but it exists within me.
In me it is yet I am not in it
The true Self exists within me, but it is not limited to the universe.
Creation, sustenance and dissolution. I cause them all!!!!!
The true Self is the cause of creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the universe.
The one supreme is the I, like the eye of the eye
The true Self is the supreme I and is like the eye that can see itself.
Existent in every thought, in every word and in every deed
The true Self exists in every aspect of our being, including our thoughts, words, and actions.
Not an isolated experience but the only experience
The experience of the true Self is not isolated or separate, but it is the only true experience.
I exist, I am aware, I am, I am-.
The true Self exists, is aware, and is eternal.
Neither the body nor the breath! Neither the ego nor the mind.
Once again, the true Self is not associated with the physical body, breath, ego, or mind.
Contributed by Chloe D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.