Shloka 123

Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies

Devanagari script

मृगव्याधश् च शर्वश् च कपाली च महामुने एकादशैते कथिता रुद्रास् त्रिभुवनेश्वराः

Transliteration

mṛgavyādhaś ca śarvaś ca kapālī ca mahāmune ekādaśaite kathitā rudrās tribhuvaneśvarāḥ

Translation

O great sage, Mṛgavyādha, Śarva, and Kapālī—together with the rest—these eleven are declared to be the Rudras, sovereign powers presiding over the three worlds.

Word by Word

• मृगव्याधः: Mṛgavyādha (hunter; a name)
• मृगव्याधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग + व्याध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मृगाणां व्याधः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• शर्वः: Śarva (a name)
• शर्वः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• कपाली: Kapālī (skull-bearer; a name)
• कपाली: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपालिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; इन्-प्रत्ययान्त (कपालिन्→कपाली)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महान् मुनिः)

• एकादश: eleven
• एकादश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (संख्यावाचक) प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनस्य विशेषणरूपेण; द्विगु-समास (एक+दश)

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• कथिताः: have been described
• कथिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय (have been said)

• रुद्राः: Rudras
• रुद्राः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; एते इत्यस्य समानाधिकरणम्

• त्रिभुवनेश्वराः: lords of the three worlds
• त्रिभुवनेश्वराः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + भुवन + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (त्रीणां भुवनानां ईश्वराः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Completion of the list of the eleven Rudras and their sovereignty over the three worlds

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The eleven Rudras are designated as presiding sovereign powers functioning across the three worlds, indicating a structured governance of the cosmos.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: See life’s forces—creation, preservation, dissolution, discipline—as ordered cosmic functions, encouraging steadiness amid change.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic administration is real and hierarchical, yet all offices ultimately depend upon the Supreme as their ground of being.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Rudras
• Mṛgavyādha
• Śarva
• Kapālī
• Tri-bhuvana (three worlds)

FAQs

What is the significance of the eleven Rudras in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies the Rudras as an elevenfold set of cosmic rulers, emphasizing their administrative sovereignty over the three worlds within the created order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Rudras in this chapter’s context?

Parāśara lists and names the Rudras as part of a broader mapping of cosmic functions—showing how specific divine powers are designated to govern different aspects of the universe.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even while describing Rudra powers, the Vishnu Purana frames such rulers as operating within the cosmos sustained by Vishnu’s supreme reality and overarching sovereignty.