Shloka 18

एकादशरुद्रावतारकथनम् / Account of the Eleven Rudra Manifestations

Rudrāvatāras

Devanagari script

इति श्रीशिवमहापुराणे तृतीयायां शतरुद्रसंहितायां एकादशावतारवर्णनं नामाष्टादशोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe tṛtīyāyāṃ śatarudrasaṃhitāyāṃ ekādaśāvatāravarṇanaṃ nāmāṣṭādaśo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Ainsi, dans le vénérable Śiva Mahāpurāṇa, dans la troisième partie—Śatarudra-saṃhitā—s’achève le dix-huitième chapitre intitulé «Description des onze incarnations».

Word by Word

• इति: thus; so ends
• इति: समाप्ति-सूचक (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इत्यादि-निपात (Quotative/closing particle)

• श्रीशिवमहापुराणे: in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa
• श्रीशिवमहापुराणे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + शिव + महापुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative, 7th), एकवचन; समासः—श्री-शिव-महा-पुराण (‘in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa’)

• तृतीयायाम्: in the third
• तृतीयायाम्: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative, 7th), एकवचन; (संहितायाम्) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• शतरुद्रसंहितायाम्: in the Śatarudra-saṃhitā
• शतरुद्रसंहितायाम्: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत + रुद्र + संहिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—शत-रुद्र-संहिता (‘in the Śatarudra-saṃhitā’)

• एकादशावतारवर्णनम्: description of the eleven incarnations
• एकादशावतारवर्णनम्: विशेष्य/विषय (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादश + अवतार + वर्णन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—एकादश-अवतार-वर्णन (‘description of the eleven incarnations’)

• नाम: named; called
• नाम: सम्बन्ध (Naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, नाम-शब्दः (Appositive particle: ‘called/named’)

• अष्टादशः: eighteenth
• अष्टादशः: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘अध्यायः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टादश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (numeral compound)

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

This is the colophon marking the completion of a chapter, affirming the Purāṇic tradition that Shiva’s many manifestations (avatāras) are taught as accessible forms of the Supreme (Pati) for the uplift of beings toward liberation.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By concluding a chapter on Shiva’s incarnations, it reinforces Saguna-upāsanā: devotees may approach Shiva through revealed forms and deeds, while understanding that these arise from the same transcendent Lord worshiped as the Liṅga.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is śravaṇa and smaraṇa—reciting or hearing the chapter with devotion, then meditating on Shiva’s compassionate manifestations while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”