Shloka 11
चित्रसेनगन्धर्वैः कौरवसंनिपातः
Citrasena and the Kaurava engagement
असूर्ये च भवेत् सूर्यस्तथाचन्द्रे च चन्द्रमा: । भवत्यन्निश्च वायुश्न पृथिव्यापश्च॒ कारणै:,सूर्यके अभावमें वे स्वयं ही सूर्य होते हैं और चन्द्रमाके न रहनेपर स्वयं ही चन्द्रमा बनकर उनका कार्य सम्पादन करते हैं। आवश्यकता पड़नेपर वे ही अग्नि, वायु, पृथिवी और जलका स्वरूप धारण कर लेते हैं
asūrye ca bhavet sūryas tathā candre ca candramāḥ | bhavaty agniś ca vāyuś ca pṛthivy āpaś ca kāraṇaiḥ ||
Skanda said: 'Where there is no sun, he himself becomes the sun; and where there is no moon, he himself becomes the moon, accomplishing their functions. When the need arises, he likewise assumes the forms of fire, wind, earth, and water, becoming the operative cause behind them.'
स्कन्द उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the idea of a supreme or extraordinary being whose power sustains cosmic functions: even if the usual celestial or elemental supports are absent, that power can manifest as their substitute and act as the effective cause.
Skanda is describing the extraordinary capacity of the subject under discussion (a mighty divine or divinely empowered figure): he can take on the roles of the sun and moon and, when required, embody the elemental forces—fire, wind, earth, and water—to accomplish necessary tasks.