Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अजकः शासनः शास्ता शंभुश्चंद्रो भवस्तथा । एत एकादशनंतबला रुद्राः प्रभाविनः

Transliteration

ajakaḥ śāsanaḥ śāstā śaṃbhuścaṃdro bhavastathā | eta ekādaśanaṃtabalā rudrāḥ prabhāvinaḥ

Translation

അജക, ശാസന, ശാസ്താ, ശംഭു, ചന്ദ്ര, ഭവ—ഇവർ (ആദിയായി) ഏകാദശ രുദ്രന്മാർ; അനന്തബലസമ്പന്നരും പ്രഭാവത്തിൽ ദീപ്തരുമാണ്।

Word by Word

• अजकः: Ajaka
• अजकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• शासनः: Śāsana
• शासनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शासन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• शास्ता: Śāstā (the ruler/teacher)
• शास्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शास्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-शब्दः (agent noun)

• शम्भुः: Śambhu
• शम्भुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

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

• चन्द्रः: Candra
• चन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• भवः: Bhava
• भवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• तथा: also/thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/also’)

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

• एकादशानन्तबलाः: eleven, of infinite strength
• एकादशानन्तबलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः; ‘एकादश (संख्यया) अनन्तं बलं येषाम्’ (eleven, of endless strength)

• रुद्राः: Rudras
• रुद्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• प्रभाविनः: powerful, splendid
• प्रभाविनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभाविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; प्रभावयुक्ताः (mighty, powerful)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant assembly suggesting the eleven Rudras—Ajaka, Śāsana, Śāstā, Śambhu, Candra, Bhava—standing as a luminous, ordered pantheon of power.

Characters & Entities

• Rudras
• Ajaka
• Śāsana
• Śāstā
• Śambhu
• Candra
• Bhava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s power manifests in many forms (Rudras), teaching reverence for the divine’s limitless expressions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a theological enumeration of Rudra-forms.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it functions as praise/identification of divine forms.