Ekādaśa Rudra

Ekādaśa Rudra, “the eleven Rudras”

Bhīma has other meanings too: see all meanings of Bhīma.

Ekādaśa Rudra means “the eleven Rudras”. They are eleven forms of Śiva, and they are among the foremost devas of the Veda.

The Purāṇas and the Rāmāyaṇa tradition tell of their birth, their names and their deeds for the devas and the worlds.

The Vāmana Purāṇa shows the eleven Rudras, three-eyed and bearing the bull on their banners, among the hosts of the devas: at Daksha‘s yajña, in the wars against Andhaka and Bali, and in the procession of Bhagavān Śiva’s wedding, where eleven crore Rudras walked behind him. It names eleven koṭis of Rudras, three-eyed and with matted hair, among Śiva’s gaṇas, shows the Rudras within the forms of Bhagavān Śiva and Bhagavān Vāmana, and tells of thousands of Rudras who dwell in refuge with Sthāṇvīśvara at the sacred lake of Kurukshetra.

The Agni Purāṇa tells that Surabhi, purified by tapas, bore the eleven Rudras by the grace of Mahādeva: Ahirbudhnya (Ajaikapād), Tvashṭā, Bahurūpa, Hara, Aparājita, Tryambaka, Vṛshākapi, Śambhu, Raivata, Mṛgavyādha, Sarpa and Kapālī, the eleventh, with crores of Rudras pervading the world. In its rites the Rudras receive tarpaṇa, bali and āhutis with the other hosts of devas, they are worshipped in the north-east, and they are called on to protect the king, his army and his elephants.

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa tells that Rudra, Nīlalohita, came forth from between the brows of Brahmā at the beginning of creation and received from him eleven names, eleven places and his śaktis, and that the rudras he brought forth, equal to himself, were stayed when Brahmā sent him to tapas. It names ten of the crores of Rudras born of Bhūta and Sarūpā as Rudra’s attendants: Raivata, Aja, Bhava, Bhīma, Vāma, Ugra, Vṛshākapi, Ajaikapāt, Ahirbudhnya and Bahurūpa. The Rudras are a devagaṇa of the present manvantara, and Śrī Kṛshṇa says that among the Rudras he is Śiva.

The Bhavishya Purāṇa names the eleven as Hara, Vara, Śuddha, Tryambaka, Aparājita, Vṛshākapi, Śambhu, Kapardī, Raivata, Īśvara and Bhavana, and counts them among the thirty-three devatās. The Rudragaṇa dwell in Bhuvarloka, and the eleven stand in the throat of Bhagavān Sūrya‘s Viśvarūpa and on the back of the cow. Its Pratisarga Parva tells that they went with Indra to Prayāga, that Rudras of the rāśis descended by their aṃśas in the Kali Yuga, and that Bhagavān Śiva called himself Bhava, the youngest of eleven born of Jyoti.

Per Śiva Purāṇa

The Śatarudra Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa tells that the Ekādaśa Rudra are eleven avatāras of Śiva, born to Kaśyapa Ṛshi and the divine cow Surabhi at Kaśyapa’s request. They came to defend the devas against the daityas (a race of asuras) who had conquered all three worlds.

Their names are Kapālī, Piṅgala, Bhīma, Virūpāksha, Vilohita, Śāstā, Ajapāt, Ahirbudhnya, Śambhu, Caṇḍa and Bhava. Together they are called the Saurabheya-tanayāḥ, the sons of Surabhi. They defeated the daityas, gave Indra back his rule, and now live forever in the northeast quarter of the universe, guarding svarga (the heavenly realm).

The Account

The Daityas Conquer the Worlds

In a great crisis for the universe, the daityas overpowered all the devas, including Indra. They drove them out of Amarāvatī, Indra’s capital, and seized all three worlds. The devas, frightened and powerless, fled to their father, Kaśyapa Maharshi, for refuge.

Kaśyapa’s Tapas at Kāśī

Kaśyapa Prajāpati, himself a steady-minded bhakta (devotee) of Śiva, heard the devas’ cries but did not lose hope. He comforted them and gave them courage. Then he went to Kāśī, Śiva’s own holy city. There he bathed in the Gaṅgā, set up a Śivaliṅga, and for a long time performed deep tapas (spiritual austerity) to Viśveśvara (Śiva as the master of Kāśī), keeping his mind fixed only on Śiva’s feet.

Śiva’s Promise

Pleased by Kaśyapa’s sincerity and moved by the devas’ suffering, Śiva appeared before him. Kaśyapa bowed at Śiva’s feet and made his request: “O Mahāmaheśvara! These devas are your bhaktas and mine too. They suffer under the daityas. Please be born from me as my sons and save them.”

Śiva agreed at once, saying “Tathaiva astu” (“So be it”), and vanished. Kaśyapa went back to the devas with the assurance of Śiva’s promise.

Birth from Surabhi

To keep his word, Śiva appeared eleven times over, as eleven sons of Kaśyapa born through the divine cow Surabhi, the wish-fulfilling cow of the realms of svarga. The eleven were:

1. Kapālī: the one who carries the skull (kapāla)
2. Piṅgala: the tawny one
3. Bhīma: the fearsome one
4. Virūpāksha: the one with unusual eyes (the three-eyed one)
5. Vilohita: the deep red one
6. Śāstā: the teacher, the one who wields the śāstra (sacred teaching)
7. Ajapāt: the one without a father, the self-born (or, the one whose goats are the flames of the sacred fire)
8. Ahirbudhnya: the serpent of the deep (linked with the great serpent at the foundation of the world)
9. Śambhu: the auspicious one, the giver of happiness
10. Caṇḍa: the fierce, wrathful one
11. Bhava: existence itself

These eleven are called the Saurabheya-tanayāḥ (sons of Surabhi) or the Kāśyapa-putrāḥ (sons of Kaśyapa). They were born as Śiva’s own forms, mahāraudras (mighty fierce ones), with full divine power.

The Great Battle and Victory

The eleven Rudras came down upon the three worlds, and the battle with the daityas was decisive. No daitya army could stand against them. As complete avatāras of Śiva, they carried all of Rudra’s unconquerable tejas (fiery power). The daityas were destroyed. Indra and the devas rejoiced, and their rule over svarga was restored.

Their Eternal Place

After the war, the eleven Rudras did not leave the world altogether. Nandīśvara teaches that they now live permanently in the northeast quarter (Īśāna-koṇa) of the universe, always protecting the devas. The northeast is the direction of Śiva as Īśāna, and it is held sacred in the Vāstu (traditional architecture) and Āgama (temple ritual) traditions precisely because the Rudras are present there.

Countless lesser Rudras, crores in number, follow the eleven as their company, filling all the worlds in their own regions.

Significance

Lists of eleven Rudras are found in the Vedic and Purāṇic texts: the Śatarudriya of the Yajurveda lists them, and the Vāyu Purāṇa and Bhāgavata Purāṇa give lists. The Śatarudra Saṃhitā’s list is: Kapālī, Piṅgala, Bhīma, Virūpāksha, Vilohita, Śāstā, Ajapāt, Ahirbudhnya, Śambhu, Caṇḍa and Bhava.

The teaching of the eleven Rudras joins Śiva‘s role in the universe with his role as a warrior. Śiva is not only the master of yoga and moksha (liberation); he is also the defender of the righteous order of the world. When adharma overpowers dharma, Śiva does not only advise patience. He himself comes down, in eleven forms at once, to set things right.

Per Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa

The vānaras are the forest-dwelling monkey people who formed Śrī Rāma’s army. The sixteenth sarga (chapter) of the Manohara Kāṇḍa of the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa contains a revelation by Garuḍa: each of the leading vānara warriors of Rāma’s army was one of the eleven Rudras. The most important of these is that Hanumān himself is none other than Śiva in his highest form.

It traces the origin of the vānaras to the Samudra-manthana, the churning of the ocean. During the churning, great diseases spread from the poisons that were churned up, and the eleven Rudras took birth as vānaras to heal them. Brahmā gave them special varas (boons) in return for this service.

Garuḍa’s Revelation

Garuḍa, the divine eagle and vāhana (carrier) of Bhagavān Vishṇu, and himself a being of vast knowledge, revealed to devotees the true divine identities behind the vānara forms in Rāma’s great army. This revelation is a clear teaching about the nature of Rāma’s allies. They were not simply powerful animals, but devas in animal form, born for the very purpose of taking part in the divine story of the Rāma avatāra.

The teaching links the Vaishṇava tradition of the Rāmāyaṇa with the Śaiva tradition of the Purāṇas. The army that served Rāma, the avatāra of Vishṇu, was made up of the eleven forms of Śiva himself.

Which Vānara Is Which Rudra

The pattern is clear. The other ten vānaras are identified with ten of the Rudra forms, while Hanumān, the greatest among them, is identified with Śiva himself: the eleventh Rudra, the original Mahārudra from whom all the other Rudras come.

Origin in the Churning of the Ocean

The text explains the origin of the vānaras through the Samudra-manthana, when the devas and asuras churned the great ocean to obtain amṛta (the nectar of immortality). Among the many things that rose from the churning were terrible poisons, including the hālāhala, which Śiva drank to save the three worlds. But the churning also let loose mahāvyādhis (great diseases), terrible plagues that began to spread through the three worlds and threatened both devas and humans.

To meet this crisis, Brahmā asked the eleven Rudras to take birth in a form able to heal and protect, and they were born as vānaras. The vānara form, full of great bodily strength, speed and adaptability, and able to leap across vast distances, was ideal for fighting disease and giving protection.

Brahmā gave these Rudra-vānaras special varas (boons) in honour of their self-sacrifice in taking a lower birth for the good of the world. These varas included their extraordinary abilities: Hanumān‘s unmatched strength and his immortality, and the special powers of the other vānaras.

What This Means for the Rāma Avatāra

The identification of the vānaras with the Rudras has several layers of meaning:

1. Śiva‘s devotion to Rāma: if Hanumān is Śiva, then Śiva himself came down as a vānara to serve Rāma. The highest deva of the Śaivas serves the highest avatāra of the Vaishṇavas. This is the fullest expression of the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa‘s joining of Śaiva and Vaishṇava traditions: not only that the two fit together, but that Śiva himself chose to be the loving servant of Vishṇu.
2. The dignity of service: the identification raises every act of Hanumān in the Rāmāyaṇa, the search for Sītā, the burning of Laṅkā, the carrying of the Gandhamādana mountain, from the deeds of an extraordinary monkey to the deeds of the Supreme in the form of loving service.
3. Protection from epidemics: there is a traditional belief that pūjā of Hanumān protects from disease and epidemics, seen in the custom of offering pūjā at Hanumān temples in times of plague, epidemic or illness in the community. This account gives its origin: Hanumān, being Śiva, took birth as a vānara for the very purpose of curing epidemic diseases.

Per Vāmana Purāṇa

The Vāmana Purāṇa, told by Pulastya Maharshi to Nārada Maharshi, names the eleven Rudras (ekādaśa rudras) among the great hosts of the devas, with the twelve Ādityas, the eight Vasus, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the Maruts and the Aśvins. They are three-eyed and bear the bull on their banners. Beside the eleven, it tells of Rudras beyond counting: eleven crore of them walk behind Bhagavān Śiva, eleven koṭis stand among his gaṇas, and thousands dwell at the Sthāṇu tīrtha in refuge with Sthāṇvīśvara.

At Daksha’s yajña

Daksha did not invite Bhagavān Śiva to his yajña at Kanakhala, nor his own daughter Satī, the wife of Śiva. When Satī Devī gave up her body, lion-faced Rudragaṇas came forth from the hair-pores of the Three-eyed one, with Vīrabhadra at their head, and went to Kanakhala. Vīrabhadra overcame Dharma, the door-keeper, and entered the yajñaśālā. As soon as they saw him, all the devas there rose: the eight Vasus, the nine Grahas, the twelve Ādityas headed by Indra, the eleven Rudras, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the Siddhas, Gandharvas and Kiṃpurushas, the Pannagas (serpents), the Yakshas, the birds and the cakradharas.

Then Bhagavān Śiva himself entered, trident in hand. The eight Vasus fled at the sight of Hara, and the path by which they fled became the river Sarasvatī. At Śaṅkara’s coming the eleven Rudras, three-eyed and bull-bannered, left their places and fled. Then Bhagavān Śiva struck down many devas, and by the fire blazing in his three eyes the whole yajñaśālā was burned to ash.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 4–5

In the war against Andhaka

The daitya Andhaka, son of Hiraṇyāksha, pleased Bhagavān Śiva by tapas and gained the varas that no deva, siddha, ṛshi or pannaga could conquer or slay him. He overran the earth and came near the peak of Meru to conquer the devas. Devendra mounted the elephant Airāvata and went out against him, and the dikpālas followed with their armies. The deva army advanced in this order: the twelve Ādityas in front, the Rudras behind, and in the middle the eight Vasus, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the Maruts, the Aśvins, and all the yakshas and vidyādharas, each on his own vāhana (mount).

Nārada asked on which vāhanas the eleven Rudras and the others came, and Pulastya Maharshi told him. The gandharvas, the mighty pannagas and the white bull-kings, the sons of Surabhi (Kāmadhenu), are the vāhanas of the eleven Rudras. Indra‘s elephant Airāvata was born from the palm of Rudra‘s hand, Yama‘s buffalo Pauṇḍraka from Rudra’s thighs, and Varuṇa‘s śiśumāra Jaladhi from Rudra’s ear-wax.

In the battle Andhaka struck with his arrows Candra, Sūrya and Vāyu, the Rudras, the Aśvins and the Vasus, the Sādhyas and the Nāgas, and every one who stood with weapons in hand, and drove them from the field. Having conquered the devas, he returned to the earth and brought the whole world under his rule.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 9–10

Behind Bhagavān Śiva at his wedding

When Bhagavān Śiva went from the peaks of Kailāsa to the city of Himavān to wed Devī Pārvatī, mounted on his bull and adorned as the groom, the Śivagaṇas went before him and the devas behind him. Tumburu and the gandharvas sang, the kinnaras played, the apsarases danced and the munis recited stotras. Behind Parama Śiva walked eleven crore Rudras, twelve crore Ādityas, eight crore Vasus, sixty-seven crore gaṇas, and twenty-four paramarshis who were ūrdhvaretas (of unbroken brahmacarya), with countless hosts of yakshas, kinnaras and rākshasas.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 27

In the svastivācana for Skanda

When the devas had made Kumāra (Skanda) the commander of their armies, Skanda bowed to Janārdana, and Bhagavān Vishṇu blessed him with a svastivācana (a recitation of blessings for well-being), so that Skanda would have victory and Mahisha would be destroyed. In it he said: “May the Viśvedevas, the Aśvins, the Rudras with śūla in hand, the Sādhyas, the Maruts, the Agnis, the Yakshas, the Piśācas, the Vasus and the Kinnaras, all of these, always help your rise.”

When Skanda had slain Mahishāsura with his śakti, the devas, Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, the Maruts, the Aśvins, the Vasus and the rest, went back to svarga shouting with joy.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 32

Among the gaṇas of Bhagavān Śiva

On Mandaragiri, after the daitya Śambara had gone, Bhagavān Śiva told Nandī to call all who were under his rule. Nandī did ācamana (sipping water in purification) and remembered the leaders of Śiva’s gaṇas, and at once they came flying in thousands and bowed to the Devadeva. With joined palms Nandī made each host known to Paramaśiva, and he named the Rudras first: “These heroes with three eyes and matted hair are famed as Rudras. Their number is eleven koṭis.” After them he named the monkey-faced heroes who shine under his own name, and said: “These Rudras are door-keepers.”

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 41

Within Bhagavān Śiva

In the battle at Mandara, Śukrācārya revived the fallen daityas, and Bhagavān Śiva put him in his mouth and swallowed him. From within Śiva’s belly Śukra praised Mahādeva, and when Hara, pleased, granted his wish and commanded him to go out, Śukra, seeking the way out, saw within that belly the bhuvanas beginning with Pātāla, the oceans, all beings moving and unmoving, the Ādityas, Rudras, Vasus and Viśvedevas, the hosts of yakshas, kinnaras, gandharvas and apsarases, the munis and the humans.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 43

In the war against Bali

When Bali rose with all the daityas to avenge the destruction of his line, Indra mounted the chariot brought by Mātali, and the deva host set out to face the daitya armies: the Ādityas, Vasus, Yakshas, Rudras, Sādhyas, Viśvedevas, Aśvins, Vidyādharas, Rākshasas, Pannagas, Rājarshis, Siddhas and many bhūtagaṇas, some on elephants, some on horses, some in chariots, some on vimānas and bird-vāhanas.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 47

Within Bhagavān Vāmana

When Bali poured the water of the gift of three steps, Bhagavān Vāmana took a form made of the whole world to cover the three worlds. In that form the Viśvedevas were in his waist, the seven oceans in his upper belly, the rivers in the folds of his belly; on his back were the Vasus, in his shoulders the Rudras, in his arms the ten directions, in his hands the eight Vasus, and in his heart Brahmā.

Before this, when the daityas had lost their tejas (radiance) and Bali asked his grandfather Prahlāda why, Prahlāda sat in dhyāna, and there appeared to him the child in the form of Vāmana in Aditi‘s womb. Within that small infant Prahlāda saw the Vasus, the Rudras and the Aśvins, the Maruts, the Sādhyas, the Viśvedevas and the Ādityas, the gandharvas, uragas and rākshasas, Virocana and his son Bali, Jambha, Kujambha, Naraka and Bāṇa, and himself.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 65; Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 8

At the Sthāṇu tīrtha

The Saro Māhātmya, the glory of the sacred lake, tells that around the Sthāṇuvaṭa three and a half koṭi liṅgas arose, as Vāyu told. Besides these, thousands of Rudras dwell there, having taken refuge with Sthāṇvīśvara, and they are not counted among the liṅgas.

At the Sthāṇu tīrtha King Vena was freed of his pāpa, and in great joy he bowed and praised Bhagavān Śiva as Sthāṇu with a stotra. In it he bowed to the Rudras: “To the Rudras, who pervade everywhere in forms and shapes beyond counting, in numberless gaṇas, a hundred añjalis of namovāka! Be gracious to me, all of you. May good come to you. I am yours.”

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 25–26

Per Agni Purāṇa

The Agni Purāṇa tells of the birth of the eleven Rudras from Surabhi and names them. In its teaching on pūjā, given by Parameśvara to Skanda, the Rudras receive tarpaṇa, bali and āhutis with the other hosts of devas, and in the rites for the king, his army and his elephants they are called on to protect.

The birth of the eleven Rudras

Telling of the line of Svāyambhuva Manu and the births of the devas, Agni Deva says that Surabhi, purified by tapas, bore the eleven Rudras by the prasāda (grace) of Mahādeva. They are:

1. Ahirbudhnya, with one foot like a goat’s foot (Ajaikapād)
2. Tvashṭā, the Rudra
3. Bahurūpa
4. Hara
5. Aparājita, the unconquered
6. Tryambaka
7. Vṛshākapi
8. Śambhu, who bears the kaparda (matted locks)
9. Raivata
10. Mṛgavyādha
11. Sarpa
12. Kapālī, the eleventh

Besides these eleven, crores of Rudras pervade the whole world, moving and unmoving.

(Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 18)

Among the hosts of the devas

The Rudras are gaṇa-devatās, devatās who come as a host (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 360). With the Ādityas, Vasus, Sādhyas, Viśvedevas, the Aśvins and the ṛshis, they are one of the deva-samudāyas (groups of devatās), whose pratishṭhā (installation) is done like the pratishṭhā of Vāsudeva (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 66). The pitṛ-devatās of śrāddha are of the form of the Vasus, the Rudras and the Ādityas; satisfied by śrāddha, they gladden the pitṛs of men (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 163).

In the pūjā of Bhagavān Śiva

In his teaching to Skanda, Parameśvara gives the Rudras their place in each rite:

• Tarpaṇa: after the daily snāna, tarpaṇa is given to the deva-gaṇas with “namaḥ” after their names. To the Rudras it is “oṃ haṃ rudrebhyo namaḥ”, given with the Ādityas, Vasus, Viśvedevas, Maruts, Bhṛgus and Aṅgirases. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72)
• Bali: when the fire has been set up, the first portion of the cooked food is taken and the antar-bali (inner bali) is given in a maṇḍala near the kuṇḍa. In the east of it the bali goes to the Rudras with “oṃ haṃ rudrebhyaḥ svāhā”. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 75)
• Āhutis: in the Pavitrārohaṇa, the offering of the sacred thread-garlands, āhutis with “namaḥ svāhā” after each name go to Agni, to those who dwell in the directions, to the dikpālas, the bhūtagaṇas and the mātṛgaṇas, to the eleven Rudras and to the kshetrapālas. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 78)
• In the dīkshā: inside the maṇḍala, east of the kuṇḍa or between Bhagavān Śiva and the kuṇḍa, the antar-bali is given with the hṛdaya-mantra to the Rudras, the Mātṛkās and the gaṇas. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 81)
• In the temple: when the dhvaja is raised and the temple is held in dhyāna as the body of Bhagavān Śiva, the Rudras are contemplated on its kaṇṭha (neck). (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 102)
• In the Rudra-śānti: on the southern petal, after the names from Sahasra-śīrsha to Sahasra-liṅga, pūjā is given to the six kinds of Rudras, from Ekajaṭa to Shaḍrudra. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 324)

Guardians of the king and his army

• At the king’s abhisheka, among the abhisheka mantras: “May Ajaikapāda, Ahirbudhnya, Dhūmaketu, Rudraputra, Bharata, Mṛtyu, Kāpāli, Kiṅkaṇi, Bhavana, Bhāvana, Svajanya, Svajava, Kratuśravas, Mūḍha, Yājana and Uśanas protect you.” (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 219)
• Before the march: in the seven days before the king sets out, on the third day the Rudras who guard the directions are worshipped, with the dikpālakas. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 236)
• In the Nīrājana: the prayer to Indra asks Brahmā, Vishṇu, Maheśvara, Kārttikeya, Vināyaka, the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Rudras and all the devatās to increase his tejas. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 268)
• To the elephants of the army: “May the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas and Marudgaṇas protect you!” Manu, the Vasus, the Rudras and all the devas, with Śiva the lord of bhūtas and the mātṛkās, are seated in the elephant, and are asked to burn all enemies to ashes. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 269)
• In the Gaja-śānti: at the saṅkrāntis the elephants are worshipped outside the town, in the north-east. Around the lotus on which Bhagavān Vishṇu and Devī Lakshmī receive pūjā, the hosts of devas are worshipped in their directions, and the Rudras in the north-east. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 291)

Per Bhāgavata Purāṇa

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa tells of the appearance of Rudra from between the brows of Brahmā at the beginning of creation, of the eleven names, the eleven places and the śaktis Brahmā gave him, and of the countless rudras he brought forth, equal to himself, who were stopped when Brahmā sent Rudra to tapas. In the lines of Daksha‘s daughters it tells that Sarūpā, wife of Bhūta, bore Rudras in crores, and it names ten of them as the attendants of Rudra. The Rudras are a devagaṇa of the present manvantara; they serve Indra in his sabhā, fight beside him against the asuras, go with Brahmā and Bhagavān Śiva to Dvārakā for the darśana of Śrī Kṛshṇa, and praise the Paramātmā with divine stotras.

The appearance of Rudra and his eleven names

Maitreya Maharshi tells Vidura how Brahmā, the treasure-house of the Vedas, made the creation. After the five vikāras of ajñāna, Brahmā created the four Kumāras, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanatkumāra, and told them to beget offspring. But those munis, established in ātma-jñāna and in bhakti for Vāsudeva with no other object, did not take up the path of pravṛtti. When his sons set his word aside, Brahmā sought to hold back what rose in him, and even as he held it, there came forth from between his eyebrows a kumāra of black and red colours, Nīlalohita.

That Bhagavān Rudra, born before all the devatās, crying out, said: “O Brahmā, father of the world! Give me names and appoint my places.” Brahmā, born from the lotus, honoured his word and answered in sweet speech: “Do not cry. I shall do just so. O Bhava, best among the devatās! Because you cried out like a child, people will call you by the name Rudra.”

His eleven places. “I have already arranged these places for you,” said Brahmā:

1. the hṛdaya (heart)
2. the indriyas (senses)
3. prāṇa (the life-breath)
4. ākāśa (space)
5. vāyu (air)
6. agni (fire)
7. water
8. earth
9. Sūrya, the sun
10. Candra, the moon
11. tapas

His eleven names, each with the meaning the text gives:

1. Manyu, whose wrath is seen at the pralaya
2. Manu, who appears in the form of the Manus, or whose form is jñāna
3. Manasa, of great power
4. Mahān, of boundless extent
5. Śiva, whose form is auspiciousness
6. Ṛtudhvaja, whose form is radiant
7. Ugraretas, of fearsome power
8. Bhava, the cause of the world
9. Kāla, whose form is time, or whose form is mṛtyu
10. Vāmadeva, the beautiful one, the self-luminous
11. Dhṛtavrata, of great steadfastness in vratas

His śaktis. “O Rudra! These will be your wives, your śaktis,” said Brahmā, and named them, each with its meaning:

1. Dhī, buddhi (intellect)
2. Vṛtti, activity
3. Uśanā, joy
4. Niyut, the horse of Vāyu, the power of motion
5. Sarpi, the substance offered as āhuti
6. Ilā, vāk (speech)
7. Ambikā, the Mother of the world
8. Irāvatī, the bearer of amṛta
9. Sudhā, whose form is amṛta
10. Dīkshā

“With your wives, accept these names and places, and make much creation of beings, for you are a prajāpati.”

The rudras and Rudra’s tapas. So commanded by his father, Bhagavān Nīlalohita brought forth offspring equal to himself in strength, form and nature. These rudras, in gaṇas beyond counting, began to devour the whole world. Seeing them, Brahmā said: “O Rudra, best among the devatās! These rudras of yours are burning the directions, and me too, with their fierce looks. This much creation is enough; create no more such beings. Perform tapas, which brings happiness to all beings. May it go well with you! By the power of that tapas you will be able to create as before. Bhagavān Śrī Hari, the consciousness that lights up all things, who dwells in the cave of the buddhi of all beings and is not reached by perception and the other means of knowing, is seen directly by tapas alone.” Rudra agreed, “So be it”, took leave of Brahmā and went to the forest to perform tapas.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapter 12

The Rudras born of Bhūta and Sarūpā

Śuka Maharshi tells Parīkshit that Daksha, son of the Pracetas, had sixty daughters by Asiknī, and gave two of them in marriage to Bhūta. Bhūta’s first wife Sarūpā bore Rudras in crores. Among them, ten are the attendants of Rudra:

1. Raivata
2. Aja
3. Bhava
4. Bhīma
5. Vāma
6. Ugra
7. Vṛshākapi
8. Ajaikapāt
9. Ahirbudhnya
10. Bahurūpa

Bhūta’s second wife bore the bhūtas and the vināyakas, who cause fear.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 6

Among the hosts of the devas

• In the form of the world. Śuka Maharshi tells Parīkshit that Parameśvara is the form of the whole world together with the hosts of devatās of many names, the Vasus, the Rudras and the others (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapter 1).
• For valour. In Śuka’s list of the devatās to be worshipped for each desire, one who desires vīratva (heroism, valour) should worship the Rudras with eagerness (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapter 3).
• Before the māyā of Śrī Hari. Yama tells his messengers that he himself, Mahendra, Nirṛti, Varuṇa, Candra, Agni, Śiva, Vāyu, Sūrya, Brahmā, the twelve Ādityas, the Viśvedevas, the Vasus, the Sādhyas, the Marudgaṇas, the Rudragaṇas, the Siddhas, Bhṛgu and the other Prajāpatis are beings in whom sattva rules; yet under the power of Sarveśvara’s māyā even they cannot know his līlās (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 3).
• In Indra‘s sabhā. The Marut-gaṇas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Ādityas, the Ṛbhus, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the Siddhas, the Cāraṇas, the Gandharvas, the maharshis who know the Veda, the Vidyādharas, the Apsarās, the Kinnaras, the birds and the Nāgas served and praised Indra as he sat with Śacī Devī in the deva-sabhā (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 7).
• Against Vṛtra. At the start of the Tretā-yuga, on the bank of the Narmadā, when the devas fought the rākshasas led by Vṛtra, Indra with the vajra shone in battle with the Rudras, the Vasus, the Ādityas, the Aśvins, the Pitṛs, Agni, the Maruts, the Ṛbhus, the Sādhyas and the Viśvedevas, and the rākshasas could not bear the sight of him (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 10).
• In the Devāsura battle. In the great battle of the devas and asuras after the churning of the ocean, the Rudras fought the serpents called Krodhavaśas (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 10).
• A devagaṇa of this manvantara. In the seventh manvantara, of Vaivasvata Manu, the devagaṇas are the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Viśvedevas, the gaṇas of the Maruts, the Aśvins and the Ṛbhus, and their Indra is Purandara (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 13).
• At Dvārakā. When Brahmā went to Dvārakā with Sanaka and his other sons, with the devatās led by Indra and the prajāpatis, and Bhagavān Śiva went with the pramatha gaṇas, the Rudras went with them, among the Maruts, the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Aśvins, the Ṛbhus, the Aṅgirasas, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the gandharvas, the apsarases, the nāgas, the siddhas, the cāraṇas and the yakshas, all wishing to see Śrī Kṛshṇa. They covered him with flowers from the Nandana garden and praised him (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 11, Chapter 6).
• Śiva among the Rudras. Telling Uddhava of his vibhūtis, Śrī Kṛshṇa says: among the Rudras he is Śiva, whose throat is black and the rest of whose form is red, Nīlalohita (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 11, Chapter 16).
• In the summary of the Purāṇa. Among the subjects of the Bhāgavata, Sūta Maharshi names the creation of the devatās, beasts, birds and humans, and the creation of the Rudras (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 12).
• Praising the Paramātmā. At the close of the Purāṇa, Sūta Maharshi bows to the Paramātmā whom Brahmā, Varuṇa, Indra, the Rudras and the Marut-gaṇas praise with divine stotras (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 13).

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapters 1, 3; Skandha 6, Chapters 3, 6–7, 10; Skandha 8, Chapters 10, 13; Skandha 11, Chapters 6, 16; Skandha 12, Chapters 12–13

Per Bhavishya Purāṇa

The Bhavishya Purāṇa names the eleven Rudras among the thirty-three devatās, places them in the body of Bhagavān Sūrya and in the rites, and tells in the Pratisarga Parva how Rudras of the rāśis descended by their aṃśas in the Kali Yuga.

The eleven names

Sumantu Muni tells King Śatānīka the names of the thirty-three. The Eleven Rudras (ekādaśa rudras) are:

1. Hara
2. Vara
3. Śuddha
4. Tryambaka
5. Aparājita
6. Vṛshākapi
7. Śambhu
8. Kapardī
9. Raivata
10. Īśvara
11. Bhavana

The Rudragaṇa dwell in Bhuvarloka with the Marudgaṇa and the Aśvins, in the seventh skandha. Among the grahas, Sūrya is to be known as Brahmā, Candra as Vishṇu, and the remaining tārā grahas as Rudra.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 125

Of the Vaivasvata manvantara, the Uttara Parva says that the thirty-three devatās are the twelve Ādityas, the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras and the two Aśvinīkumāras.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 2

With Bhagavān Sūrya

In this Purāṇa Bhagavān Sūrya is praised as the cause of all things, and among them of the Rudras. The Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Maruts, Aśvins and other devatās worship him at the three sandhyās. When Nārada tells Sāmba of the Viśvarūpa of Bhagavān Sūrya, limb by limb, he places the eleven Rudras in the throat.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 48, 76, 133

In the rites

• In the ratha-yātrā of Bhagavān Sūrya. The bali mantra names the Rudras with the Ādityas, Vasus, Maruts, Aśvins and the other devatās on the ratha, and asks them to accept the bali (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 55).
• In the rite of the tulasī. Around the kalaśa pūjā is done to the Rudras and Vasus (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 3, Chapters 14–17).
• In the body of the cow. On the back of the cow are the eleven Rudras, Śrī Kṛshṇa tells Yudhishṭhira (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 69).
• In the Viśvacakra. In the golden wheel given in dāna, the fifth āvaraṇa holds the five mahābhūtas and the eleven Rudras (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 190).

At Prayāga and the descents in Kali

The Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that when the Kali Yuga came, Devarāja Indra went to Tīrtharāja Prayāga with the eleven Rudras, the eight Vasus and the Aśvinīkumāras. In Māgha, with the Sun in Makara, he worshipped Bhagavān Sūrya, and Bṛhaspati told them the māhātmya of Bhagavān Sūrya.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 6

In that account the brāhmaṇa Śakraśarman of Ayodhyā, in the Tretā Yuga, worshipped the Aśvinīkumāras, Rudras, Vasus, Sūrya and others with pūjā and havana, each with separate mantras.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 8

Rudra, the Vasus, the Viśvedevas, the Marudgaṇa, the Sādhyas, the Siddhas, Bhāskara and other devas offered a divine stuti to the boy Śrī Kṛshṇa Caitanya, the eternal form of Hari. Then all the devas came to Bṛhaspati and asked in what aṃśa each of them, the Rudras, the Vasus and the Aśvinīkumāras, would descend on earth.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 10

Bṛhaspati told Indra the māhātmya of each. In many of these accounts Brahmā, when the Sun stood in a certain rāśi, established a Rudra as master of the Candra-maṇḍala. Then, on hearing his māhātmya, the Rudra brought forth an aṃśa, who was born on earth:

• Mṛgavyādha Rudra, of Tulā: Śaṅkara, son of Bhairavadatta.
• Ajagara, of Karka: Giriśarmā, son of Devadatta.
• Nairṛta Rudra, of Vṛsha: Vanaśarmā.
• Ajaikapāda Rudra, of Kumbha: Purīśarmā, son of Yatidatta.
• Mahārudra, destroyer of the dānava Hirbu, of Mithuna: Bhāratīśa, son of Sādhakarmā, on the Himālaya.
• Pinākī Mahārudra, of Mīna: his tejas entered the yogī Macchanda of Haridvāra, as told in the account of Nāthaśarmā.
• Dahana, also called Aurva and Vāḍava, of Mesha: Kshetraśarmā of Kurukshetra.
• Kapālī: Bhairava of the Aghora path, born at Kāśī from the Kapālamocana kuṇḍa.
• Bhava: Ācārya Rāmānuja, on the bank of the Godāvarī.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 10–14

Bhava, the youngest

When the devas pleaded with Bhagavān Śiva to marry Devī Pārvatī, Bhagavān Śiva answered: “Devagaṇa, your word seems improper to me, for ten Rudras senior to me, born of Jyoti, are still unmarried. I am the youngest of them, the Rudra called Bhava. How can I marry before them?”

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 14

At the close, Bṛhaspati, having told Mahendra and the devas gathered at Prayāga the māhātmya of the twelve Ādityas, the Rudras and the eight Vasus, turned to the Aśvinīkumāras.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 18

Sources

• Śiva Purāṇa, Śatarudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 18
• Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Manohara Kāṇḍa (Book 8), Sarga (Chapter) 16
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 4–5, 9–10, 27, 32, 41, 43, 47, 65
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 8, 25–26
• Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 18, 66, 72, 75, 78, 81, 102, 163, 219, 236, 268–269, 291, 324, 360
• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapters 1, 3; Skandha 3, Chapter 12; Skandha 6, Chapters 3, 6–7, 10; Skandha 8, Chapters 10, 13; Skandha 11, Chapters 6, 16; Skandha 12, Chapters 12–13
• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 48, 55, 76, 125, 133; Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 3, Chapters 14–17; Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 6, 8, 10–14, 18; Uttara Parva, Chapters 2, 69, 190