Complete learning edition. The Sanskrit source remains separate from attributed word meanings, translation, explanation and commentary witnesses. Diagrams and memory aids are study tools, not replacements for the source text.
रुद्राणां शङ्करश्चास्मि वित्तेशो यक्षरक्षसाम्। वसूनां पावकश्चास्मि मेरुः शिखरिणामहम्।।10.23।।
rudrāṇāṁ śhaṅkaraśh chāsmi vitteśho yakṣha-rakṣhasām vasūnāṁ pāvakaśh chāsmi meruḥ śhikhariṇām aham
Among forces of vitality, I am the life; I am Mammon to the heathens and the godless; I am the energy in fire, earth, wind, sky, heaven, sun, moon, and planets; and among mountains, I am Mount Meru.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
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Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| rudrāṇām | amongst the Rudras |
| śhaṅkaraḥ | Lord Shiv |
| cha | and |
| asmi | I am |
| vitta-īśhaḥ | the god of wealth and the treasurer of the celestial gods |
| yakṣha | amongst the semi-divine demons |
| rakṣhasām | amongst the demons |
| vasūnām | amongst the Vasus |
| pāvakaḥ | Agni (fire) |
| cha | and |
| asmi | I am |
| meruḥ | Mount Meru |
| śhikhariṇām | amongst the mountains |
| aham | I am |
The ten vital airs and the mind are the eleven Rudras. They are so called because they produce grief when they depart from the body.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Move from the four-verse core to representative opulences without mistaking examples for an exhaustive inventory.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaAmong the Rudras, I am Aja, Ekapada, Ahirbudhnya, Pinaki, Aparajita, Tryam-baka, Mahesvara, Vrsakapi, Sambhu, Harana, and Isvara; among the Yaksas and goblins, I am Kubera; among the Vasus, I am Fire; and among the mountains, I am Meru.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaOf the Rudras, I am Sankara. Of the Yaksas and Raksasas, I am the Lord of Wealth (Kubera). Of the Vasus, I am Agni; of the mountains, I am Meru.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThe ten vital airs and the mind are the eleven Rudras. They are so called because they produce grief when they depart from the body.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
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- 1
Among forces of vitality, I am the life
- 2
I am Mammon to the heathens and the godless
- 3
I am the energy in fire, earth, wind, sky, heaven, sun, moon
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