Introduction
Shambhu, "the source of well-being", is one of the eleven Rudras, a group of deities who are aspects or manifestations of Shiva in the Puranic tradition.
The eleven Rudras (Ekadasha Rudras) are a group of deities who are aspects or manifestations of Shiva. The idea goes back to the Vedic Rudra and the Maruts, who are sometimes called the sons of Rudra. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.9.4) says that the eleven Rudras are the ten vital breaths and the mind, and are called Rudras because when they leave the body at death, they make people weep (the verb rud, "to weep"). In the Puranas, the eleven Rudras are sons of Kashyapa and Surabhi, or of Kashyapa and Aditi, or manifestations of Shiva. The lists of the eleven names differ between the Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas. This article follows one Puranic list: Ajaikapada, Ahirbudhnya, Pinakin, Ritadhvaja, Tryambaka, Maheshvara, Vrishakapi, Shambhu, Hara, Ishvara and Kapardin.
The Rudras are worshipped together in the Ekadasha Rudra rites, in which the Rudram hymn is recited eleven times over an abhisheka of Shiva. A tradition regards Hanuman as the eleventh Rudra, an incarnation of Shiva.
Name and early references
Shambhu means "source of happiness" or "benevolent". It appears in the Rigveda as an adjective meaning "beneficial", and in the Yajurveda's Rudram (Namakam), the worshipper salutes Shambhu and Mayobhu, both meaning "the bringer of happiness". It later becomes a common name for Shiva.
In the Puranic tradition
Shambhu is used across India, and in many personal names such as Shambhunath. In the Puranic lists, it is one of the eleven Rudras. In the Shiva Sahasranama, Shambhu is among the names.