Aja Ekapada is the Vedic deity of Purva Bhadrapada Nakshatra, which spans 20° Aquarius to 3°20' Pisces and is ruled by Jupiter. His name means "the one-footed goat" or "the unborn one with one foot." The Rig Veda calls him the upholder of heaven, and the Puranas count him among the 11 Rudras, the forms of Shiva.
He appears in the Veda as a pair with Ahirbudhnya, the deity of the next nakshatra. In temple sculpture he became the one-footed form of Shiva, known as Ekapada.
| Aja Ekapada | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Other forms of the name | Ajaikapada, Ajaikapat, Aja Ekapad |
| Nakshatra | Purva Bhadrapada (20° Aquarius to 3°20' Pisces) |
| Nakshatra ruler | Jupiter |
| Paired deity | Ahirbudhnya, deity of Uttara Bhadrapada |
| Group | One of the 11 Rudras |
| Vedic reading | The sun, or the pillar that holds up the sky |
| Form in sculpture | Ekapada, the one-footed Shiva |
In this article
What Does Aja Ekapada Mean?
The name Aja Ekapada joins 2 words. Ekapada means "one-footed." Aja usually means "goat," and it can also be read as a-ja, "unborn."
Both readings have support. The common English name is "the one-footed goat." Sayana, the commentator on the Rig Veda, reads it as "the unborn one who goes with one foot." He takes this to mean the sun.
Aja Ekapada in the Rig Veda
Aja Ekapada is named 6 times in the Rig Veda. He never has a hymn of his own and always appears in a list of gods called on together. In 5 of the 6 verses, Ahirbudhnya stands beside him.
| Verse | Named with |
|---|---|
| Rig Veda 2.31.6 | Ahirbudhnya, Trita, Savitar and Apam Napat |
| Rig Veda 6.50.14 | Ahirbudhnya, Earth and Ocean |
| Rig Veda 7.35.13 | Ahirbudhnya and the ocean, in the peace hymn |
| Rig Veda 10.64.4 | Ahirbudhnya |
| Rig Veda 10.65.13 | Thunder, the river and the waters of the sea |
| Rig Veda 10.66.11 | Ahirbudhnya, the ocean and the thunder |
Rig Veda 10.65.13 is the only verse without Ahirbudhnya. It gives Aja Ekapada his clearest title, "the upholder of heaven":
पावीरवी तन्यतुरेकपादजो दिवो धर्ता सिन्धुरापः समुद्रियः।
The thunder born of lightning, Aja Ekapada the upholder of heaven, the river and the waters of the sea. (Rig Veda 10.65.13, first half)
The well-known peace hymn calls on him by name. Rig Veda 7.35.13 opens with śaṃ no aja ekapād devo astu, "may Aja Ekapada, the god, be gracious to us."
Is Aja Ekapada the Sun?
The Taittiriya Brahmana says so directly. Its Nakshatra Suktam gives one verse to each nakshatra, and the Purva Bhadrapada verse calls Aja Ekapada the sun rising in the east. Sayana gives the same reading in his note on Rig Veda 2.31.6.
Durga, a commentator on the Nirukta of Yaska, also takes him as the sun. The sun moves alone across the sky, and the single foot fits that picture.
Other readings exist. The commentator on the Taittiriya Brahmana and the scholar V. S. Agrawala connect him with Agni. Macdonell and Keith read him as Agni in the form of lightning, a single bolt striking the earth.
Aja Ekapada as the Pillar of Heaven
The Atharva Veda gives Aja Ekapada a second role. Its hymn to Rohita, the red sun, says that Aja Ekapada rests there. With his strength he has made heaven and earth firm (Atharva Veda 13.1.6).
This matches the Rig Veda title "upholder of heaven." Scholars read the single foot here as a pillar standing between heaven and earth. Later tantric texts link the Ekapada form with this pillar at the centre of the world.
The Puranas use the same image for tapas. In Bhagavata Purana 4.8.76, the boy Dhruva stands on one foot in his fifth month of penance, still as a pillar (sthāṇu). Sthanu is also a name of Shiva, and the Mahabharata calls the 11 Rudras the sons of Sthanu.
Is Aja Ekapada a Form of Shiva?
Yes. The Puranas and the Mahabharata list Aja Ekapada among the 11 Rudras, and the Rudras are forms of Shiva. Sayana also calls Aja Ekapada and Ahirbudhnya "2 Rudras."
| Text | Reference | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Matsya Purana | 5.29-30 | Lists Ajaikapada first among the Rudras, with Ahirbudhnya after him |
| Bhagavata Purana | 6.6.17-18 | Names Ajaikapat among the 11 Rudras born to Bhuta and Sarupa |
| Mahabharata | Adi Parva 1.60 | Names Ajaikapat among the 11 sons of Sthanu |
| Mahabharata | Anushasana Parva 13.17.100 | Includes Ajaikapat in the thousand names of Shiva |
| Vishnu Purana | 1.15 | Names Ajaikapad as a son of Vishvakarma, with Ahirbudhnya, Tvashtri and Rudra |
The lists do not all agree, which is normal in Puranic genealogy. The Vishnu Purana places him in the family of Vishvakarma, the divine architect, and leaves him out of its own list of Rudras. In every text above, Ahirbudhnya appears with him.
Aja Ekapada and Ahirbudhnya
Aja Ekapada and Ahirbudhnya are a fixed pair. The old name for both Bhadrapada nakshatras is Proshthapada. In the Taittiriya lists, Aja Ekapada rules the first Proshthapada and Ahirbudhnya rules the second.
The Taittiriya verse shows Aja Ekapada rising in the east and climbing the sky. Ahirbudhnya, the serpent, lives at the bottom of the waters. The Rig Veda names them together, and their 2 nakshatras follow one after the other.
Astrologers read the 2 nakshatras the same way. Purva Bhadrapada brings intensity and sudden effort, and Uttara Bhadrapada brings the patience to hold that effort steady.
The One-Footed Shiva in Temple Sculpture
In temple art, Aja Ekapada became Ekapada, a form of Shiva standing on a single leg. The art historian Thomas Donaldson has studied the Ekapada images of Odisha in detail.
The plain Ekapada murti has one leg and 4 arms. The Ekapada Trimurti adds Brahma and Vishnu growing out of Shiva's sides, and the Uttara Karana Agama describes it standing on a lotus base. Carvings of this form are found at Tiruvottiyur and Thiruvanaikaval in Tamil Nadu.
Odisha developed a fierce form, Ekapada Bhairava, with fangs, a garland of skulls and a tiger skin. Examples from the 8th century survive at the Talesvara and Markandesvara temples in Bhubaneswar. Another stands in the 9th century Yogini temple at Hirapur.
An 8th century relief at Mahabalipuram shows Ekapada with 5 heads. Images are also known from Andhra Pradesh, and a few from Rajasthan and Nepal.
Aja Ekapada and Purva Bhadrapada Nakshatra
Purva Bhadrapada takes its nature from Aja Ekapada. The upright, one-footed god gives this nakshatra intensity, fire and a strong drive toward a single aim. Jupiter, the nakshatra ruler, adds learning, ideals and a pull toward philosophy.
People with the Moon in Purva Bhadrapada often feel things intensely and hold firm views. Many are drawn to spiritual practice, study or causes larger than themselves. They can stand alone for what they believe. You can find your own birth nakshatra with the nakshatra calculator.
This intensity can swing between extremes. When it is scattered, it shows as restlessness or sudden burnout. Working with Aja Ekapada means directing it into tapas: steady discipline toward one goal, held over time.
Aja Ekapada Mantra
The most authentic mantra for Aja Ekapada is his verse in the Nakshatra Suktam of the Taittiriya Brahmana (3.1). It is recited for Purva Bhadrapada:
अज एकपादुदगात्पुरस्तात् ।
विश्वा भूतानि प्रति मोदमानः ।
तस्य देवाः प्रसवं यन्ति सर्वे ।
प्रोष्ठपदासो अमृतस्य गोपाः ।
विभ्राजमानः समिधान उग्रः ।
आऽन्तरिक्षमरुहदगन्द्याम् ।
तग्ं सूर्यं देवमजमेकपादम् ।
प्रोष्ठपदासो अनुयन्ति सर्वे ॥Aja Ekapadudagatpurastat |
vishva bhutani prati modamanah |
tasya devah prasavam yanti sarve |
Proshthapadaso amritasya gopah |
vibhrajamanah samidhana ugrah |
a'ntarikshamaruhadagandyam |
tagum suryam devamajamekapadam |
Proshthapadaso anuyanti sarve ||
Meaning: Aja Ekapada, the one-footed unborn, has risen in the east, taking delight in all beings. All the gods follow his lead. The Proshthapada stars are guardians of the deathless.
Shining, blazing and fierce, he has climbed the sky and reached heaven. That god, the sun, Aja Ekapada, is followed by all the Proshthapada stars.
Learn the accents from a teacher or a recording before you recite it. The verses for all 27 nakshatras are on our page of nakshatra mantras.
Name Mantra
We could not find a fixed name mantra for Aja Ekapada in a classical text. A plain salutation to the deity is:
ॐ अजैकपदे नमः
Om Ajaikapade Namaḥ
It means "Om, salutation to Aja Ekapada." Ajaikapade is the Sanskrit form for "to Aja Ekapada."
How to Worship Aja Ekapada
Recite the Nakshatra Suktam verse or chant the name salutation on the days the Moon passes through Purva Bhadrapada. This happens about once every 27 days.
Rig Veda 7.35.13 suits people born in either Bhadrapada nakshatra, since it calls on Aja Ekapada and Ahirbudhnya together. As a Rudra, Aja Ekapada is also reached through the worship of Shiva. Lighting a lamp or offering to fire fits his link with the sun and Agni.
All of this works on the mind. A small daily discipline, kept without a break, is the practice closest to this deity. It builds the steady effort this nakshatra asks for. For a reading of your own Moon nakshatra and running dasha, you can book a Vedic astrology consultation.
Aja Ekapada Temple
The Ajaikapada Bhairava Temple is in Jagatsinghpur district, Odisha, near the Alaka river, a branch of the Mahanadi. Archaeologists date the first temple to the early 10th century and the Somavamshi kings. The present small temple was rebuilt in the 20th century.
Its sanctum holds a one-footed Bhairava image with 4 arms, along with a Shivalinga. Local tradition regards this Ajaikapada Bhairava as the ruling deity of Purva Bhadrapada.
In Tamil Nadu, the temple most often named for Purva Bhadrapada (Purattathi in Tamil) is the Thiruvaneswarar Temple at Ranganathapuram. It stands in Thiruvaiyaru taluk of Thanjavur district. It is a Shiva temple, with Kamakshi as the goddess, and people born under this star visit it on their star day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the deity of Purva Bhadrapada Nakshatra?
Aja Ekapada, the one-footed goat, is the deity of Purva Bhadrapada. The Taittiriya Brahmana names him in the verse for this nakshatra.
Is Aja Ekapada the same as Shiva?
He is one of the 11 Rudras, which are forms of Shiva. The thousand names of Shiva in the Mahabharata include Ajaikapat, and temple art shows him as the one-footed Shiva.
Why does Aja Ekapada have one foot?
Sayana explains the name as "the unborn one who goes with one foot" and takes it to mean the sun. The Atharva Veda shows him making heaven and earth firm.
What is the relationship between Aja Ekapada and Ahirbudhnya?
They are a Vedic pair, named together in 5 Rig Veda verses. Aja Ekapada rules Purva Bhadrapada, and Ahirbudhnya rules Uttara Bhadrapada.
Which planet rules Purva Bhadrapada Nakshatra?
Jupiter rules Purva Bhadrapada. The nakshatra spans the end of Aquarius and the start of Pisces, so Saturn and Jupiter also shape it through the 2 signs.
Summary
Aja Ekapada is the one-footed deity of Purva Bhadrapada. The Rig Veda names him 6 times, 5 of them with Ahirbudhnya, and calls him the upholder of heaven. The Taittiriya Brahmana and Sayana read him as the sun, and the Atharva Veda as the support that keeps heaven and earth firm.
The Puranas count him among the 11 Rudras, and temple art shows him as Ekapada Shiva. To work with this nakshatra, recite his Nakshatra Suktam verse on the Purva Bhadrapada star day and keep one steady discipline.
