Shloka 22

Devanagari script

नामधेयानि देवेषु बहुन्यस्य यथार्थवत्‌ । निरुच्यन्ते महत्त्वाच्च विभुत्वात्‌ कर्मभिस्तथा,उनकी महत्ता, व्यापकता तथा दिव्य कर्मोंके अनुसार देवताओंमें उनके बहुत-से यथार्थ नाम प्रचलित हैं

Transliteration

nāmadheyāni deveṣu bahūny asya yathārthavat | nirucyante mahattvāc ca vibhutvāt karmabhis tathā ||

Translation

Vāyu sprach: „Unter den Göttern werden ihm viele Namen beigelegt, und jeder ist wahrhaft bedeutungsvoll — hervorgegangen aus seiner Größe, aus seiner allumfassenden, alles durchdringenden Herrschaft und ebenso aus seinen göttlichen Taten. Darum ist die Überlieferung vieler Beinamen keine bloße Konvention, sondern die Anerkennung, dass Namen wirklichen Eigenschaften und Handlungen entsprechen sollen.“

Word by Word

नामधेयानिnames, appellations

देवेषुamong the gods / in the deities

बहूनिmany

अस्यof him/this (one)

यथार्थवत्truly, in accordance with reality

निरुच्यन्तेare explained/are stated (etymologically)

महत्त्वात्because of greatness

चand

विभुत्वात्because of pervasiveness/sovereign power

कर्मभिःby (divine) deeds/acts

तथाlikewise, also

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

devas (the gods)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Names of the divine are presented as ethically and philosophically grounded: true epithets arise from real attributes—greatness, pervasive power, and concrete deeds—so language should reflect character and action rather than empty praise.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu is speaking within a doctrinal discussion and explains why a deity is known by many different names among the gods: each name is justified by the deity’s magnitude, all-pervading potency, and distinctive divine works.