Shloka 55
Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
विष्वक्सेनो हरिर्यज्ञ: संयुगापीडवाहन: । तीक्ष्णतापश्न हर्यश्वः सहाय: कर्मकालवित्
viṣvakseno harir yajñaḥ saṁyugāpīḍavāhanaḥ | tīkṣṇatāpo haryaśvaḥ sahāyaḥ karmakālavit ||
Vāyu-deva sprach: „Er ist Viṣvaksena, der die Heerscharen der Dämonen nach allen Seiten in die Flucht schlägt; Hari, der die Bedrängnis nimmt; Yajña, die Verkörperung des Opfers; der Eine, dessen Fahrzeug selbst im Gedränge der Schlacht unangefochten bleibt; die Scharfe-Glut, wie die unerträgliche Sonne; Haryaśva, begleitet von grünlich schimmernden Rossen; der Freund und Verbündete aller Lebewesen; und der Kenner der rechten Zeiten für das Handeln.“
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises the Lord through layered epithets that connect ethics and devotion: the divine protects beings, removes suffering, is present in sacrificial duty, remains unshaken in conflict, and—crucially—knows the right time for action. It implies that dharmic life requires both devotion and timely, well-judged action.
Vāyudeva is speaking a litany of divine names/attributes, identifying the supreme deity (Hari/Viṣṇu) by functions: defeating hostile forces, sustaining yajña, enduring battle’s pressure, manifesting fierce energy like the sun, befriending all beings, and governing the timing and fruition of actions.