Shloka 99
Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
परश्चवधायुधो देवो अनुकारी सुबान्धव: । तुम्बवीणो महाक्रोध ऊर्ध्वरेता जलेशय:
paraśvadhāyudho devo'nukārī subāndhavaḥ | tumbavīṇo mahākrodha ūrdhvaretā jaleśayaḥ ||
Vāyu sprach: „Er führt die Axt als Waffe; er ist göttlich. Er folgt (und spiegelt) die Wege seiner Verehrer und wird ihnen zum wahren und edlen Verwandten. Er ist der Spieler der tumbā-vīṇā; zur Zeit der kosmischen Auflösung offenbart er gewaltigen Zorn. Seine Lebenskraft ist unerschütterlich, ohne Fall und ohne Schwanken, und in der Gestalt Viṣṇus ruht er auf den Wassern.“
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse strings together epithets to show a single divine reality expressed through multiple functions—martial protection (axe-bearing), intimate care for devotees (noble kinsman who ‘follows’ them), disciplined spiritual power (ūrdhvaretā), and cosmic governance (wrath at dissolution, and Viṣṇu’s watery repose). Ethically, it elevates devotion, self-mastery, and the idea that divine power can be both fierce and nurturing.
Vāyu is describing the deity through a litany of names/attributes. The description blends recognizable forms—Paraśurāma-like axe-bearing, Śiva-like ascetic potency and pralaya-wrath, and Viṣṇu-like jaleśaya—presenting a composite praise that emphasizes the deity’s many manifestations and roles.