Shloka 18

अध्याय १६ — शङ्कर-उमा-वरदानम् तथा तण्डि-स्तुतिः (Śaṅkara–Umā Boon-Granting and Taṇḍi’s Hymn)

Devanagari script

अधिपौरुषमध्यात्ममधि भूताधिदैवतम्‌ । अधिलोकाधिविज्ञानमधियज्ञस्त्वमेव हि,अधिपौरुष, अध्यात्म, अधिभूत, अधिदैवत, अधिलोक, अधिविज्ञान और अधियज्ञ आप ही हैं

Transliteration

adhipauruṣam adhyātmam adhibhūtādhidaivatam | adhilokādhivijñānam adhiyajñas tvam eva hi ||

Translation

Vāyu said: “You alone are the supreme Person, the inner ruler; you alone are the Self within, the realm of beings and the realm of the gods. You alone are the worlds and the higher knowledge that illumines them; and you alone are the sacrifice. In every domain—spiritual, cosmic, divine, worldly, and ritual—your presence is the ultimate ground.”

Word by Word

अधिपौरुषम्the (principle) presiding over the person / pertaining to the supreme person

अध्यात्मम्the spiritual/inner self (principle)

अधिover; with regard to; concerning

भूतin/with respect to beings (the elemental world)

अधिदैवतम्the presiding divine principle (over the gods/senses)

अधिलोकम्the principle presiding over the worlds

अधिविज्ञानम्the principle presiding over knowledge/discernment

अधियज्ञःthe presiding principle of sacrifice

त्वम्you

एवindeed; alone; just

हिfor; indeed

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

the addressed Supreme Lord (implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse affirms the Lord’s all-encompassing sovereignty: the same ultimate reality presides over the individual (adhyātma), the material world (adhibhūta), the divine order (adhidaivata), the cosmic worlds (adhiloka), true knowledge (adhivijñāna), and sacrificial action (adhiyajña). Ethically, it integrates knowledge and ritual by grounding both in devotion to the one supreme source.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu (the wind-god) addresses the Supreme Lord in praise, identifying Him as the presiding principle in multiple Vedic categories (spiritual, elemental, divine, worldly, cognitive, and sacrificial). The speech functions as a theological declaration that unifies diverse aspects of dharma under one divine reality.