Shloka 134

Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration

Anuśāsana-parva 17

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मदण्डविनिर्माता शतघ्नीपाशशक्तिमान्‌ | पद्मगर्भो महागर्भो ब्रह्मगर्भो जलोद्धव:,८५१ ब्रह्मावण्डविनिर्माता-ब्रह्मदण्डका निर्माण करनेवाले, ८५२ शतघ्नीपाशशक्तिमान्‌--शतघ्नी, पाश और शक्तिसे युक्त, ८५३ पद्मगर्भ:--ब्रह्मास्वरूप, ८५४ महागर्भ:--जगत्‌रूप गर्भको धारण करनेवाले होनेसे महागर्भ, ८५५ ब्र्मागर्भ:-- वेदको उदरमें धारण करनेवाले, ८५६ जलोद्धव:ः--एकार्णवके जलमें प्रकट होनेवाले

Transliteration

brahmadaṇḍavinirmātā śataghnīpāśaśaktimān | padmagarbho mahāgarbho brahmagarbho jalodbhavaḥ ||

Translation

Vāyu-deva said: “He is the maker of the Brahma-staff (the rod of sacred chastisement), endowed with the śataghnī weapon, the noose, and the spear. He is Padma-garbha—of the nature of Brahmā; Mahā-garbha—bearing within himself the vast womb of the universe; Brahma-garbha—holding the Veda within; and Jalodbhava—manifesting from the primeval waters.”

Word by Word

ब्रह्मदण्डविनिर्माताmaker/creator of the Brahma-rod (divine staff of punishment)

शतघ्नीपाशशक्तिमान्possessed of the weapons: śataghnī, noose, and spear/śakti

पद्मगर्भःhe whose womb/source is the lotus (lotus-born)

महागर्भःthe great-wombed; having a vast cosmic source

ब्रह्मगर्भःhaving Brahman/Veda in the womb; containing sacred knowledge

जलोद्धवःwater-born; arisen from the waters

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

Brahma-daṇḍa (Brahma-staff)

Śataghnī (weapon)

Pāśa (noose)

Śakti (spear)

Padma (lotus)

Primordial waters (eka-arṇava implied by gloss)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

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 praises the deity through layered epithets that unite cosmic origin (arising from primordial waters), sacred authority (the Brahma-staff), and disciplined power (weapons that also symbolize restraint). Ethically, it frames true power as grounded in dharma and sacred knowledge rather than mere force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu is speaking a hymn-like description, listing honorific names and attributes of the praised divine figure. The focus is not on action but on identification—defining the deity’s cosmic role, authority, and potency through traditional epithets.