Shloka 48
Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
गजहा दैत्यहा कालो लोकधाता गुणाकर: । सिंहशार्दूलरूपश्न आर्द्रचर्माम्बरावृत:,१५० गजहा--गजरूपधारी महान् असुरको मारनेवाले, १५१ दैत्यहा--अन्धक आदि दैत्योंका वध करनेवाले, १५२ काल:--मृत्यु अथवा संवत्सर आदि समय, १५३ लोकधाता --समस्त जगत्का धारण-पोषण करनेवाले, १५४ गुणाकर:--सदगुणोंकी खान, १५५ सिंहशार्दूलरूप:--सिंह-व्याप्र आदिका रूप धारण करनेवाले, १५६ आरद्द्रचर्माम्बरावृत: -गजासुरके गीले चर्मको ही वस्त्र बनाकर उससे अपने-आपको आच्छादित करनेवाले
gajahā daityahā kālo lokadhātā guṇākaraḥ | siṁhaśārdūlarūpaś ca ārdracarmāmbarāvṛtaḥ ||
Vāyu-deva said: “He is the slayer of the elephant(-formed foe), the destroyer of the Daityas; he is Time itself. He upholds and sustains the worlds and is a treasury of noble qualities. Assuming the forms of lion and tiger, he is clad in a garment made from the still-wet hide (of the elephant-demon).”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises a divine figure as both protector and destroyer: he sustains the worlds (lokadhātā) yet is also Kāla (Time/Death). Ethically, it frames righteous power as multi-dimensional—fierce against adharma (daityahā) while fundamentally grounded in virtue (guṇākaraḥ) and cosmic maintenance.
Vāyu is describing and glorifying a formidable deity/hero through epithets: slayer of demon foes (including one associated with an elephant form), embodiment of Time, supporter of the worlds, and one who assumes lion/tiger forms. The striking image of being clothed in a fresh hide underscores the aftermath of a demon-slaying feat and the deity’s terrifying, protective aspect.