Shloka 181
सहधर्म-प्रश्नः तथा अष्टावक्रोपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः
Inquiry on Sahadharma and the Opening of the Aṣṭāvakra Narrative
शत्रुसूदन जनार्दन! मार्कण्डेयजीसे मैंने नियमपूर्वक यह स्तोत्र ग्रहण किया था। अभी इस स्तोत्रकी अधिक प्रसिद्धि नहीं हुई है, अतः मैं तुम्हें इसका उपदेश देता हूँ ।।
śatrusūdana janārdana! mārkaṇḍeyajī-se mayā niyamapūrvakaṃ idaṃ stotraṃ gṛhītaṃ āsīt. adhunā asya stotrasya adhikā prasiddhiḥ na jātā; ataḥ ahaṃ tubhyaṃ asyopadeśaṃ dadāmi. svargyam ārogyam āyuṣyaṃ dhanyaṃ vedena sammitam. nāsya vighnaṃ vikurvanti dānavā yakṣarākṣasāḥ. piśācā yātudhānā vā guhyakā bhujagā api.
Vāyu said: “O Śatrusūdana, O Janārdana! I received this hymn from the sage Mārkaṇḍeya with strict observance of discipline. It is not yet widely known; therefore I teach it to you. This Veda-like hymn bestows heaven, health, long life, and prosperity. Neither Dānavas nor Yakṣas and Rākṣasas can create obstacles to it; nor can Piśācas, Yātudhānas, Guhyakas, or even serpents hinder its efficacy.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred hymns received and practiced with discipline (niyama) are portrayed as Veda-equivalent in sanctity and as sources of both ethical merit and practical well-being—heavenly reward, health, longevity, and prosperity—while also functioning as spiritual protection against obstructive forces.
Vāyu addresses Kṛṣṇa (as Śatrusūdana/Janārdana), explaining that he learned a particular stotra from the sage Mārkaṇḍeya under strict observance. Since it is not yet widely known, Vāyu transmits it to Kṛṣṇa and describes its benefits and its immunity to interference from various supernatural beings.