Shloka 113

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

Anuśāsana-parva 17

Devanagari script

६८२ प्रभावात्मा--उत्कृष्ट सत्तास्वरूप, ६८३ जगत्‌कालस्थाल:--प्रलयकालमें जगत्‌का संहार करनेवाले कालके स्थान, ६८४ लोकहित:--लोकहितैषी, ६८५ तरु:-- तारनेवाले, ६८६ सारजड्भ:--चातकस्वरूप, ६८७ नवचक्राड्र:--नूतन हंसरूप, ६८८ केतुमाली--ध्वजा-पताकाओंकी मालाओंसे अलंकृत, ६८९ सभावन:--धर्मस्थानकी रक्षा करनेवाले ।।

Transliteration

prabhāvātmā utkṛṣṭa-sattā-svarūpaḥ jagat-kāla-sthālaḥ pralaya-kāle jagataḥ saṃhārakālasya sthānam loka-hitaḥ lokahitaiṣī taruḥ tārayitā sārajaḍbhaḥ cātaka-svarūpaḥ navacakrāḍraḥ nūtana-haṃsa-svarūpaḥ ketumālī dhvajā-patākā-mālābhiḥ alaṅkṛtaḥ sabhāvanaḥ dharma-sthāna-rakṣakaḥ | bhūtālayaḥ bhūtapatiḥ ahorātram aninditaḥ |

Translation

Vāyu dijo: «Él es de esencia radiante, la forma suprema del ser puro; el mismo asiento del Tiempo que, en la disolución, retrae al mundo. Es bienhechor de todas las criaturas, salvador que las hace cruzar. Se manifiesta en formas auspiciosas —como el ave cātaka y como un cisne nuevo y noble—, adornado con estandartes y pendones. Protege la asamblea del dharma. Es morada de todos los seres y señor de todos los seres; es el día y la noche mismos, y está más allá de todo reproche.»

Word by Word

• भूतालयः: abode of beings; dwelling-place of all creatures
• भूतालयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतालय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भूतपतिः: lord of beings; master of all creatures
• भूतपतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतपति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अहोरात्रम्: day and night; continuously
• अहोरात्रम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहोरात्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अनिन्दितः: blameless; irreproachable
• अनिन्दितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिन्दित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Vāyudeva)
• Time (Kāla)
• Pralaya (cosmic dissolution)
• Dharma-sabhā / dharma-sthāna (assembly/seat of dharma)
• Cātaka bird
• Haṃsa (swan)
• Ketu (banner/standard)
• Bhūta (all beings/creatures)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents the divine as both transcendent (supreme pure being, beyond blame) and immanent (dwelling in all beings, manifest as day and night, governing cosmic Time). Ethically, it frames ultimate authority as inherently loka-hita—working for the welfare of all—and as the protector of dharma in communal life (the sabhā).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu is delivering a stuti (praise-description), listing epithets that identify the praised deity as the cosmic ground of existence and time, the benefactor and savior of beings, and the guardian of the dharma-assembly, using symbolic forms (cātaka, haṃsa) and royal insignia (banners).