Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
हर्यक्ष: ककुभो वजी शतजिदह्ठद: सहस्रपात् । सहस्मूर्धा देवेन्द्र: सर्वदेवमयो गुरु:
haryakṣaḥ kakubho vajī śatajiddhaḥ sahasrapāt | sahasramūrdhā devendraḥ sarvadevamayo guruḥ ||
Dijo el dios Vāyu: «Él es Haryakṣa, de forma leonina; es Kakubha, que encarna los rumbos y las direcciones; es Vajī, el que empuña el vajra, el rayo; es Śatajiddha, marcado por innumerables signos de victoria; es Sahasrapāt y Sahasramūrdhā, poseedor de mil pies y mil cabezas. Él es Devendra, señor de los dioses—más aún, la esencia misma de todas las deidades—y el Gurú, dador de conocimiento a todos.»
वायुदेव उवाच
The verse teaches a theological and ethical vision of divinity: the supreme lord (here identified with Devendra/Indra through exalted epithets) is portrayed as all-pervading (directions), all-powerful (vajra-bearing, victorious), and cosmic in scale (thousand heads and feet). Such praise encourages reverence for divine order and the recognition that true authority is grounded in wisdom (guru) and the welfare-sustaining power of dharma.
Vāyu-deva is speaking a stuti (hymn of praise), listing a sequence of epithets that magnify Devendra/Indra as a cosmic, all-gods-in-one figure and as a universal teacher. The narrative moment is devotional and descriptive rather than action-driven: it elevates the listener’s understanding of the deity’s scope and role.