Shloka 55
Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
विष्वक्सेनो हरिर्यज्ञ: संयुगापीडवाहन: । तीक्ष्णतापश्न हर्यश्वः सहाय: कर्मकालवित्
viṣvakseno harir yajñaḥ saṁyugāpīḍavāhanaḥ | tīkṣṇatāpo haryaśvaḥ sahāyaḥ karmakālavit ||
Vāyu-deva dit : «Il est Viṣvaksena, qui met en déroute de toutes parts les armées des démons ; Hari, qui ôte les afflictions ; Yajña, l’incarnation même du sacrifice ; Celui dont le véhicule demeure sans trouble jusque dans la cohue du combat ; la Chaleur-Tranchante, tel le soleil insoutenable ; Haryaśva, escorté de coursiers aux teintes vertes ; l’Ami et l’allié de tous les êtres vivants ; et le Connaisseur des temps justes pour l’action.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises the Lord through layered epithets that connect ethics and devotion: the divine protects beings, removes suffering, is present in sacrificial duty, remains unshaken in conflict, and—crucially—knows the right time for action. It implies that dharmic life requires both devotion and timely, well-judged action.
Vāyudeva is speaking a litany of divine names/attributes, identifying the supreme deity (Hari/Viṣṇu) by functions: defeating hostile forces, sustaining yajña, enduring battle’s pressure, manifesting fierce energy like the sun, befriending all beings, and governing the timing and fruition of actions.