Shloka 99
Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
परश्चवधायुधो देवो अनुकारी सुबान्धव: । तुम्बवीणो महाक्रोध ऊर्ध्वरेता जलेशय:
paraśvadhāyudho devo'nukārī subāndhavaḥ | tumbavīṇo mahākrodha ūrdhvaretā jaleśayaḥ ||
Vāyu dit : « Il porte la hache pour arme ; il est divin. Il suit (et reflète) les voies de ses dévots, devenant leur parent véritable et noble. Il joue de la tumbā-vīṇā ; au temps de la dissolution cosmique, il manifeste une colère immense. Son énergie vitale demeure inébranlable, sans défaillance, et sous la forme de Viṣṇu il repose sur les eaux. »
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse strings together epithets to show a single divine reality expressed through multiple functions—martial protection (axe-bearing), intimate care for devotees (noble kinsman who ‘follows’ them), disciplined spiritual power (ūrdhvaretā), and cosmic governance (wrath at dissolution, and Viṣṇu’s watery repose). Ethically, it elevates devotion, self-mastery, and the idea that divine power can be both fierce and nurturing.
Vāyu is describing the deity through a litany of names/attributes. The description blends recognizable forms—Paraśurāma-like axe-bearing, Śiva-like ascetic potency and pralaya-wrath, and Viṣṇu-like jaleśaya—presenting a composite praise that emphasizes the deity’s many manifestations and roles.