Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, 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 dit : «Ô Śatrusūdana, ô Janārdana ! J’ai reçu cet hymne du sage Mārkaṇḍeya en observant une discipline rigoureuse. Il n’est pas encore largement connu ; c’est pourquoi je te l’enseigne. Cet hymne, pareil au Veda, accorde le ciel, la santé, la longue vie et la prospérité. Ni les Dānavas, ni les Yakṣas et les Rākṣasas ne peuvent y susciter d’obstacles ; pas davantage les Piśācas, les Yātudhānas, les Guhyakas, ni même les serpents ne peuvent en entraver l’efficacité.»
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.