Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 132
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 ||
वायुदेव बोले—वह हर्यक्ष है, सिंह-सदृश रूपवाला; ककुभ है, दिशाओं का स्वरूप; वजी है, वज्रधारी; शतजिद्ध है, विजय-चिह्नों से युक्त; सहस्रपात और सहस्रमूर्धा है, सहस्र चरणों और सहस्र मस्तकों वाला। वही देवेन्द्र है—देवताओं का स्वामी; समस्त देवताओं का सार; और गुरु—सबको ज्ञान देने वाला।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.