Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 17 Shloka 99 - Mahabharata | Indonesian | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 99

Devanagari script

परश्चवधायुधो देवो अनुकारी सुबान्धव: । तुम्बवीणो महाक्रोध ऊर्ध्वरेता जलेशय:

Transliteration

paraśvadhāyudho devo'nukārī subāndhavaḥ | tumbavīṇo mahākrodha ūrdhvaretā jaleśayaḥ ||

Translation

Vāyu bersabda: Ia mengangkat kapak (paraśu) sebagai senjata; Ia bersifat ilahi. Ia meneladani laku para bhakta, sehingga menjadi kerabat mereka yang sejati dan mulia. Ia pemetik tumbā-vīṇā; pada saat pralaya Ia menampakkan murka yang dahsyat. Daya hidup-Nya teguh tak tergelincir, dan dalam wujud Viṣṇu Ia berbaring di atas samudra.

Word by Word

परशु-च-वध-आयुधःhe whose weapons are axe and slaying (weapons of destruction)

देवःthe god; the divine one

अनुकारीone who follows/imitates; an emulator

सु-बान्धवःa good kinsman; an excellent relative/ally

तुम्ब-वीणःone having/playing a gourd-lute (tumbī-vīṇā)

महाक्रोधःof great wrath; exceedingly wrathful

ऊर्ध्व-रेताःone whose semen is held upward; a strict celibate

जल-शयःone who lies/sleeps on (or in) water

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

Paraśurāma (implied by paraśvadhāyudha)

Mahādeva/Śiva (implied by devaḥ in the given gloss)

Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa (implied by jaleśayaḥ)

tumbā-vīṇā (musical instrument)

pralaya (cosmic dissolution; implied by mahākrodha in the gloss)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.