Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 54
Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
न्यग्रोधरूपो न्यग्रोधो वृक्षकर्णस्थितिर्वि भु: । सुतीक्ष्णदशनश्वैव महाकायो महानन:
nyagrodharūpo nyagrodho vṛkṣakarṇasthitir vibhuḥ | sutīkṣṇadaśanaś caiva mahākāyo mahānanaḥ ||
风神伐由说道：“彼现为榕树之形；居于榕树之侧；安住于榕叶之上；为遍一切处之主。其齿极锐；其身广大，其口宏阔。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the Lord’s vibhutva—his capacity to pervade and appear in diverse forms. By describing him as banyan-formed, banyan-associated, and resting on a banyan leaf, it points to divine immanence in nature and mythic symbols, encouraging reverence and ethical orientation (dharma) grounded in recognizing the sacred beyond a single fixed form.
Vāyu-deva is describing a formidable, awe-inspiring divine being through a sequence of epithets: his association with the banyan and his immense, fearsome physical traits (sharp teeth, huge body, vast mouth). The description functions as identification through characteristic marks, aligning with traditional imagery (notably the child-form resting on a banyan leaf) while also conveying cosmic grandeur.