Prahlada’s Defeat in Battle and Victory through Bhakti (Nara-Narayana Episode)
तमागतं संनिरीक्ष्य प्रत्युवाच नराग्रजः गच्छ दैत्येन्द्र योत्स्यामः प्रातस्त्वाह्निकमाचर
tamāgataṃ saṃnirīkṣya pratyuvāca narāgrajaḥ gaccha daityendra yotsyāmaḥ prātastvāhnikamācara
Seeing him come, the foremost among men replied: “Go, O lord of the Daityas; we shall fight (later). Perform first your morning daily rites.”
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Dharma is not suspended even in hostility: the injunction to complete āhnika underscores that right order (nitya-karma, self-discipline, purity) precedes action, and that power without ritual-ethical grounding is considered improper.
This is Carita-type narrative with a dharma-inflection: within Vamśānucarita-style storytelling, it briefly foregrounds nitya-karma (daily rites), linking epic action to ritual obligation.
The pause for morning rites symbolizes the primacy of inner alignment before outward contest—suggesting that the ‘real battle’ is anchored in self-governance; it also portrays an ideal of regulated conflict rather than chaotic violence.