Vamana Purana — Ritadhvaja Aids Galava, Shloka 15
Ritadhvaja’s Aid to Galava and Andhaka’s Infatuation with Gauri
नारद उवाच एवं निरस्ते महिषे तारके च महासुरे हिरण्याक्षसुतो धीमान् किमचेष्टत वै पुनः
nārada uvāca evaṃ niraste mahiṣe tārake ca mahāsure hiraṇyākṣasuto dhīmān kimaceṣṭata vai punaḥ
Nārada said: ‘Thus, when the great asuras Mahiṣa and Tāraka had been destroyed, what did the intelligent son of Hiraṇyākṣa do thereafter?’
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FAQs
By citing well-known demon figures, Nārada anchors the chronology: the narrative has reached a post-conflict phase. The question functions as a hinge, moving from concluded slayings to the next antagonist or political development in the asura line.
The verse identifies him genealogically rather than by personal name, a common Purāṇic technique to foreground dynastic continuity. The epithet dhīmān suggests strategic intelligence—preparing the audience for a calculated response rather than a merely impulsive retaliation.
In Purāṇic battle contexts nirasta commonly conveys ‘destroyed/slain/removed from the field.’ While it can mean ‘repelled’ in other genres, here the pairing with mahāsura names strongly implies decisive destruction.