Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11
The Origin of the Gaṅgā and the Gods’ Defeat Caused by Bali
बलिः सुराञ्जेतुमनाः प्रवृत्तः सैन्येन युक्तो महता प्रतस्थे । ध्वजातपर्त्रैर्गगनाबुराशेस्तरङ्गविद्युत्स्मरणं प्रकुर्वन् ॥ ११ ॥
baliḥ surāñjetumanāḥ pravṛttaḥ sainyena yukto mahatā pratasthe | dhvajātapartrairgaganāburāśestaraṅgavidyutsmaraṇaṃ prakurvan || 11 ||
Bali, entschlossen, die Götter zu bezwingen, brach mit einem gewaltigen Heer auf. Die flatternden Fahnentücher ließen den Himmel wie ein Meer erscheinen und riefen Wogen und Blitze lebhaft in Erinnerung.
Sūta (narrator)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It highlights how worldly ambition (to conquer the Devas) can appear grand and dazzling, yet remains within the changing play of power—setting the stage for dharma to reassert itself through divine order.
Bhakti is not taught directly here; rather, the verse contrasts external splendor and conquest with the Purāṇic reminder that true refuge lies in devotion to the Lord, not in military might or dominion.
No Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is explicitly taught in this verse; it primarily uses poetic upamā (simile) to depict the army’s banners as waves and lightning in a ‘sky-ocean’.