Shloka 172
The Tārakāmaya War: Divine Mustering, Māyā Countermeasures, Aurva Fire, and Viṣṇu’s Slaying of Kālanemi
बाहुभिस्तुलयन्व्योम क्षिपन्पद्भ्यां महीधरान् । ईरयन्मुखनिःश्वासैर्वृष्टिकारान्बलाहकान्
bāhubhistulayanvyoma kṣipanpadbhyāṃ mahīdharān | īrayanmukhaniḥśvāsairvṛṣṭikārānbalāhakān
Mit seinen Armen schien er den Himmel zu wägen; mit seinen Füßen schleuderte er die Berge; und mit den Stößen seines Atems aus dem Mund trieb er die regenbringenden Wolken voran.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Power that manipulates the elements reveals the volatility of material forces; without dharmic orientation, strength becomes destructive and invites corrective divine action.
Application: Treat ‘control’ (over people, resources, nature) with humility; align capability with service and restraint, remembering all capacities are contingent.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The giant raises his arms as if weighing the very sky, while his feet kick and fling mountains like pebbles into the air. From his mouth, hurricane-like breaths drive dark rain-clouds across the heavens, turning the cosmos into a churning storm-scape.","primary_figures":["Colossal fearsome being","Personified clouds (balāhaka)","Mountains in mid-air"],"setting":"Sky filled with spiraling storm clouds; shattered mountain peaks suspended; distant devas watching from a trembling celestial horizon.","lighting_mood":"lightning-slashed darkness with turbulent cloud-glow","color_palette":["storm blue","charcoal black","silver lightning","mud brown","saffron highlights"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: cosmic storm tableau with a colossal figure lifting arms toward the sky, mountains tossed by his feet, breath rendered as swirling gold-edged wind streams pushing rain-clouds; gold leaf lightning, rich reds/greens in ornaments, gem-studded accents, layered celestial bands with tiny devas at corners.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: dynamic diagonal composition—mountains arcing through the air, delicate cloud curls, fine rain lines; the giant’s breath as pale spirals; cool blues and greys with subtle saffron; refined faces of tiny devas in alarm against a lyrical yet violent landscape.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and rhythmic curves for wind and clouds; the giant centered, arms extended, feet striking stylized mountains; strong red/yellow/green pigments with black storm fields; iconic cloud motifs and dramatic eyes.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate border with lotus and cloud motifs; deep indigo ground; stylized mountains and swirling breath patterns in gold; narrative corners with small celestial beings; intricate textile-like detailing and symmetrical storm ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunder","howling wind","mridanga strokes","conch blast","rainfall texture"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: बाहुभिस्तुलयन् → बाहुभिः तुलयन्; तुलयन्व्योम → तुलयन् व्योम; क्षिपन्पद्भ्याम् → क्षिपन् पद्भ्याम्; मुखनिःश्वासैर्वृष्टिकारान्बलाहकान् → मुखनिःश्वासैः वृष्टिकारान् बलाहकान्
FAQs
It depicts a being of immense, cosmic-scale power—balancing the sky, hurling mountains, and driving rain-bearing clouds by the force of breath.
In Purāṇic style it functions primarily as poetic magnification (atiśayokti) to communicate extraordinary might, whether applied literally within the narrative or as symbolic grandeur.
It highlights the Purāṇic theme that worldly forces (mountains, clouds, weather) are ultimately subject to higher power—encouraging humility and reverence toward the divine order behind nature.