Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 20

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

विमानानि च सुभ्राणि पक्षिवाह्यानि नारद समारुह्याद्रवन् सर्वे यतो दैत्यबलं स्थितम्

Transliteration

vimānāni ca subhrāṇi pakṣivāhyāni nārada samāruhyādravan sarve yato daityabalaṃ sthitam

Translation

And, O Nārada, mounting splendid vimānas borne by birds, they all rushed forth to where the army of the Daityas was stationed.

Speakers

• Narrator addressing Nārada (explicit vocative: ‘Nārada’)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (narrative frame)
• Narada

Key Themes

• Celestial technology (vimāna motif)
• Rapid mobilization
• Approach to Daitya encampment
• Epic-style battle staging

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is implied by ‘pakṣivāhya’ vimānas—are these Garuḍa-type vehicles?

The phrase indicates bird-borne or winged conveyance. It can suggest vehicles drawn by great birds or constructed with wing-like features. While Garuḍa is the paradigmatic bird-mount of Viṣṇu, the verse does not specify Garuḍa; it emphasizes aerial speed and splendor.

Why is Nārada addressed here?

Addressing Nārada functions as a narrative anchor: he is a paradigmatic hearer/witness in Purāṇic discourse. The vocative also heightens immediacy, as if the narrator is guiding Nārada through a vivid scene of mobilization.

Does the verse identify the battlefield’s geography?

No. Unlike the Vāmana Purāṇa’s many tīrtha-geography passages, this verse is non-toponymic: it marks directionality (‘to where the Daitya army was stationed’) without naming a river, forest, or kṣetra.