Vamana Purana — Manifestation of Katyayani, Shloka 4
The Manifestation of Katyayani (Durga) and the Humbling of the Vindhya by Agastya
एतद् भवन्तौ शरणागतानां श्रुत्वा वचो ब्रूत हितं सुराणाम् न चेद् व्रजामो ऽद्य रसातलं हि संकाल्यमाना युधि दानवेन
etad bhavantau śaraṇāgatānāṃ śrutvā vaco brūta hitaṃ surāṇām na ced vrajāmo 'dya rasātalaṃ hi saṃkālyamānā yudhi dānavena
Therefore, you two—having heard the words of us who have sought refuge—declare what is beneficial for the gods; otherwise, today we shall go down to Rasātala, being crushed in battle by the Dānava.
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds counsel (hita) as dharmic strategy: devotion is not passive; it seeks right guidance and timely action. It also teaches that even devas must rely on grace and wisdom beyond their own strength.
Vamśānucarita/Carita narrative: a crisis in divine rule prompts appeal to supreme divinity, a common purāṇic motif that sets up ensuing feats and restorations of order.
Rasātala functions as the symbolic ‘lowest point’—the consequence of unchecked adharma. The dual address (bhavantau) encodes the Purāṇa’s integrative theology: protection is not framed as sectarian rivalry but as coordinated divine sovereignty.