Shloka 12
Daitya–Dānava Vaṁśa, Kaśyapa’s Progeny, and the Birth of the Maruts
अन्धको नरकश् चैव कालनाभस् तथैव च स्वर्भानुश् च महावीर्यो वक्त्रयोधी महासुरः
andhako narakaś caiva kālanābhas tathaiva ca svarbhānuś ca mahāvīryo vaktrayodhī mahāsuraḥ
Among them were Andhaka, Naraka, and likewise Kālanābha; and Svarbhānu too, of great heroism—Vaktrayodhī, that mighty Asura.
Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya
Vishnu Form: Hari
FAQs
The verse functions as a genealogical and narrative catalogue: it identifies key Asura powers that arise within creation, framing them as recurring challengers to dharma and thereby highlighting the necessity of divine order ultimately governed by Viṣṇu.
In Parāśara’s discourse to Maitreya, these names mark forces that appear within the created world across cycles—agents of disruption whose presence sets the stage for restoration, rebalancing, and the reaffirmation of cosmic sovereignty.
Even when the verse names powerful opponents, the Purāṇic frame is that Viṣṇu remains the Supreme Reality who upholds and restores order; Asura might is temporary within His overarching governance of the cosmos.