Shloka 5

Daitya–Dānava Vaṁśa, Kaśyapa’s Progeny, and the Birth of the Maruts

Devanagari script

एकचक्रो महाबाहुस् तारकश् च महाबलः स्वर्भानुर् वृषपर्वा च पुलोमा च महाबलः

Transliteration

ekacakro mahābāhus tārakaś ca mahābalaḥ svarbhānur vṛṣaparvā ca pulomā ca mahābalaḥ

Translation

Among them were Ekacakra, Mahābāhu, and Tāraka of immense might; also Svarbhānu, Vṛṣaparvan, and Pulomā—each renowned for formidable power.

Word by Word

• एकचक्रः: Ekacakra (name; 'one-wheeled')
• एकचक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); द्विगु-समासः (numeral compound)

• महाबाहुः: Mahābāhu (name)
• महाबाहुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाबाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (mahā + bāhu)

• तारकः: Tāraka (name)
• तारकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• महाबलः: very strong
• महाबलः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (mahā + bala)

• स्वर्भानुः: Svarbhānu (name)
• स्वर्भानुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्भानु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वृषपर्वा: Vṛṣaparvā (name)
• वृषपर्वा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्वन्/पर्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः (determinative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पुलोमा: Pulomā (name)
• पुलोमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलोमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• महाबलः: very strong
• महाबलः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (mahā + bala)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Completion/extension of the Dānavas’ name-list within the teaching.

Teaching: Genealogical

Quality: authoritative

Dynasty & Genealogy

Key Kings: Ekacakra, Mahabahu, Taraka, Svarbhanu, Vrishaparvan, Puloma

Characters & Entities

• Ekacakra
• Mahābāhu
• Tāraka
• Svarbhānu
• Vṛṣaparvan
• Pulomā

FAQs

What is the significance of listing Dānava names in the Vishnu Purana?

The verse functions as a genealogical register: it maps the Asura/Dānava lineages that recur across cosmic ages, showing how even adversarial powers exist within the ordered universe governed by Vishnu.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmic order through such genealogies?

By enumerating beings and their lines, Parāśara presents history as structured and cyclical—populations, dynasties, and even opponents of the gods arise according to cosmic law, under Vishnu’s overarching sovereignty.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when the verse names mighty Asuras, the broader teaching is that all strength and emergence operate within Vishnu’s supreme reality—power is not ultimate in itself but subordinate to the sustaining cosmic principle (Vishnu).