Vamana Purana — Ritadhvaja Aids Galava, Shloka 3
Ritadhvaja’s Aid to Galava and Andhaka’s Infatuation with Gauri
पुलस्त्य उवाच आसीन्नृपो रघुकुले रिपुजिन्महर्षे तस्यात्मजो गुमगणैकनिर्धिर्महात्मा सूरो ऽसैन्यदमनो बलवान् सुहृत्सु विप्रान्धदीनकृपणेषु समानभावः // वम्प्_33.2 ऋतध्वजो नाम महान् महीयान् स गालवार्थे तुरगाधिपूढः पातालकेतुं निजघान पृष्ठे बाणेन चन्द्रार्धनिभेन वेगात्
pulastya uvāca āsīnnṛpo raghukule ripujinmaharṣe tasyātmajo gumagaṇaikanirdhirmahātmā sūro 'sainyadamano balavān suhṛtsu viprāndhadīnakṛpaṇeṣu samānabhāvaḥ // VamP_33.2 ṛtadhvajo nāma mahān mahīyān sa gālavārthe turagādhipūḍhaḥ pātālaketuṃ nijaghāna pṛṣṭhe bāṇena candrārdhanibhena vegāt
Pulastya dijo: «Oh gran sabio, en la estirpe de Raghu hubo un rey, vencedor de enemigos. Su hijo era un magnánimo, un océano de virtudes incontables: heroico, capaz de someter a los adversarios aun sin ejército, fuerte, y de ánimo igual hacia los amigos, los brāhmaṇas, y también hacia los ciegos, los pobres y los desamparados. Aquel eminente e ilustre se llamaba Ṛtadhvaja. Por una tarea relacionada con Gālava, montando el señor de los caballos, abatió a Pātālaketu por la espalda con una flecha veloz, semejante a una media luna.»
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FAQs
The epithet signals a heroic-ethical ideal: the king’s personal valor and strategic capacity are so great that he can neutralize threats without relying on mass violence. In Purāṇic style, it also elevates him as a dhārmic protector suited to assist sages like Gālava.
Ṛta denotes cosmic order/truth (a Vedic concept). ‘Ṛtadhvaja’ (‘banner of ṛta’) frames the king as one whose sovereignty is aligned with truth and right order—an important Purāṇic marker of legitimate rule.
Here it is a proper name of a daitya/hostile figure. The element ‘Pātāla’ evokes the netherworld, but the verse narrates a combat event rather than a pilgrimage geography; no tīrtha is identified in this line.