Vamana Purana — Shukra's Samjivani, Shloka 66

Shukra’s Saṃjīvanī, Shiva’s Containment of the Asuras, and Indra’s Recovery of Power

Devanagari script

मेघप्रभेभ्यो दैत्येभ्यो निर्गच्छन्तो ऽमरोत्तमाः शोभन्ते पद्मपत्राक्षा मेघेभ्य इव विद्युतः

Transliteration

meghaprabhebhyo daityebhyo nirgacchanto 'marottamāḥ śobhante padmapatrākṣā meghebhya iva vidyutaḥ

Translation

Saliendo de los Daityas, cuyo fulgor era como el de las nubes, aquellos supremos entre los inmortales—de ojos como pétalos de loto—resplandecieron como el relámpago que brota de las nubes.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (Purāṇic narrator) continuing the battle description; specific interlocutors not explicit in these verses.

Primary Deities

• Devas (collective)

Key Themes

• Poetic simile (upamā)
• Divine radiance vs. demonic mass
• Reversal in battle momentum
• Purāṇic aesthetics of war narration

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why compare Daityas to clouds and Devas to lightning?

Clouds convey mass, darkness, and covering power—typical attributes of demonic hosts in Purāṇic poetics. Lightning conveys sudden, piercing brilliance and decisive force. The simile dramatizes the Devas’ swift reappearance and their capacity to split the ‘cloud-like’ demon formation.

Does ‘padmapatrākṣāḥ’ indicate Viṣṇu’s presence?

Not necessarily in a strict theological sense. While ‘lotus-eyed’ is strongly associated with Viṣṇu, Purāṇic kāvya-style frequently extends such epithets to gods collectively to mark divine beauty and auspiciousness. In these three verses, no direct Viṣṇu-avatāra is specified.

What is the narrative function of this verse between 65 and 67?

Verse 65 states the startling emergence; verse 66 supplies the visual theology—how that emergence looks (lightning-like splendor); verse 67 then returns to action, describing the renewed fighting once both sides are out in the open.