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 dit : «Ô grand ṛṣi, dans la lignée de Raghu il y eut un roi, vainqueur des ennemis. Son fils était un être magnanime, un océan de vertus innombrables : héroïque, capable de dompter l’adversaire même sans armée, puissant, et d’un même regard envers ses amis, les brāhmaṇa, ainsi qu’envers les aveugles, les pauvres et les démunis. Cet éminent et illustre personnage se nommait Ṛtadhvaja. Pour une affaire liée à Gālava, ayant enfourché le meilleur des chevaux, il abattit Pātālaketu par-derrière d’une flèche rapide, semblable à un demi-croissant de lune.»
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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.