Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 10

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा गो6क्षयं ब्रह्मन् कृत शक्रेण दानवः उद्योगं कारयामास सह सर्वैर्महासुरैः

Transliteration

śrutvā go6kṣayaṃ brahman kṛta śakreṇa dānavaḥ udyogaṃ kārayāmāsa saha sarvairmahāsuraiḥ

Translation

“Hearing, O Brahmin, of the slaughter of cows brought about by Śakra (Indra), the Dānava set preparations in motion together with all the great Asuras.”

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher figure continuing the account to a Brahmin interlocutor (explicit vocative: brahman)

Primary Deities

• Indra (Śakra)

Key Themes

• Conflict ethics and provocations
• Go-rakṣā / sanctity of cows
• Asura mobilization
• Collective action of Daityas/Dānavas

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is ‘go-kṣaya’ (cow-slaughter) highlighted as a trigger?

In Purāṇic dharma discourse, the cow is a major symbol of prosperity, sacrifice, and social order. ‘Go-kṣaya’ functions as a moral outrage that legitimizes (within the narrative logic) a large-scale retaliatory mobilization.

Does the verse imply Indra committed adharma?

The verse reports the Dānava perception—‘kṛtaṃ śakreṇa’—as the causal grievance. Purāṇas often present contested moral claims in Deva–Asura conflicts; the ethical evaluation depends on the broader chapter context not included in the excerpt.

Who is ‘the Dānava’ here—one person or a group?

Grammatically singular (dānavaḥ) can be used generically for the class or for a leading figure representing the group. The following phrase ‘with all the great Asuras’ indicates a collective mobilization.