Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 7

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

अपकृष्टं तथा राज्यमान्धकस्य महात्मनः तेषामर्थे महाबाहो शङ्करेम त्रिशूलिना

Transliteration

apakṛṣṭaṃ tathā rājyamāndhakasya mahātmanaḥ teṣāmarthe mahābāho śaṅkarema triśūlinā

Translation

Thus the sovereignty of the great-souled Āndhaka was diminished; and for their sake, O mighty-armed one, we (acted) with Śaṅkara, the trident-bearer.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Andhaka-cycle; direct address to a ‘mahābāhu’ interlocutor (identity not explicit in the excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Decline of daitya sovereignty
• Śaiva agency in cosmic order
• Alliance/assistance motif (acting ‘for their sake’)
• Epic-style address (mahābāhu)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Āndhaka called “mahātmā” even though he is a daitya antagonist?

Purāṇic diction can use honorifics to denote power, stature, or narrative importance rather than moral approval. It marks Āndhaka as a formidable figure whose fall is consequential.

Who are “teṣām” (‘for their sake’) likely to be?

In Andhaka-cycle contexts, it commonly refers to the devas or those seeking protection from daitya oppression. The line frames Śaṅkara’s intervention as protective and order-restoring.

Is any sacred geography encoded here?

No. The verse is political-mythic (loss of rājyam) and theological (Śaṅkara as triśūlin), without place-names or tīrtha markers.