Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Counsel to Andhaka, Shloka 61

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Prahlada’s Counsel to Andhaka on Dharma

Devanagari script

बाणाः कार्तस्वरो हस्ती सूर्यशत्रुर्महोदरः अयःशुङ्कुः शिबिः शाल्वो वृषपर्वा विरोचनः

Transliteration

bāṇāḥ kārtasvaro hastī sūryaśatrurmahodaraḥ ayaḥśuṅkuḥ śibiḥ śālvo vṛṣaparvā virocanaḥ

Translation

{"scene_description": "In the wide sky, the gods gather: Indra, Vishnu, Brahma, with Surya and Agni leading, poised as spectators over the battlefield below.", "primary_figures": ["Indra", "Vishnu", "Brahma (Pitāmaha)", "Surya", "Agni", "other devas"], "setting": "Layered heavens above a distant battlefield; luminous clouds and divine vehicles implied.", "color_palette": ["sky blue", "sun gold", "fire orange", "pearl white", "lapis accents"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore-style celestial assembly: Vishnu, Indra, Brahma enthroned on clouds with gold-leaf halos, Surya radiant and Agni flaming, ornate jewelry, symmetrical divine grouping above a tiny battlefield strip.", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature: soft cloud bands with devas clustered, gentle pastels, Vishnu calm amid martial anticipation, Surya as a golden disc, Agni as stylized flame figure, delicate facial expressions of ‘didṛkṣā’.", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural: bold-outlined devas in the sky, Vishnu with conch-disc, Indra with vajra, Brahma four-faced, Surya and Agni prominent, saturated natural pigments and temple-panel framing.", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra: stacked registers—upper register with devas on clouds, central Vishnu/Indra/Brahma icons, Surya and Agni at head, lower register hints of battle; patterned borders and flat dyes."}

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic voice) continuing the roster; specific interlocutors not stated in the given excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Andhaka-vadha cycle
• Asura genealogical memory
• Intertextual links to other Purāṇic/Itihāsa cycles (Bāṇa, Śālva, Vṛṣaparvan, Virocana)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Are these names meant to be read as a single army under one leader?

Yes, the syntax continues the mustering motif: a coalition of daitya/asura champions assembling for a campaign against Śiva (Tryambaka). Purāṇic narration often compresses command structure and focuses on the prestige of named combatants.

Some names (e.g., Śibi) are famous as righteous kings—why appear in an asura list?

Name-reuse across traditions is common. A Purāṇic roster may preserve an older or alternate identification, or the name may refer to a different figure sharing the same appellation. Without additional qualifiers (lineage, epithet, deeds), the verse cannot securely equate this Śibi with the celebrated donor-king of other narratives.

What is the significance of Virocana and Vṛṣaparvan being included?

They anchor the episode in well-known daitya genealogies: Virocana (often linked to Prahlāda’s line) and Vṛṣaparvan (known from other mythic cycles) signal that the conflict is not local or minor but involves major asura houses.