Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 1), Shloka 7

Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Court

Devanagari script

मयो ऽपि मायामास्थाय तैस्तै रूपान्तरैर्मुने योधयामास बलावान् सुराणां च वरूछिनीम्

Transliteration

mayo 'pi māyāmāsthāya taistai rūpāntarairmune yodhayāmāsa balāvān surāṇāṃ ca varūchinīm

Translation

ഹേ മുനേ! മയനും തന്റെ മായയെ ആശ്രയിച്ച്, പലവിധ രൂപാന്തരങ്ങളാൽ ബലവാനായി, ദേവന്മാരുടെ ദീപ്തമായ സൈന്യത്തോട് യുദ്ധം ചെയ്തു।

Speakers

• Narrator addressing a sage (‘mune’) within the frame narrative.

Primary Deities

• Devas (collective)

Key Themes

• Māyā as warfare
• Asuric sorcery vs divine order
• Battle escalation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is distinctive about Maya’s role compared to other asura warriors?

Maya is characterized less by brute force and more by māyā—strategic illusion, deceptive forms, and engineered marvels. In battle narratives, this often manifests as shape-shifting, conjured armies, or bewildering phenomena that disrupt the devas’ formation.

What does ‘varūchinī’ convey about the devas?

‘Varūchinī’ highlights brilliance and auspicious splendor—an aesthetic and theological contrast to asuric deception. Even when pressed in battle, the deva host is portrayed as inherently luminous (tejas), aligned with ṛta/dharma.

Is māyā here purely ‘illusion’ or also ‘creative power’?

In Purāṇic usage, māyā can mean both deceptive illusion and extraordinary manifesting power. In a battle context, it primarily denotes deceptive, destabilizing manifestations, though it presupposes real potency (śakti) behind the appearances.