Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 12

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

मयो ऽग्रे याति बलवान् सेनानाथो भयङ्करः सैन्यस्य मध्ये च बलिः कालनेमिश्च षृष्ठतः

Transliteration

mayo 'gre yāti balavān senānātho bhayaṅkaraḥ sainyasya madhye ca baliḥ kālanemiśca ṣṛṣṭhataḥ

Translation

സൈന്യത്തിന്റെ മുൻനിരയിൽ ശക്തനായ മയൻ, ഭയങ്കരനായ സേനാനാഥൻ, മുന്നേറി; സൈന്യത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ ബലി ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു, പിന്നിൽ കാലനേമി തത്തതസ്ഥാനങ്ങളിൽ നിലകൊണ്ടു.

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic narrator) describing the Daitya/Dānava march (speaker-to-audience not explicit in the given excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (contextual)

Key Themes

• Military formation (vyūha)
• Daitya leadership and hierarchy
• Prelude to Deva–Asura conflict

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘Maya’ here, and why is he placed at the vanguard?

Maya is the famed Dānava architect and strategist (often called Maya Dānava). Placing him ‘agre’ (at the front) signals both tactical leadership and the symbolic prominence of asuric ingenuity and martial organization in the coming conflict.

What does ‘sainyasya madhye’ imply about Bali’s role?

Being stationed in the center is a classic royal-battle convention: the king is protected by surrounding divisions while remaining the command focal point. The verse emphasizes Bali’s sovereignty and command presence rather than personal dueling at the front.

Is any sacred geography encoded in this verse?

No. Unlike many Vāmana Purāṇa passages that anchor events in tīrthas and rivers, this line is purely martial narration without place-names.