Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 13

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

वामपार्श्वमवष्टभ्य शालवः प्रथितविक्रमः प्रयाति दक्षिणं घोरं तारकाख्यो भयङ्करः

Transliteration

vāmapārśvamavaṣṭabhya śālavaḥ prathitavikramaḥ prayāti dakṣiṇaṃ ghoraṃ tārakākhyo bhayaṅkaraḥ

Translation

ഇടത്തേ പാർശ്വം താങ്ങി പരാക്രമപ്രസിദ്ധനായ ശാലവൻ നിലകൊണ്ടു; വലത്തേ ഭീകരഭാഗത്തേക്ക് താരക എന്ന ഭയങ്കരൻ മുന്നേറി।

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic narrator) describing troop deployment

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (contextual)

Key Themes

• Battle formation (flanks)
• Asura champions
• Strategic positioning

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Are Śālava and Tāraka well-known figures outside this passage?

Śālava appears in wider epic-purāṇic literature as a powerful adversary figure (notably in Kṛṣṇa-related cycles), while Tāraka is a common asura-name (also known from Skanda/Kārttikeya-related myths). Here they function as named champions anchoring the army’s flanks.

Why does the verse specify left and right flanks?

Purāṇic battle descriptions often map leadership onto a vyūha: vanguard, center (king), and flanks. Naming flank-holders conveys completeness of deployment and the scale of the impending engagement.

Does ‘dakṣiṇaṃ ghoraṃ’ indicate a southern region?

In this context it most naturally means the ‘right flank’ (dakṣiṇa) characterized as formidable (ghora), not a journey to the geographic south. No place-name accompanies it.