Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 18

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

आदित्या वसवो रुद्राः साध्या विश्वे ऽश्विनौ तथा विद्याधरा गुह्यकाश्च यक्षराक्षसपन्नगाः

Transliteration

ādityā vasavo rudrāḥ sādhyā viśve 'śvinau tathā vidyādharā guhyakāśca yakṣarākṣasapannagāḥ

Translation

ആദിത്യന്മാർ, വസുക്കൾ, രുദ്രന്മാർ, സാധ്യന്മാർ, വിശ്വേദേവന്മാർ, കൂടാതെ ഇരട്ട അശ്വിനികൾ; പിന്നെ വിദ്യാധരന്മാർ, ഗുഹ്യകർ, യക്ഷർ, രാക്ഷസർ, പന്നഗർ (നാഗജാതി) എല്ലാം സമവേതരായി.

Speakers

• Narrator to the listener (contextual continuation within the chapter’s narration)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Indra
• Rudra (as a class of deities)
• Kubera (implied via Guhyakas/Yakshas)

Key Themes

• Cosmic polity (classes of devas and semi-divine beings)
• Mustering of forces
• Inter-realm alliance against daityas
• Vedic deity taxonomy

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are so many different classes (devas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, pannagas) listed together?

The verse depicts a pan-cosmic mobilization: not only the principal deva-groups (Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, etc.) but also liminal and regional beings (yakṣas, guhyakas, pannagas) are portrayed as participating in a larger divine coalition when the balance of worlds is threatened.

Do ‘Rākṣasas’ here necessarily mean enemies of the devas?

Not always. Purāṇic usage can be contextual: ‘rākṣasa’ may denote a species/class with varied alignments. In mustering scenes, the text sometimes emphasizes sheer magnitude and diversity of forces rather than a strict moral binary.

What is the function of Vedic deity groupings like Viśvedevas and Sādhyas in Purāṇic narrative?

They serve as a bridge between Vedic liturgical cosmology and Purāṇic storytelling, signaling that the conflict involves the entire sacrificial-cosmic order (ṛta/dharma), not merely a political struggle among gods and demons.