Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 20

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

विमानानि च सुभ्राणि पक्षिवाह्यानि नारद समारुह्याद्रवन् सर्वे यतो दैत्यबलं स्थितम्

Transliteration

vimānāni ca subhrāṇi pakṣivāhyāni nārada samāruhyādravan sarve yato daityabalaṃ sthitam

Translation

हे नारद! पक्षिवाहन असलेल्या तेजस्वी विमानांवर आरूढ होऊन ते सर्व जिथे दैत्यांचे सैन्य उभे होते तिकडे वेगाने धावले।

Speakers

• Narrator addressing Nārada (explicit vocative: ‘Nārada’)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (narrative frame)
• Narada

Key Themes

• Celestial technology (vimāna motif)
• Rapid mobilization
• Approach to Daitya encampment
• Epic-style battle staging

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is implied by ‘pakṣivāhya’ vimānas—are these Garuḍa-type vehicles?

The phrase indicates bird-borne or winged conveyance. It can suggest vehicles drawn by great birds or constructed with wing-like features. While Garuḍa is the paradigmatic bird-mount of Viṣṇu, the verse does not specify Garuḍa; it emphasizes aerial speed and splendor.

Why is Nārada addressed here?

Addressing Nārada functions as a narrative anchor: he is a paradigmatic hearer/witness in Purāṇic discourse. The vocative also heightens immediacy, as if the narrator is guiding Nārada through a vivid scene of mobilization.

Does the verse identify the battlefield’s geography?

No. Unlike the Vāmana Purāṇa’s many tīrtha-geography passages, this verse is non-toponymic: it marks directionality (‘to where the Daitya army was stationed’) without naming a river, forest, or kṣetra.