Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 38
Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi
संरम्भाद् दानवेन्द्रो विमृदति दितिजैः संयुतो देवसैन्यं सेन्द्रं सार्क सचन्द्रं करचरणनखैरस्क्षत्रहीनो ऽपि वेगात् चक्रैर्वैश्वानराभैस्त्ववनिगगनयोस्तिर्यगूर्ध्वं समन्तात् प्राप्ते ऽन्ते कालवह्नेर्जगदखिलमिदं रूपमासीद् दिधक्षोः
saṃrambhād dānavendro vimṛdati ditijaiḥ saṃyuto devasainyaṃ sendraṃ sārka sacandraṃ karacaraṇanakhairaskṣatrahīno 'pi vegāt cakrairvaiśvānarābhaistvavanigaganayostiryagūrdhvaṃ samantāt prāpte 'nte kālavahnerjagadakhilamidaṃ rūpamāsīd didhakṣoḥ
क्रोधाने उफाळलेला दानवांचा अधिपती, दितीपुत्रांसह, इंद्र तसेच सूर्य-चंद्रांसह देवसेनेला चिरडू लागला. राज्यसत्ता हरपली तरीही त्याने हात, पाय व नखांनी वेगाने प्रहार केला; आणि वैश्वानर-अग्नीप्रमाणे ज्वलंत चक्रास्त्रांनी पृथ्वी व आकाशात तिरके व ऊर्ध्व—सर्व दिशांनी—उत्पात माजविला. कालाग्नीचा अंतसमय जवळ येताच हे अखिल जगत् जणू सर्व काही जाळून टाकण्यास उद्यत असे रूप धारण करू लागले.
{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Kāla-vahni is an eschatological image: Time (kāla) as the ultimate devourer manifests as a cosmic fire at dissolution (pralaya). The verse uses this motif to describe the battlefield’s terror as resembling end-time conditions.
It indicates that even if Bali has been stripped of sovereignty/royal standing (kṣatra) by divine decree or impending defeat, his martial force remains formidable. The phrase heightens dramatic irony: loss of legitimacy does not immediately reduce destructive capacity.
It is a totalizing formula: Bali’s assault symbolically overwhelms not only the Deva army but also the cosmic regulators—Indra (sovereignty/rain), Sūrya (day/order), and Candra (time/ritual calendar). This amplifies the sense that cosmic order itself is being shaken.