Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 45

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

अयं स दनुपुत्रसैन्यवित्रासकृद्रिषुः परमकोपितः स मधोर्विघातकृत् हिरण्यनयनान्तकः कुसुमपूजारतिः क्व याति मम दृष्टिगोचरे निपतितः खलः वम्प्_47.43 यद्येष संप्रति ममाहवमभ्युषैति नृनं न याति निलयं निजमम्बुजाक्षः मन्मुष्टिपिष्टशिथिलाङ्गमुपात्तभस्म संद्रक्ष्यते सुरजनो भयकातराक्षः // वम्प्_47.44 इत्येवमुक्त्वा मधुसूदनं वै स कालनेमिः स्फुरिताधरोष्ठः गदां खगेन्द्रोपरि जातकोपो मुमोच शैले कुलिशं यथेन्द्रः

Transliteration

ayaṃ sa danuputrasainyavitrāsakṛdriṣuḥ paramakopitaḥ sa madhorvighātakṛt hiraṇyanayanāntakaḥ kusumapūjāratiḥ kva yāti mama dṛṣṭigocare nipatitaḥ khalaḥ VamP_47.43 yadyeṣa saṃprati mamāhavamabhyuṣaiti nṛnaṃ na yāti nilayaṃ nijamambujākṣaḥ manmuṣṭipiṣṭaśithilāṅgamupāttabhasma saṃdrakṣyate surajano bhayakātarākṣaḥ // VamP_47.44 ityevamuktvā madhusūdanaṃ vai sa kālanemiḥ sphuritādharoṣṭhaḥ gadāṃ khagendropari jātakopo mumoca śaile kuliśaṃ yathendraḥ

Translation

हा तो तोच शत्रू—जो दनुपुत्रांच्या सैन्यांना भयभीत करतो; परम क्रोधाविष्ट; मधूचा संहारक; हिरण्यनयनाचा नाशकर्ता; आणि पुष्पपूजेत रमणारा. माझ्या दृष्टिक्षेपात पडलेला हा दुष्ट आता कुठे जाणार? (वम्प् 47.43) हा कमलनेत्र जर आता माझ्या युद्धास येण्याचे धाडस करील, तर तो नक्कीच आपल्या धामास परत जाणार नाही. देवगण त्याला माझ्या मुठींनी चिरडलेला, शिथिल अवयवांचा, भस्मलिप्त पाहून भयाने थरथरत्या नेत्रांनी पाहतील. (वम्प् 47.44) असे बोलून, अधर थरथरत असलेला कालनेमि क्रोधाने पेटला आणि खगेंद्रावरून गदा अशी फेकली, जशी इंद्र पर्वतावर वज्र फेकतो।

Speakers

• Kālanemi (a Dānava) taunting Viṣṇu (Madhusūdana/ambujākṣa). Narrative voice then describes his action.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Garuḍa
• Indra

Key Themes

• Asura-vākya (taunt/boast) and hubris
• Remembrance of Viṣṇu’s prior demon-slayings
• Devotional marker: flower-worship (kusuma-pūjā)
• Garuḍa as Viṣṇu’s vehicle in battle
• Indra-vajra simile to heighten martial imagery

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the demon list Viṣṇu’s epithets (Madhusūdana, lotus-eyed, etc.) while insulting him?

Purāṇic taunts often paradoxically function as ‘involuntary stuti’: even in hostility, the asura must acknowledge Viṣṇu’s established mythic résumé (past slayings and divine marks), which heightens the irony of his impending defeat.

What is the significance of calling Viṣṇu ‘kusuma-pūjā-ratiḥ’ (delighting in flower-worship) in a battle scene?

It links the battlefield Viṣṇu to the temple Viṣṇu: the same deity who receives gentle offerings also wields cosmic weapons. This juxtaposition supports a purāṇic theology where bhakti and kṣātra (protective power) are complementary.

How should we understand ‘from atop the king of birds’ (khagendropari)?

It indicates the combat is occurring with Garuḍa present as Viṣṇu’s vāhana. The demon’s act of hurling a mace ‘upon/at’ that elevated position underscores both the aerial scale of the fight and the audacity of challenging Viṣṇu on his own mount.