Shloka 42

Vishnu Slays Kalanemi — Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा शतशीर्षमुद्यतगदं शैलेन्द्रशृङ्गाकृतिं विष्णुः शार्ङ्गमपास्य सत्वरमथो जग्राह चक्रं करे सो ऽप्येनं प्रसमीक्ष्य दैत्यविटपप्रच्छेदनं मानिनं प्रोवाचाथ विहस्य तं च सुचिरं मेघस्वनो दानवः

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā śataśīrṣamudyatagadaṃ śailendraśṛṅgākṛtiṃ viṣṇuḥ śārṅgamapāsya satvaramatho jagrāha cakraṃ kare so 'pyenaṃ prasamīkṣya daityaviṭapapracchedanaṃ māninaṃ provācātha vihasya taṃ ca suciraṃ meghasvano dānavaḥ

Translation

Seeing him—hundred-headed, with mace upraised, shaped like a mountain-king’s peak—Viṣṇu, casting aside the Śārṅga bow, swiftly took the discus into his hand. That proud Dānava, beholding him—the cutter-down of the demon-forest—then spoke, laughing for a long while, his voice rumbling like thunderclouds.

Speakers

• Narrator (epic-puranic voice) describing the encounter; the Dānava is about to address Viṣṇu.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Divine battle (Deva-Asura conflict)
• Iconography of Viṣṇu’s weapons (Śārṅga and Sudarśana)
• Asuric pride and taunting speech

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the demon described as ‘hundred-headed’ and ‘mountain-peak shaped’?

Such epithets are conventional purāṇic markers of overwhelming, quasi-cosmic power: multiple heads signify multiplied perception and menace, while ‘mountain-peak’ imagery conveys immovability and mass—setting up Viṣṇu’s effortless superiority.

What is implied by Viṣṇu ‘casting aside the Śārṅga bow’ and taking the cakra?

The narrative signals escalation and decisiveness: the bow suits ranged combat, while the Sudarśana is the emblem of inexorable divine will and karmic retribution—often used to end a contest swiftly.

What does ‘daitya-viṭapa-pracchedana’ contribute to the theology of the scene?

It frames Viṣṇu not merely as a fighter but as the cosmic remover of adharmic growth: demons are likened to a proliferating forest, and Viṣṇu is the principle that prunes and restores order (ṛta/dharma).