Vamana Purana — Shukra's Samjivani, Shloka 57

Shukra’s Saṃjīvanī, Shiva’s Containment of the Asuras, and Indra’s Recovery of Power

Devanagari script

विश्वेदेवगणान् सर्वान् विष्वक्सेनपुरोगमान् एक एव रणे रौद्रः कालनेमिर्महासुरः

Transliteration

viśvedevagaṇān sarvān viṣvaksenapurogamān eka eva raṇe raudraḥ kālanemirmahāsuraḥ

Translation

sārthe/sārathi: charioteer (vocative sense); vāhaya: drive, convey (causative/imperative of √vah); ratha: chariot; hara: ‘the remover’, epithet of Śiva; abhyāśa: proximity, near; mahābala: very strong/mighty; yāvat: until/so long as; nihanmi: I slay/strike down (1st sg. of √han); bāṇa-augha: flood/torrent of arrows; pramatha: Śiva’s fierce attendants/gaṇas; amara: ‘deathless’, Devas; vāhinī: army, host.

Speakers

• Narrator (Sūta/paurāṇika voice) describing the battle to the listening sages (traditional frame)

Primary Deities

• Viśvedevas (collective)
• Viṣvaksena
• Asura Kālanemi

Key Themes

• Single-combat heroics
• Deva-gaṇa organization
• Asura prowess
• Purāṇic militarized cosmology

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are the Viśvedevas in Purāṇic usage?

The Viśvedevas are a collective class of deities (‘All-gods’) frequently invoked in Vedic and Purāṇic contexts. In battle narratives they appear as an organized divine host (gaṇa), representing the aggregated power of multiple deities.

Why is Viṣvaksena named as the leader here?

Viṣvaksena is widely known as a commander figure associated with Viṣṇu’s entourage in later Vaiṣṇava tradition. In Purāṇic battle scenes, naming a ‘purogama’ (front-leader) gives structure to the divine side and highlights that even organized hosts can be challenged by a formidable asura.

What does raudraḥ imply about Kālanemi’s role?

Raudraḥ signals a terrifying, wrathful battle-temperament—often connoting a quasi-Rudra-like ferocity—used to characterize asuras who momentarily rival divine forces before their eventual defeat.