Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 5

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

पितामहस्तव 7ली आसीद् दानवपालकः हिरण्यकशिपुर्वीरः स शक्रो ऽभूज्जगत्त्रये

Transliteration

pitāmahastava 7lī āsīd dānavapālakaḥ hiraṇyakaśipurvīraḥ sa śakro 'bhūjjagattraye

Translation

“ତୋ ପିତାମହ ପୂର୍ବେ ଦାନବମାନଙ୍କର ପାଳକ-ଶାସକ ଥିଲେ—ବୀର ହିରଣ୍ୟକଶିପୁ। ସେ ତ୍ରିଲୋକରେ ଶକ୍ର (ଇନ୍ଦ୍ର) ସଦୃଶ ହୋଇଥିଲେ।”

Speakers

• Kinsmen/elders recounting lineage history to the Dānava leader (Bali-line)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Indra (Śakra)

Key Themes

• Dānava genealogy and royal ideology
• Tri-loka sovereignty motif
• Asura appropriation of Deva titles (Śakra)
• Mythic memory linking Nṛsiṃha and Vāmana cycles

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Hiraṇyakaśipu called ‘Śakra’ if Śakra is Indra?

Śakra functions both as a proper name (Indra) and as a royal epithet meaning ‘mighty ruler.’ The line implies Hiraṇyakaśipu attained Indra-like supremacy over the tri-loka, displacing or eclipsing the Deva order.

How does mentioning Hiraṇyakaśipu serve the Vāmana–Bali narrative?

It situates Bali’s situation within a hereditary pattern of Dānava ascendancy and conflict with Viṣṇu. It also recalls the earlier Viṣṇu intervention (Nṛsiṃha vs. Hiraṇyakaśipu), foreshadowing another corrective descent (Vāmana vs. Bali).

Does this verse contribute to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s sacred geography?

Only indirectly through cosmography (tri-loka). The verse is genealogical; explicit tīrtha geography requires named places (rivers, forests, kṣetras), which are absent here.