Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 28

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

रणरेणु रथोद्धूतः पिङ्गलो रणमूर्धनि संद्यानुरक्तः सदृशो मेघः खे सुरतापस

Transliteration

raṇareṇu rathoddhūtaḥ piṅgalo raṇamūrdhani saṃdyānuraktaḥ sadṛśo meghaḥ khe suratāpasa

Translation

ਰਥਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਉੱਡੀ ਰਣ-ਧੂੜ ਲੜਾਈ ਦੇ ਚਰਮ ਤੇ ਪਿੰਗਲ ਰੰਗ ਦੀ ਹੋ ਗਈ—ਆਕਾਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੰਧਿਆ-ਰੰਗੇ ਬੱਦਲ ਵਾਂਗ, ਹੇ ਦੇਵਤੁਲ੍ਯ ਤਪਸਵੀ।

Speakers

• Narrator addressing a revered sage (sura-tāpasa)
• continuing the battle account

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Battlefield atmosphere (raṇareṇu)
• Poetic visualization (cloud/twilight simile)
• Apocalyptic scale of Purāṇic warfare

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is conveyed by calling the dust “piṅgala” (tawny) and comparing it to a twilight cloud?

The verse paints the battlefield as visually saturated: dust thickens and takes on a reddish-golden hue, like clouds lit by saṃdhyā. This intensifies the raudra mood and suggests obscuration—visibility collapses as combat peaks.

Does “raṇamūrdhani” mean a literal ‘head’?

It is idiomatic: ‘at the summit/crest of battle,’ i.e., the most intense phase. Purāṇic Sanskrit frequently uses mūrdhan (‘head’) metaphorically for a peak or climax.

Who is addressed as “sura-tāpasa”?

It is an honorific for a sage of exalted, quasi-divine standing—either a ṛṣi among the gods or a godlike ascetic. In metadata, it should be captured as a respectful vocative to the listener rather than a named character.