Vamana Purana — Shukra's Samjivani, Shloka 105

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

Devanagari script

सवाहनाः क्षयं जग्मुः कुलिशेनेव पर्वताः दृष्ट्वा ब्रह्महरी युद्धे घातयन्तौ महासुरान्

Transliteration

savāhanāḥ kṣayaṃ jagmuḥ kuliśeneva parvatāḥ dṛṣṭvā brahmaharī yuddhe ghātayantau mahāsurān

Translation

அவர்கள் தங்கள் வாகனங்களோடு அழிந்தனர்; இடியாயுதம் (வஜ்ரம்) தாக்கிய மலைகள் போல—போரில் பிரம்மாவும் ஹரியும் மகா அசுரர்களை வதம் செய்வதை அவர்கள் கண்டதால்.

Speakers

• Narrator describing the battlefield outcome.

Primary Deities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu (Hari)
• Indra (implied by kuliśa)

Key Themes

• Divine intervention in cosmic battle
• Inevitability of asuric downfall
• Brahmā–Viṣṇu martial cooperation
• Epic simile (vajra splitting mountains)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why compare the slain forces to ‘mountains struck by the thunderbolt’?

The vajra (kuliśa) is the archetypal irresistible weapon of Indra. The simile conveys sudden, total collapse—massive beings falling as decisively as mountains shattered by the thunderbolt.

Does ‘Brahmā and Hari slaying asuras’ imply Brahmā as a warrior deity?

Purāṇic battle scenes sometimes depict Brahmā as participating through divine power, boons, or extraordinary agency, even if his primary role is creation and counsel. The verse highlights the combined authority of cosmic functions (creation and preservation) against adharma.

Is Hari here identifiable as Vāmana or Trivikrama?

Not from this verse alone. ‘Hari’ is a general epithet of Viṣṇu; identification of a specific avatāra requires nearby narrative markers (e.g., Bali episode, three strides, dwarf form).