Shloka 1

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

Devanagari script

इति श्रीवामुपुराणे षट्चत्विरिंशो ऽध्यायः पुलस्त्य उवाच एतदर्थं बलिर्दैत्यः कृतो राजा कलिप्रिय मन्त्रप्रदाता प्रह्लादः शुक्रश्चासीत् पुरोहितः

Transliteration

iti śrīvāmupurāṇe ṣaṭcatviriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ pulastya uvāca etadarthaṃ balirdaityaḥ kṛto rājā kalipriya mantrapradātā prahlādaḥ śukraścāsīt purohitaḥ

Translation

శ్రీవామనపురాణంలోని నలభై ఆరవ అధ్యాయంలో పులస్త్యుడు ఇలా అన్నాడు—ఈ ప్రయోజనార్థం విరోచనపుత్రుడైన దైత్యుడు బలి, కలికి ప్రియుడైనవాడు, రాజుగా నియమింపబడెను. ప్రహ్లాదుడు మంత్రోపదేశదాత, శుక్రుడు పురోహితుడుగా ఉండెను.

Speakers

• Pulastya speaking (traditionally to Nārada in this dialogue framework).

Primary Deities

• Pulastya (ṛṣi)
• Prahlāda
• Śukra (Śukrācārya)
• Bali

Key Themes

• Rise of Bali
• Asura polity and priesthood
• Counsel (mantra) and kingship
• Foreshadowing of Vāmana–Bali encounter

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is implied by calling Bali ‘kali-priya’?

The epithet can signal a moral-psychological alignment with ‘Kali’ (strife, decline) or function as a narrative marker that Bali’s reign, though powerful, is entangled with forces opposed to devas. Some recensions use such epithets to foreshadow conflict with Viṣṇu’s dharma-restoring intervention.

Why are Prahlāda and Śukra both highlighted?

They represent two poles of counsel in the Daitya court: Prahlāda is paradigmatically Vaiṣṇava and dharma-oriented, while Śukra is the traditional Asura preceptor and ritual specialist. Their presence frames Bali’s actions as shaped by both devotion/ethics and statecraft/ritual power.

Does ‘mantrapradātā’ mean Prahlāda literally gives Vedic mantras?

In Purāṇic usage it can mean ‘giver of counsel’ broadly, including sacred instruction and strategic advice. It need not imply formal Vedic adhikāra; it signals authoritative guidance within the narrative world.