Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 37

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

यं यं करेण स्पृशति देवं यक्षं सकिन्नरम् तं तमादाय चिक्षेप विस्तृते वदने बली

Transliteration

yaṃ yaṃ kareṇa spṛśati devaṃ yakṣaṃ sakinnaram taṃ tamādāya cikṣepa vistṛte vadane balī

Translation

ผู้ใดก็ตามที่เขาแตะต้องด้วยมือ—จะเป็นเทพ ยักษะ หรือกินนระ—พญาพลีย่อมฉวยผู้นั้นแล้วเหวี่ยงลงสู่ปากอันอ้ากว้างของตน

Speakers

• Narrator describing Bali’s actions in battle

Primary Deities

• Bali
• Devas

Key Themes

• Asuric ferocity and supernatural combat
• Cosmic hierarchy of beings (Deva–Yakṣa–Kinnara)
• Motif of devouring as domination

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Is Bali literally ‘eating’ gods and celestial beings here?

Purāṇic battle-poetics often uses hyperbolic, supernatural imagery to convey overwhelming power. The ‘wide mouth’ motif can be read as literal in mythic register (daitya-māyā, shape-shifting) and also as a symbolic trope of domination—absorbing opponents so they cannot act.

Why are Yakṣas and Kinnaras mentioned alongside Devas?

The verse sketches a broad celestial coalition or battlefield presence. Yakṣas and Kinnaras represent semi-divine classes associated with wealth/guardianship and celestial arts; their inclusion emphasizes that Bali’s violence is not limited to Indra’s Devas but extends across divine and semi-divine orders.

What does ‘touching with the hand’ imply in this combat context?

It indicates effortless capture—mere contact is sufficient. This underscores Bali’s temporary ascendancy and sets the stage for the necessity of Viṣṇu’s decisive, cosmic-scale intervention.