Vamana Purana — Vishnu Slays Kalanemi, Shloka 42

Vishnu Enters the Deva–Asura War and Slays Kalanemi

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा शतशीर्षमुद्यतगदं शैलेन्द्रशृङ्गाकृतिं विष्णुः शार्ङ्गमपास्य सत्वरमथो जग्राह चक्रं करे सो ऽप्येनं प्रसमीक्ष्य दैत्यविटपप्रच्छेदनं मानिनं प्रोवाचाथ विहस्य तं च सुचिरं मेघस्वनो दानवः

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā śataśīrṣamudyatagadaṃ śailendraśṛṅgākṛtiṃ viṣṇuḥ śārṅgamapāsya satvaramatho jagrāha cakraṃ kare so 'pyenaṃ prasamīkṣya daityaviṭapapracchedanaṃ māninaṃ provācātha vihasya taṃ ca suciraṃ meghasvano dānavaḥ

Translation

ครั้นเห็นเขา—ผู้มีร้อยเศียร ชูคทาขึ้น และมีสัณฐานดุจยอดแห่งราชันแห่งขุนเขา—พระวิษณุทรงวางคันศรศารงคะ แล้วรีบทรงจับจักรไว้ในพระหัตถ์ ฝ่ายทานวะผู้ทะนงนั้น เมื่อเห็นพระองค์ผู้เป็นผู้โค่นพงไพรแห่งอสูร ก็หัวเราะอยู่นาน เสียงดังกึกก้องดุจเมฆคำรน แล้วจึงกล่าวถ้อยคำออกมา.

Speakers

• Narrator (epic-puranic voice) describing the encounter; the Dānava is about to address Viṣṇu.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Divine battle (Deva-Asura conflict)
• Iconography of Viṣṇu’s weapons (Śārṅga and Sudarśana)
• Asuric pride and taunting speech

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the demon described as ‘hundred-headed’ and ‘mountain-peak shaped’?

Such epithets are conventional purāṇic markers of overwhelming, quasi-cosmic power: multiple heads signify multiplied perception and menace, while ‘mountain-peak’ imagery conveys immovability and mass—setting up Viṣṇu’s effortless superiority.

What is implied by Viṣṇu ‘casting aside the Śārṅga bow’ and taking the cakra?

The narrative signals escalation and decisiveness: the bow suits ranged combat, while the Sudarśana is the emblem of inexorable divine will and karmic retribution—often used to end a contest swiftly.

What does ‘daitya-viṭapa-pracchedana’ contribute to the theology of the scene?

It frames Viṣṇu not merely as a fighter but as the cosmic remover of adharmic growth: demons are likened to a proliferating forest, and Viṣṇu is the principle that prunes and restores order (ṛta/dharma).