Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 113

Devanagari script

महिषो दानवेन्द्रस्तु कल्पान्ताम्भोदसंनिभः अस्त्रं चकार सावित्रम् उल्कासंघातमण्डितम् //

Transliteration

mahiṣo dānavendrastu kalpāntāmbhodasaṃnibhaḥ astraṃ cakāra sāvitram ulkāsaṃghātamaṇḍitam //

Translation

দানবদের অধিপতি মহিষ, কল্পান্তের মেঘের ন্যায় শ্যাম, তখন সাৱিত্র অস্ত্র নিক্ষেপ করল—উল্কাপিণ্ডের ঝরনায় অলংকৃত।

Word by Word

• महिषः: Mahisha

• दानव-इन्द्रः: king/lord of the Danavas (demons)

• तु: indeed/then

• कल्प-अन्त-अम्भोद-संनिभः: resembling the rain-clouds at the end of a kalpa (aeon)

• अस्त्रम्: weapon/missile (astra)

• चकार: made/produced/let loose (deployed)

• सावित्रम्: Savitra (pertaining to Savitṛ, the solar deity

• उल्का-संघात-मण्डितम्: adorned with a mass/cluster (saṅghāta) of meteors/firebrands (ulkā).

Speaker

• Suta (Purana narrator) describing the battle episode (narrative voice within Matsya Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Mahisha
• Danavas
• Savitṛ (Savitra astra)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Asura
• Astra
• Cosmic imagery
• Battle narrative

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

It uses pralaya-era imagery—“clouds at the end of the kalpa”—to portray Mahisha’s overwhelming, world-darkening power, linking the battle’s intensity to cosmic dissolution symbolism.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

Indirectly, it contrasts dharmic restraint with asuric force: the Danava king’s deployment of destructive astras serves as a narrative warning that power without dharma becomes calamity-like, a key ethical undercurrent in Purāṇic kingship ideals.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse is primarily martial and cosmological, but the term “Sāvitra” points to solar (Savitṛ) sacral power—suggesting a ritual-theological classification of weapons (astravidyā) rather than any Vāstu or temple-building rule.