असुराणां पुराण्यासंस्त्रीणि वीर्यवर्तां दिवि । आयसं राजतं चैव सौवर्ण परमं महत्,पूर्वकालमें परम पराक्रमी तीन असुरोंके आकाशमें तीन नगर थे। एक लोहेका, दूसरा चाँदीका और तीसरा अत्यन्त विशाल नगर सोनेका बना हुआ था
asurāṇāṃ purāṇy āsan trīṇi vīryavatāṃ divi | āyasaṃ rājataṃ caiva sauvarṇaṃ paramaṃ mahat ||
Vyāsa sprach: In alter Zeit besaßen die mächtigen Asuras drei Städte am Himmel. Eine war aus Eisen, eine aus Silber, und die dritte—überaus weit und erhaben—war aus Gold geschaffen.
व्यास उवाच
Material grandeur and seemingly impregnable power (cities of iron, silver, and gold) do not guarantee moral legitimacy or lasting security; narratives of the Asuras often use such splendor to highlight how pride and domination invite eventual ruin when opposed by dharma.
Vyāsa introduces an ancient account: the Asuras possessed three heavenly cities—one iron, one silver, and one enormous golden city—setting up a mythic background (commonly associated with the Tripura motif) that explains later divine or heroic action against them.