Matsya Purana — Measures of Time: Caturyuga Computation, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

बलेनाभिभवन्त्येते तेन दानवमानवान् लक्षणैश्चैव जायन्ते शरीरस्थैरमानुषैः //

Transliteration

balenābhibhavantyete tena dānavamānavān lakṣaṇaiścaiva jāyante śarīrasthairamānuṣaiḥ //

Translation

Durch ihre bloße Kraft überwältigen sie sogar Dānavas und Menschen; und man erkennt sie an nichtmenschlichen Körpermerkmalen, die als feste Zeichen am Leib hervortreten.

Word by Word

• balena: by strength, by force

• abhibhavanti: overpower, subdue

• ete: these (beings)

• tena: therefore/thereby

• dānava-mānavān: Dānavas (demons) and humans

• lakṣaṇaiḥ: by marks/signs, characteristics

• ca eva: and indeed

• jāyante: arise, appear, are produced/manifest

• śarīra-sthaiḥ: situated in the body, fixed on the body

• amānuṣaiḥ: non-human, superhuman/unnatural

Speaker

• Likely Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu in a didactic discourse (chapter-context attribution).

Entities Mentioned

• Dānava
• Mānava

Tags

• Lakshana
• Iconography
• Omens
• Vastu Shastra
• Puranic Anthropology

FAQs

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

It does not directly discuss Pralaya; it describes powerful non-human beings and how their presence is inferred from bodily “marks” (lakṣaṇas).

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

In a governance-ethics frame, it supports vigilance: rulers and householders should discern character and hidden danger through observable signs (lakṣaṇa), especially when confronting unusually powerful persons or forces.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Indirectly relevant to Pratimā-lakṣaṇa and ritual diagnostics: “lakṣaṇas” (defining marks) are central in Matsya Purana-style iconographic standards and in determining auspiciousness in ritual and temple contexts.