Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 123

Devanagari script

चर्म चोदयखण्डेन्दुदशकेन विभूषितम् अभ्यद्रवद्रणे दैत्यो रक्षो ऽधिपतिमोजसा //

Transliteration

carma codayakhaṇḍendudaśakena vibhūṣitam abhyadravadraṇe daityo rakṣo 'dhipatimojasā //

Translation

Im Kampf stürmte der Daitya—Herr der Rākṣasas—mit gewaltiger Kraft voran; sein Schild war mit zehn halbmondförmigen Zeichen geschmückt.

Word by Word

• carma: shield/leather buckler

• codayakhaṇḍa: a driven/impelled segment or cut-piece (ornamental panel)

• indu-daśakena: with a set of ten ‘moons’ (ten crescent-moon motifs)

• vibhūṣitam: ornamented, decorated

• abhyadravat: rushed at, charged

• raṇe: in battle

• daityaḥ: a Daitya (demon of the Diti line)

• rakṣaḥ-adhipatim: lord of the Rākṣasas/demon-chief

• ojasā: with vigor, with force

Speaker

• Suta (narrative voice, reporting the episode within Matsya Purana’s descriptive section)

Entities Mentioned

• Daitya
• Rākṣasādhipati
• Indu (candra/crescent motif)

Tags

• Iconography
• Martial imagery
• Armor ornaments
• Battle narrative
• Pratima Lakshana

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a battle-description emphasizing symbolic ornamentation (crescent motifs) and martial vigor.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ideal that rulers and warriors must cultivate strength and readiness in righteous conflict; the focus here is on battlefield conduct and martial presentation rather than household duties.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The explicit architectural/ritual instruction is not stated, but the verse preserves iconographic vocabulary—how emblems (like crescent-moon panels) are used as auspicious decorative motifs, relevant to pratima/ornament design traditions.