Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 145

Devanagari script

विरतानां रणादस्मात् क्रुद्धः प्राणान्हरिष्यति शीतेन नष्टश्रुतयो भ्रष्टवाक्पाटवास्तथा //

Transliteration

viratānāṃ raṇādasmāt kruddhaḥ prāṇānhariṣyati śītena naṣṭaśrutayo bhraṣṭavākpāṭavāstathā //

Translation

Von diesem Schlachtfeld wird er—erzürnt—denen das Leben nehmen, die sich abgewandt (oder zurückgezogen) haben. Und durch die Kälte (und die Mühsal) wird das durch Hören erworbene Wissen schwinden, und ebenso wird die Redekunst zugrunde gehen.

Word by Word

• viratānām: of those who have turned away/ceased/withdrawn

• raṇāt: from the battle, from warfare

• asmāt: from this, herefrom

• kruddhaḥ: enraged, wrathful

• prāṇān: lives, vital breaths

• hariṣyati: will seize, will take away, will destroy

• śītena: by cold, through cold

• naṣṭa-śrutayaḥ: those whose śruti/learning/hearing (instruction) is lost

• bhraṣṭa-vāk-pāṭavāḥ: those whose eloquence and verbal skill are impaired

• tathā: likewise, in the same manner.

Speaker

• Likely Sūta (narrator) reporting a didactic warning within the Matsya Purana’s rajadharma/nīti discourse (exact interlocutors not explicit from the single verse).

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Niti
• War
• Portents
• Kingship

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic pralaya; it describes human-scale destruction—death, loss of learning, and collapse of eloquence—arising from wrath and harsh conditions during conflict.

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

It warns that anger-driven warfare and instability ruin both people and policy: a king must restrain wrath, protect the vulnerable, and preserve counsel (śruta) and clear speech (vāk-pāṭava), which are essential for governance and social order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule appears here; the practical takeaway is contextual—calamity and disorder weaken learning and communication, which indirectly undermines the proper transmission of ritual and technical traditions.