Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 169

Devanagari script

ततश्चावर्षदनलं समन्ताद् अतिसंहतम् चक्षूंषि दानवेन्द्राणां चकारान्धानि च प्रभुः //

Transliteration

tataścāvarṣadanalaṃ samantād atisaṃhatam cakṣūṃṣi dānavendrāṇāṃ cakārāndhāni ca prabhuḥ //

Translation

Dann ließ der Herr ringsum einen dichten, allumfassenden Feuerregen niedergehen und machte die Augen der Fürsten der Dānavas blind.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• ca: and

• avarṣat: caused to rain/poured down

• analam: fire (blazing heat)

• samantāt: on all sides/everywhere

• atisaṃhatam: exceedingly dense/compact, intensely concentrated

• cakṣūṃṣi: the eyes (plural)

• dānavendrāṇām: of the chiefs/lords of the Dānavas (demons)

• cakāra: made/caused

• andhāni: blind

• ca: and

• prabhuḥ: the Lord, the sovereign power

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the Lord’s action (likely Lord Matsya/Vishnu in narrative context)

Entities Mentioned

• Prabhu (the Lord)
• Dānava-indras (lords of the Dānavas)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Divine Wrath
• Daitya-Damana
• Vishnu
• Cosmic Fire

FAQs

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

It uses pralaya-style imagery—an all-pervading, concentrated “rain of fire”—to depict divine cosmic force overwhelming hostile powers, echoing dissolution motifs where heat and fire dominate before renewal.

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

By portraying the Lord blinding oppressive Dānava rulers, it reinforces the ethical ideal that sovereignty must restrain destructive, tyrannical forces; a king should protect society by curbing adharma, while householders should avoid complicity with harmful power.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple rule is stated; ritually, the “fire-rain” functions as a symbolic purification/overpowering of negative forces—an image often echoed in protective rites (śānti/abhicāra narratives) rather than construction prescriptions.