Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 20

Devanagari script

हृत्वा श्रियमिवानर्थो दुर्वृत्तस्यापतद्दृढः स तु तेन प्रहारेण दृष्ट्वा सतिमिरा दिशः //

Transliteration

hṛtvā śriyamivānartho durvṛttasyāpataddṛḍhaḥ sa tu tena prahāreṇa dṛṣṭvā satimirā diśaḥ //

Translation

Als hätte das Unheil ihm die Śrī, den Glanz des Gedeihens, geraubt, stürzte das Missgeschick schwer auf den übelgesinnten Mann herab. Durch jenen Schlag sah er die Himmelsrichtungen von Dunkel verhüllt.

Word by Word

• हृत्वा (hṛtvā): having taken away, having seized

• श्रियम् (śriyam): prosperity, fortune, splendor

• इव (iva): as if, like

• अनर्थः (anarthaḥ): misfortune, calamity, ruin

• दुर्वृत्तस्य (durvṛttasya): of the wicked/ill-behaved man

• आपतत् (āpatat): fell upon, befell

• दृढः (dṛḍhaḥ): strongly, firmly, heavily

• सः (saḥ): he

• तु (tu): indeed, then

• तेन (tena): by that

• प्रहारेण (prahāreṇa): by the blow/strike

• दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā): having seen, experiencing

• स-तिमिराः (sa-timirāḥ): with darkness, darkened

• दिशः (diśaḥ): the directions/quarters.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) recounting events within the Matsya Purana’s moral narrative frame

Entities Mentioned

• Durvṛtta (the ill-conducted man)

Tags

• Dharma
• Nīti
• Karma
• Misfortune
• Moral Consequences

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic pralaya; it uses darkness and disorientation as an immediate, personal consequence of calamity, emphasizing moral causality rather than cosmology.

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

It warns that adharma and дурvṛtta (bad conduct) cause śrī (prosperity) to depart; for kings and householders, maintaining righteous conduct, restraint, and fair dealing is presented as the practical safeguard of stability and fortune.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vastu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse functions as a nīti-style moral image—prosperity leaving and darkness overtaking—rather than a technical prescription.