Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 30

Devanagari script

याम्यानां किंकराणां तु सहस्रं निष्पिपेष ह ततस्तां निहतां दृष्ट्वा घोरां किंकरवाहिनीम् //

Transliteration

yāmyānāṃ kiṃkarāṇāṃ tu sahasraṃ niṣpipeṣa ha tatastāṃ nihatāṃ dṛṣṭvā ghorāṃ kiṃkaravāhinīm //

Translation

Er zermalmte tausend Diener Yamas; und dann, als er das schreckliche Heer der Kiṅkaras niedergestreckt sah, brachen Entsetzen und Flucht aus.

Word by Word

• yāmyānām: of Yama (the Lord of Death)

• kiṃkarāṇām: of the attendants/servants (messengers)

• tu: indeed/and

• sahasram: a thousand

• niṣpipeṣa: crushed, ground down, smashed

• ha: verily/indeed (emphatic particle)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• tām: that (host/army)

• nihatām: slain/struck down

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen

• ghorām: dreadful, terrifying

• kiṃkaravāhinīm: the troop/host/army-column of Kiṅkaras (Yama’s attendants).

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the episode (third-person narration within the Matsya Purāṇa’s discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Yama
• Yāmya-kiṅkaras (messengers of Yama)
• Kiṅkaravāhinī (host of attendants)

Tags

• Yama
• Afterlife
• Karma
• Messengers of Death
• Purāṇic battle

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on the post-death punitive order associated with Yama, emphasizing karmic consequence rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

By portraying Yama’s servants as enforcers of moral law, the verse indirectly reinforces dharma: a householder or king should uphold righteous conduct and justice, since wrongdoing is believed to be answered by inevitable retribution.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is mentioned in this verse; it is a narrative image of Yama’s attendants being overcome.