Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 5

Devanagari script

चिछेद शरवर्षेण ग्रसनो दानवेश्वरः विफलां तां समालोक्य यमस्तां शरसंततिम् //

Transliteration

cicheda śaravarṣeṇa grasano dānaveśvaraḥ viphalāṃ tāṃ samālokya yamastāṃ śarasaṃtatim //

Translation

Grāsana, der Herr der Dānavas, zerschnitt jenen unablässigen Pfeilstrom mit einem Regen eigener Geschosse; und Yama, da er die Pfeilflut wirkungslos sah, erblickte ihr Scheitern.

Word by Word

• cicheda: cut asunder, severed

• śara-varṣeṇa: with a shower/rain of arrows

• grasanaḥ: Grasana (proper name)

• dānava-īśvaraḥ: lord of the Dānavas (Daitya king)

• viphalām: fruitless, ineffective

• tām: that

• samālokya: having seen, observing

• yamaḥ: Yama (lord of death, a deity)

• tām: that

• śara-saṃtatim: continuous succession/stream of arrows

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the battle narrative

Entities Mentioned

• Yama
• Grasana
• Dānavas

Tags

• Battle
• Daitya
• Devas
• Heroic narrative
• Weapons

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it is a battle vignette highlighting tactical reversal—Yama’s arrow-stream is neutralized by the Daitya king’s counter-volley.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic ideal of kṣātra-dharma (martial duty): disciplined use of weapons, alertness to changing circumstances, and the reality that even powerful forces can be checked by strategy.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual procedure appears here; the technical focus is martial—śara-varṣa (arrow-rain) and śara-saṃtati (continuous arrow-stream) as standard epic combat imagery.