Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 88

Devanagari script

चोदयामास सैन्यानि राक्षसेन्द्रवधं प्रति स दृष्ट्वा चोदितां सेनां भल्लनानास्त्रभीषणाम् //

Transliteration

codayāmāsa sainyāni rākṣasendravadhaṃ prati sa dṛṣṭvā coditāṃ senāṃ bhallanānāstrabhīṣaṇām //

Translation

Er trieb die Heere an, dem Tod des Herrn der Rākṣasas entgegenzuziehen; und als er das so vorwärtsgepeitschte Heer sah—schreckenerregend mit Widerhakengeschossen und Waffen mancherlei Art—schritt er vor, um ihm zu begegnen.

Word by Word

• चोदयामास: he urged on, set in motion

• सैन्यानि: the armies/troops

• राक्षसेन्द्रवधं: the killing of the king/lord of the Rākṣasas

• प्रति: toward, in the direction of

• सः: he

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen

• चोदिताम्: urged on, impelled

• सेनाम्: the army/host

• भल्ल: barbed dart, spear/arrow

• नानास्त्र: various weapons

• भीषणाम्: terrifying, dreadful

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the action within the battle episode (third-person narration)

Entities Mentioned

• Rākṣasendra (lord of the Rākṣasas)
• Sainyāni (armies)

Tags

• Dynasties
• War
• Royal duty
• Heroic narrative
• Puranic history

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is a battlefield movement scene, focused on mobilizing troops against a rākṣasa leader rather than cosmic creation or pralaya.

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

It reflects rājadharma in its martial aspect: a ruler (or commander) is expected to lead and direct forces to remove violent threats (here, the rākṣasa lord), using organized military discipline.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure appears here; the technical vocabulary is martial (weapons, troops, and the objective of slaying an enemy leader).