Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 90

Devanagari script

चिछेद रिपुवक्त्राणि विचित्राणि समन्ततः तिर्यक्पृष्ठमधश्चोर्ध्वं दीर्घबाहुर्महासिना //

Transliteration

cicheda ripuvaktrāṇi vicitrāṇi samantataḥ tiryakpṛṣṭhamadhaścordhvaṃ dīrghabāhurmahāsinā //

Translation

Mit seinem großen Schwert hieb der langarmige Held die Gesichter und Fronten der Feinde ringsum auf wunderbare Weise nieder—quer, von hinten, von unten und von oben.

Word by Word

• ciccheda: cut, severed

• ripu-vaktrāṇi: the faces/fronts of enemies

• vicitrāṇi: wondrous, varied, striking

• samantataḥ: on all sides, everywhere

• tiryak: crosswise, obliquely

• pṛṣṭham: from the back/backside

• adhaḥ: from below

• ca: and

• ūrdhvam: from above

• dīrgha-bāhuḥ: long-armed (mighty-armed)

• mahā-asinā: with a great sword

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the battle (narrative voice; specific combatant unnamed in this verse)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Battle
• Kshatriya Dharma
• Heroic Deeds
• Puranic Narrative

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is a battlefield description focused on martial prowess, not cosmic dissolution or the Great Flood narrative.

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

It reflects kṣatriya-dharma: the ideal of a ruler/warrior protecting order through courage and decisive action against enemies, depicted here through controlled, skillful swordsmanship.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the technical focus is purely martial (directional slashing—crosswise, from below/above, and from behind).