Shloka 13

Matsya Purana — Hiranyakashipu’s Boons

Devanagari script

न चास्त्रेण न शस्त्रेण गिरिणा पादपेन च न शुष्केण न चार्द्रेण न दिवा न निशाथ वा //

Transliteration

na cāstreṇa na śastreṇa giriṇā pādapena ca na śuṣkeṇa na cārdreṇa na divā na niśātha vā //

Translation

“Neither by a missile nor by a weapon; neither by a mountain nor by a tree; neither by what is dry nor by what is wet; neither by day nor yet by night—(may he be slain) by none of these.”

Word by Word

• na: not

• ca: and

• astreṇa: by a missile/supernatural projectile (astra)

• śastreṇa: by a hand-held weapon/blade (śastra)

• giriṇā: by a mountain/rock

• pādapena: by a tree

• śuṣkeṇa: by what is dry

• ārdreṇa: by what is wet/moist

• divā: by day

• niśātha: by night

• vā: or/indeed

Speaker

• Suta (narrating a boon/condition of death; typically framed as a dialogue tradition within the Purana)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Boons
• Invulnerability
• Dharma
• Puranic narrative

FAQs

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

It highlights the Purāṇic motif that even seemingly absolute protections are bounded by cosmic law; in pralaya-linked storytelling, such “invulnerability clauses” show how order is restored without violating stated conditions.

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

It implies that power and security are never absolute; a king or householder should govern and live by dharma rather than rely on boons, force, or technical protections, since moral order ultimately prevails.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the verse is a narrative-legal formula about the permitted/forbidden modes of death, often used to set up a dharmic resolution through a “loophole” (e.g., neither day nor night).