Shloka 20

Matsya Purana — Pṛthu

Devanagari script

विषं क्षीरं ततो दोग्धा धृतराष्ट्रो ऽभवत्पुनः असुरैरपि दुग्धेयम् आयसे शक्रपीडिनीम् //

Transliteration

viṣaṃ kṣīraṃ tato dogdhā dhṛtarāṣṭro 'bhavatpunaḥ asurairapi dugdheyam āyase śakrapīḍinīm //

Translation

Then poison and milk were drawn forth. Thereafter, Dhṛtarāṣṭra again became the agent of milking (the churning-calf). Even by the Asuras it was milked—into an iron vessel—(that substance) which torments Śakra (Indra).

Word by Word

• viṣam: poison

• kṣīram: milk

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• dogdhā: the milker/churner (agent who draws out)

• dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ: Dhṛtarāṣṭra (a named being in this cosmological episode)

• abhavat: became

• punaḥ: again

• asuraiḥ api: even by the Asuras

• dugdheyam: to be milked/drawn out

• āyase: in/into an iron (vessel)

• śakra-pīḍinīm: the (feminine) tormentor of Śakra/Indra

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the cosmological episode

Entities Mentioned

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Asuras
• Śakra (Indra)
• Viṣa (poison)
• Kṣīra (milk)

Tags

• Samudra Manthana
• Cosmology
• Devas vs Asuras
• Poison (Hālāhala)
• Puranic Narrative

FAQs

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

It presents a cosmological “extraction” motif—poison and milk arise from a primordial churning—showing how destructive and nourishing substances emerge together in creation cycles that Purāṇas often link to Pralaya-and-renewal symbolism.

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

Indirectly, it teaches discernment: from the same process come both poison and milk, implying that rulers and householders must recognize and manage harmful outcomes while preserving and distributing what sustains society.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The explicit detail is ritual-technical: the substance is “milked into an iron vessel” (āyasa), reflecting Purāṇic attention to prescribed materials (metal/utensils) used in rites and handling potent substances.