Shloka 41

Matsya Purana — The Battle at Tripura: Shiva’s Strategy

Devanagari script

करैश्छिन्नैः शिरोभिश्च ध्वजैश्छत्त्रैश्च पाण्डुरैः युद्धभूमिर्भयवती मांसशोणितपूरिता //

Transliteration

karaiśchinnaiḥ śirobhiśca dhvajaiśchattraiśca pāṇḍuraiḥ yuddhabhūmirbhayavatī māṃsaśoṇitapūritā //

Translation

With severed hands and heads, with banners and pale parasols scattered about, the battlefield became dreadful—filled with flesh and blood.

Word by Word

• करैः (karaiḥ): with hands/arms

• छिन्नैः (chinnaiḥ): severed, cut off

• शिरोभिः (śirobhiḥ): with heads

• च (ca): and

• ध्वजैः (dhvajaiḥ): with banners/standards

• छत्त्रैः (chattraiḥ): with parasols (royal umbrellas)

• च (ca): and

• पाण्डुरैः (pāṇḍuraiḥ): pale/whitish

• युद्धभूमिः (yuddhabhūmiḥ): battlefield

• भयवती (bhayavatī): fearsome, terrifying

• मांस (māṃsa): flesh

• शोणित (śoṇita): blood

• पूरिता (pūritā): filled, inundated

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the scene (contextual narration within the Matsya Purana)

Tags

• Battlefield
• Violence
• Kshatriya-Dharma
• Purana-Narrative
• War-Imagery

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss cosmic dissolution (Pralaya); it depicts a terrestrial battlefield overwhelmed by gore, emphasizing the immediate destructive aftermath of war.

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

By stressing the fearful cost of warfare, the verse implicitly urges kings to weigh dharma and necessity before battle—reminding rulers that even “just war” brings suffering and demands restraint and responsibility.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or temple-building rule is stated; the mention of royal parasols and banners functions as battlefield iconography, signaling the fall or scattering of regal insignia amid combat.