Shloka 76

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

Devanagari script

देवेतरा देववरैर्विभिन्नाः सीदन्ति पङ्केषु यथा गजेन्द्राः वज्रेण भीमेन च वज्रपाणिः शक्त्या च शक्त्या च मयूरकेतुः //

Transliteration

devetarā devavarairvibhinnāḥ sīdanti paṅkeṣu yathā gajendrāḥ vajreṇa bhīmena ca vajrapāṇiḥ śaktyā ca śaktyā ca mayūraketuḥ //

Translation

Sundered by the foremost of the gods, the non-gods (demons) sank down—like lordly elephants stuck in mire. Vajrapāṇi (Indra) struck them with his dreadful thunderbolt, and Mayūraketu smote them again and again with his spear.

Word by Word

• devetarāḥ: the non-gods, demons (asuras)

• devavaraiḥ: by the best of the gods

• vibhinnāḥ: split, pierced, broken apart

• sīdanti: they sink, collapse, are overwhelmed

• paṅkeṣu: in mud, in mire

• yathā: as, like

• gajendrāḥ: elephant-lords, great elephants

• vajreṇa: with the thunderbolt

• bhīmena: dreadful, fearsome

• ca: and

• vajrapāṇiḥ: Indra (holder of the vajra)

• śaktyā: with a spear/lance (śakti weapon)

• ca: and/also

• mayūraketuḥ: Mayūraketu (a warrior/commander, lit. 'banner-marked with a peacock').

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the battle scene

Entities Mentioned

• Vajrapāṇi (Indra)
• Mayūraketu
• Devas
• Asuras (Devetara)

Tags

• Deva-Asura war
• Indra
• Divine weapons
• Purāṇic battle imagery
• Dharma-protection

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya; it uses a vivid battlefield simile—demons sinking like elephants in mud—to show the overpowering force of the gods, especially Indra’s vajra, in restoring cosmic order.

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

By portraying the gods subduing adharmic forces, the verse supports the Matsya Purana’s ethical theme that rulers must protect society by restraining violence and disorder—using proportionate force to uphold dharma and prevent chaos.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or temple-architecture rule is stated here; the key takeaway is iconographic/ritual symbolism of divine weapons—Indra’s vajra and the śakti—often invoked in stotras and protective rites as emblems of dharma’s victorious power.