Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — The Battle for Tripura: Portents

Devanagari script

खड्गापवर्जिताः केचित् केचिच्छिन्नाः परश्वधैः केचिन्मुद्गरचूर्णाश्च केचिद्बाहुभिराहताः //

Transliteration

khaḍgāpavarjitāḥ kecit kecicchinnāḥ paraśvadhaiḥ kecinmudgaracūrṇāśca kecidbāhubhirāhatāḥ //

Translation

Some were deprived of their swords; some were hewn down by axes; some were crushed to powder by maces; and some were struck down by blows of the arm.

Word by Word

• खड्ग (khaḍga): sword

• अपवर्जिताः (apavarjitāḥ): deprived of, separated from

• केचित् (kecit): some

• छिन्नाः (chinnāḥ): cut, severed

• परश्वधैः (paraśvadhaiḥ): by axes

• मुद्गर (mudgara): mace, club

• चूर्णाश्च (cūrṇāś ca): pulverized, crushed to powder, and

• बाहुभिः (bāhubhiḥ): by arms (strength of the arm)

• आहताः (āhatāḥ): struck, beaten down

Speaker

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

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Warfare
• Battle-description
• Weapons
• Kshatriya

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya or cosmology; it is a vivid battlefield catalogue describing how fighters were disarmed, cut down, or crushed by different weapons and strength.

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

Within Rajadharma contexts, such battle-descriptions underscore the realities of kṣatriya warfare—where kings must maintain martial preparedness, discipline, and command of arms, even as later ethical guidance typically frames war as a regulated duty rather than mere violence.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No vastu, temple-architecture, or ritual procedure is mentioned here; the technical vocabulary is martial (sword, axe, mace, bodily force), useful mainly for understanding Puranic weapon-lists rather than ritual or construction rules.