Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — The Burning of Tripura and Rudra’s Victory

Devanagari script

यदि तावन्मया पूर्वं हतो ऽसि पशुवद्यथा इदानीं वा कथं नाम न हिंस्ये क्रतुदूषणम् //

Transliteration

yadi tāvanmayā pūrvaṃ hato 'si paśuvadyathā idānīṃ vā kathaṃ nāma na hiṃsye kratudūṣaṇam //

Translation

If earlier I could have slain you like a mere beast, then how could I now refrain from striking you—when you are a defiler of the sacrifice?

Word by Word

• yadi: if

• tāvat: then/at that time

• mayā: by me

• pūrvam: formerly/earlier

• hataḥ asi: you were slain / could be slain

• paśu-vat: like an animal

• yathā: as/just as

• idānīm: now

• vā: or/indeed

• katham nāma: how indeed

• na hiṃsye: I would not harm / should I not strike

• kratu-dūṣaṇam: the corrupter/defiler of the yajña (sacrificial rite)

Speaker

• A righteous enforcer of dharma (contextual speaker addressing a yajña-violator in a didactic narrative)

Tags

• Dharma
• Yajna
• Ritual purity
• Punishment
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on dharma in the immediate social-ritual order—specifically, the protection of yajña from those who corrupt it.

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

It supports the dharmic duty to safeguard public rites and moral order: a ruler (or authorized protector) may use force against those who sabotage yajñas, treating ritual disruption as a serious offense against society and cosmic order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual term kratu (yajña) is central: the verse underscores that defiling a sacrifice is a grave transgression, implying strict protection of sacrificial procedure, purity, and the integrity of officiation.