Shloka 112

Matsya Purana — The Slaying of Jambha and the Rise of Tāraka: Divine Battle Formations

Devanagari script

निवृत्तशैलमायो ऽथ दानवेन्द्रो मदोत्कटः बभूव कुञ्जरो भीमो महाशैलसमाकृतिः //

Transliteration

nivṛttaśailamāyo 'tha dānavendro madotkaṭaḥ babhūva kuñjaro bhīmo mahāśailasamākṛtiḥ //

Translation

Then the lord of the Dānavas—abandoning his mountain-like illusion and swelling with intoxicated fury—became a terrifying elephant, huge in form like a great mountain.

Word by Word

• nivṛtta: having withdrawn/abandoned

• śaila-māyaḥ: the mountain-illusion (mountain-like magical form)

• atha: then

• dānava-indraḥ: the lord of the Dānavas

• mada-utkaṭaḥ: violently intoxicated with pride/rut, maddened

• babhūva: became

• kuñjaraḥ: an elephant

• bhīmaḥ: dreadful/terrifying

• mahā-śaila-samākṛtiḥ: having the shape/form of a great mountain

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) / Purāṇic narration (contextual speaker not explicitly marked in this single verse)

Entities Mentioned

• Dānava
• Dānavendra (lord of the Dānavas)

Tags

• Mythology
• Battle
• Shape-shifting
• Daityas-Dānavas
• Puranic narrative

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it depicts a Dānava leader abandoning a magical mountain-form and taking a colossal elephant form, emphasizing māyā (illusion) and martial transformation rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it serves as a cautionary image of mada (pride/intoxication) driving reckless aggression—an ethical contrast to the Matsya Purana’s broader ideal of self-control and measured conduct expected of rulers and householders.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is taught here; the “mountain-like” and “great-mountain form” language is poetic scale-imagery used to convey gigantism and terror in a battle narrative.