Shloka 183

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

Devanagari script

शरानग्निकल्पान्ववर्षामराणां ततो बाणमादाय कल्पानलाभम् जघानोरसि क्षिप्रमिन्द्रं सुबाहुं महेन्द्रो व्यकम्पद्रथोपस्थ एव //

Transliteration

śarānagnikalpānvavarṣāmarāṇāṃ tato bāṇamādāya kalpānalābham jaghānorasi kṣipramindraṃ subāhuṃ mahendro vyakampadrathopastha eva //

Translation

He showered the immortals with arrows like fire. Then Subāhu, taking up a dart like the blaze of the world-ending fire at the close of a kalpa, swiftly struck Indra upon the chest; and the great Indra trembled, even as he sat upon his chariot-seat.

Word by Word

• śarān: arrows

• agni-kalpān: like fire, fire-like

• avavarṣa: rained down, showered

• amarāṇām: of the immortals (the Devas)

• tataḥ: then

• bāṇam: a (single) arrow/dart

• ādāya: having taken up

• kalpa-analābham: resembling the kalpānta fire (the conflagration at the end of an aeon)

• jaghāna: struck, smote

• urasi: on the chest

• kṣipram: swiftly

• indram: Indra

• subāhuḥ: Subāhu (proper name)

• mahendraḥ: the great Indra

• vyakampat: trembled, shook

• ratha-upasthe: on the seat/platform of the chariot

• eva: indeed, just so

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) recounting the battle episode

Entities Mentioned

• Indra
• Subāhu
• Amarāḥ (Devas)

Tags

• Deva-Asura battle
• Indra
• Heroic narrative
• Kalpānta imagery
• Puranic warfare

FAQs

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

It uses pralaya imagery metaphorically: the weapon is compared to the kalpānta (end-of-aeon) fire, emphasizing overwhelming, world-ending force rather than describing an actual dissolution event.

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

Indirectly, it models the Purāṇic ideal of kṣātra-vīrya (martial valor) and the gravity of righteous conflict—power must be wielded decisively and responsibly, since even the greatest ruler (Indra) can be shaken by a single well-aimed strike.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-ritual rule is stated; the only technical register is cosmological-ritual imagery (kalpānta fire) used as a poetic comparator for a weapon’s potency.