Shloka 62

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

Devanagari script

ऐरावणं कटीदेशे मुद्गरेणाभ्यताडयत् स हतो मुद्गरेणाथ शक्रकुञ्जर आहवे //

Transliteration

airāvaṇaṃ kaṭīdeśe mudgareṇābhyatāḍayat sa hato mudgareṇātha śakrakuñjara āhave //

Translation

He struck Airāvata on the flank with a mace; and thus, in the battle, Indra’s elephant was slain by that mace.

Word by Word

• ऐरावणम् (airāvaṇam): Airāvata (Indra’s elephant)

• कटीदेशे (kaṭīdeśe): in the hip/flank region

• मुद्गरेण (mudgareṇa): with a mace/club

• अभ्यताडयत् (abhyatāḍayat): struck repeatedly/assailed

• सः (saḥ): he/that one (Airāvata)

• हतः (hataḥ): slain

• मुद्गरेण (mudgareṇa): by the mace

• अथ (atha): then/thereupon

• शक्रकुञ्जरः (śakrakuñjaraḥ): Indra’s elephant

• आहवे (āhave): in battle/at the combat.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the battle episode (third-person narrative)

Entities Mentioned

• Airāvata
• Śakra (Indra)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Battle
• War narrative
• Puranic epic style
• Royal genealogies

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is a battlefield detail about Airāvata being struck and killed, not a pralaya (cosmic dissolution) teaching.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic ideal of kṣātra themes—warfare, valor, and the consequences of combat—often used to frame royal duty (rājadharma) in narrative form, though no explicit ethical injunction appears in this line.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

None is stated; the verse contains no Vāstu, temple-building, iconographic, or ritual instruction—only a combat action involving a mace and the elephant Airāvata.