Shloka 67

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

Devanagari script

गजो गदानिपातेन स तेन परिमूर्छितः दन्तैर्भित्त्वा धरां वेगात् पपाताचलसंनिभः //

Transliteration

gajo gadānipātena sa tena parimūrchitaḥ dantairbhittvā dharāṃ vegāt papātācalasaṃnibhaḥ //

Translation

Struck by the downward blow of the mace, the elephant was stunned; with its tusks it tore into the earth in its momentum, and then collapsed—like a mountain.

Word by Word

• gajaḥ: elephant

• gadā-nipātena: by the falling/downward stroke of a mace

• saḥ: he/that (elephant)

• tena: by that (blow)

• parimūrcchitaḥ: completely dazed, rendered unconscious

• dantaiḥ: with (its) tusks

• bhittvā: having split, having pierced

• dharām: the earth/ground

• vegāt: from speed, by force of momentum

• papāta: fell, collapsed

• acala-saṁnibhaḥ: resembling a mountain (immovable one).

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) in a descriptive battle passage (speaker not explicitly marked in this single verse)

Entities Mentioned

• Gaja (elephant)
• Gadā (mace)

Tags

• Battle
• Combat imagery
• Puranic narration
• Heroic episode
• Violence description

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is a vivid combat description, focusing on force, impact, and collapse rather than cosmology or Pralaya.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic ideal of kṣātra (royal/warrior) power and the realities of battle; it can be read as a reminder that violence has grave consequences and that a king’s duty includes measured force and protection, not mere destruction.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated; the only technical imagery is physical—tusks rending the earth and a mountain-like fall.