Shloka 81

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

Devanagari script

आच्छादयत यत्नेन वर्षास्विव घनैर्नभः दैत्यो ऽपि बाणजालं तद् व्यधमत्सायकैः शितैः //

Transliteration

ācchādayata yatnena varṣāsviva ghanairnabhaḥ daityo 'pi bāṇajālaṃ tad vyadhamatsāyakaiḥ śitaiḥ //

Translation

With great effort he covered the sky, as if in the rainy season with dense clouds; yet the Daitya, with his sharp missiles, shattered that very net of arrows.

Word by Word

• आच्छादयत्: (he) covered/veiled

• यत्नेन: with effort, strenuously

• वर्षासु इव: as if in the rainy season

• घनैः: with dense clouds

• नभः: the sky

• दैत्यः अपि: even the demon (Daitya)

• बाणजालम्: a net/mass of arrows

• तत्: that

• व्यधमत्: shattered, dispersed, broke apart

• सायकैः: with missiles/arrows

• शितैः: sharp, whetted

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) or the Purāṇic narrator describing the battle (contextual attribution)

Entities Mentioned

• Daitya

Tags

• Battle
• Daitya
• Archery
• Heroic narrative
• Puranic warfare

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it uses a rain-cloud simile (dense clouds covering the sky) to intensify a battlefield image of arrows filling the heavens.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the kṣātra ideal of perseverance and martial competence: even overwhelming force (an arrow-storm) must be met with skill and resolve—qualities praised in Purāṇic royal ethics.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated here; the verse is a poetic combat description centered on archery and battlefield simile.