Shloka 37

Matsya Purana — Uma’s Austerities and the Slaying of the Deceiver Asura ĀḌi

Devanagari script

मेढ्रे वज्रास्त्रमादाय दानवं तमसूदयत् अबुध्यद्वीरको नैव दानवेन्द्रं निषूदितम् //

Transliteration

meḍhre vajrāstramādāya dānavaṃ tamasūdayat abudhyadvīrako naiva dānavendraṃ niṣūditam //

Translation

Seizing the Vajrāstra, the thunderbolt-weapon at his loins, he struck down that Dānava. Yet the hero Vīraka did not realize that the lord of the Dānavas had been slain.

Word by Word

• meḍhre: at the loins/groin-region

• vajra-astram: the thunderbolt-weapon (Vajra as a missile/astric weapon)

• ādāya: having taken/seized

• dānavam: the Dānava (demon of Danu’s line)

• tam: that (one)

• asūdayat: he slew/caused to be killed

• abudhyat: did not perceive/understand

• vīrakaḥ: Vīraka (the hero)

• na eva: not at all/indeed not

• dānava-indram: the Dānava-lord/king of the Dānavas

• niṣūditam: slain/killed

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) continuing the Matsya Purana’s heroic/dynastic account (likely within a dialogue frame ultimately addressed to sages).

Entities Mentioned

• Vīraka
• Dānava
• Dānavendra
• Vajra-astra

Tags

• Dynasties
• Heroic battle
• Astra (divine weapons)
• Danavas
• Puranic warfare

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it belongs to a martial-heroic narrative describing the slaying of a Dānava using a divine weapon (vajrāstra).

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic ideal of kṣātra-dharma—protecting order by confronting destructive forces (here, Dānavas). The emphasis is on decisive action and the potency of sanctioned weapons in upholding dharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-architecture rule appears here; the technical element is astravidyā (weapon-lore), specifically the vajrāstra, highlighting ritualized/divine weapon traditions rather than building prescriptions.