Shloka 29

Matsya Purana — Vishnu’s Battle with Mathana

Devanagari script

तस्मादवप्लुत्य हताच्च मेषाद् भूभौ पदातिः स तु दैत्यनाथः ततो महीस्थस्य हरिः शरौघान् मुमोच कालानलतुल्यभासः //

Transliteration

tasmādavaplutya hatācca meṣād bhūbhau padātiḥ sa tu daityanāthaḥ tato mahīsthasya hariḥ śaraughān mumoca kālānalatulyabhāsaḥ //

Translation

Therefore, leaping down from the ram—slain as well—the lord of the Daityas stood upon the ground as a foot-soldier. Then Hari, standing on the earth, released volleys of arrows, blazing with a splendor like the Kāla-fire at the end of the age.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore/from that

• avaplutya: having leapt down, having sprung off

• hatāt: from the slain, from the killed

• ca: and

• meṣāt: from the ram

• bhūbhau: on the ground, upon the earth

• padātiḥ: as an infantryman, on foot

• saḥ: he

• tu: indeed

• daityanāthaḥ: lord of the Daityas (demon-king)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• mahī-sthasya: of/for one standing on the earth

• hariḥ: Hari (Vishnu)

• śara-oghān: floods/volleys of arrows

• mumoca: released, discharged

• kāla-analatulyabhāsaḥ: having radiance like the fire of Time (eschatological conflagration).

Speaker

• Suta/primary Purana narrator (descriptive narrative of the battle scene)

Entities Mentioned

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Daityanatha (Daitya lord)
• Mesha (ram mount)

Tags

• Daitya-vadha
• Vishnu
• Battle
• Divine weapons
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

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

It uses pralaya-language metaphorically: Hari’s arrows shine like the “fire of Time” (kāla-anala), evoking end-of-age destruction to convey overwhelming divine power, not a literal flood or dissolution event in this verse.

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

The verse models the dharmic ideal of protection: just as Hari neutralizes a violent Daitya threat with decisive force, a king is expected to restrain aggressors and protect subjects; for householders, it reinforces the ethic of supporting order (dharma) against chaos.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu Shastra or ritual procedure is stated here; the technical point is poetic-theological—“kāla-anala” as an eschatological image used to describe the intensity of divine weaponry.