Shloka 34

Matsya Purana — Vishnu’s Battle with the Daityas: Astra-Combat

Devanagari script

जग्राह चक्रं तपनायुताभम् उग्रारमात्मानमिव द्वितीयम् चिक्षेप सेनापतये ऽभिसंध्य कण्ठस्थलं वज्रकठोरमुग्रम् //

Transliteration

jagrāha cakraṃ tapanāyutābham ugrāramātmānamiva dvitīyam cikṣepa senāpataye 'bhisaṃdhya kaṇṭhasthalaṃ vajrakaṭhoramugram //

Translation

He seized a discus blazing like ten thousand suns—like a second fierce embodiment of himself—and, taking aim at the army-commander, hurled it at his throat, dreadful and hard as a vajra.

Word by Word

• jagrāha: he seized/took up

• cakram: discus/wheel-weapon

• tapana-āyuta-ābham: having the radiance of ten thousand suns

• ugra: fierce/terrible

• āram: vehement/impetuous (intensifier of ugra)

• ātmānam iva: as if (it were) himself

• dvitīyam: a second (one)

• cikṣepa: he threw/hurled

• senāpataye: at the commander of the army

• abhisaṃdhya: aiming at, targeting

• kaṇṭha-sthalam: the throat/neck-region

• vajra-kaṭhoram: hard as a vajra (thunderbolt), adamantine

• ugram: dreadful, fearsome.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) recounting the episode (third-person narrative within the Matsya Purāṇa)

Entities Mentioned

• cakra (discus weapon)
• senāpati (army commander)
• vajra (thunderbolt)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Battle
• Weapons
• Puranic warfare
• Iconography

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it is a martial description emphasizing divine-like weapon imagery (a sun-bright cakra) used to strike down an enemy commander.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Kṣatriya ideal in Purāṇic ethics: decisive protection of order through disciplined force against hostile leadership (the senāpati), rather than indiscriminate violence.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is taught here; the key takeaway is iconographic/poetic—cakra described as sun-like radiance, aligning with Purāṇic depictions of Viṣṇu’s discus.