Shloka 106

Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A...

Devanagari script

भुशुण्डीं भैरवाकारां गृहीत्वा शैलगौरवाम् रक्षिणो मुकुटस्याथ निष्पिपेष निशाचरान् //

Transliteration

bhuśuṇḍīṃ bhairavākārāṃ gṛhītvā śailagauravām rakṣiṇo mukuṭasyātha niṣpipeṣa niśācarān //

Translation

Then, seizing the bhuśuṇḍī—terrible in form like Bhairava and heavy as a mountain—the guardian of the crown crushed the night-roaming demons to pieces.

Word by Word

• भुशुण्डीम् (bhuśuṇḍīm): a bhuśuṇḍī weapon/club

• भैरवाकाराम् (bhairavākārām): having a Bhairava-like, terrifying form

• गृहीत्वा (gṛhītvā): having seized/taken up

• शैलगौरवाम् (śaila-gauravām): possessing the heaviness/weight of a mountain

• रक्षिणः (rakṣiṇaḥ): the protector/guardian

• मुकुटस्य (mukuṭasya): of the crown/diadem

• अथ (atha): then/thereupon

• निष्पिपेष (niṣpipeṣa): crushed/pounded to fragments

• निशाचरान् (niśācarān): night-walkers, nocturnal beings (demons).

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the battle episode (narrative voice; not direct dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• Bhairava (as a comparison)
• Niśācaras (night-roaming demons)
• Mukuṭa (crown/diadem)

Tags

• Battle
• Protection
• Iconography
• Weapons
• Śākta

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmology; it is a martial description of a fierce guardian crushing niśācaras with a heavy weapon.

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

Indirectly, it reinforces the dharmic ideal of protection—guardianship of royal insignia and the removal of violent threats—an ethic aligned with rājarakṣā (the king’s duty to protect).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated; the closest ritual/iconographic takeaway is the portrayal of a Bhairava-like protector bearing a heavy weapon, useful for understanding guardian imagery in Puranic iconography.