Shloka 119

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

Devanagari script

विव्याध निशितैर्बाणैः क्रूराशीविषभीषणैः तदादानं च संधानं न मोक्षश्चापि लक्ष्यते //

Transliteration

vivyādha niśitairbāṇaiḥ krūrāśīviṣabhīṣaṇaiḥ tadādānaṃ ca saṃdhānaṃ na mokṣaścāpi lakṣyate //

Translation

He pierced the foe with sharp arrows, terrifying like cruel, venomous serpents; yet neither their drawing forth nor their fastening on again is perceived, nor is any respite seen.

Word by Word

• vivyādha: pierced, wounded

• niśitaiḥ: sharp, whetted

• bāṇaiḥ: with arrows

• krūra: cruel, fierce

• āśīviṣa: venomous serpent

• bhīṣaṇaiḥ: frightful, terrifying

• tat: that (those arrows/wounds)

• ādānam: drawing out, extracting, taking up

• ca: and

• saṃdhānam: fastening, fixing on, joining (also ‘re-fitting/placing’)

• na: not

• mokṣaḥ: release, deliverance, respite

• ca api: and also

• lakṣyate: is seen, is perceived.

Speaker

• Sūta (narratorial voice) describing the action (likely within the Matsya Purana’s dialogue framework)

Entities Mentioned

• Bāṇa (arrows)
• Āśīviṣa (venomous serpents)

Tags

• Battle
• Martial imagery
• Puranic narrative
• Dharma-yuddha motifs
• Kshatriya valor

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it uses intense battle imagery—serpent-like arrows and the absence of “mokṣa” (release)—to convey relentless combat rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

In a kṣatriya context, the verse underscores unrelenting engagement in battle and the pressure of warfare where respite is not visible—an image often used in Purāṇas to highlight the harsh demands of royal duty when protecting order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-architecture rule is stated here; the technical focus is martial (arrows, wounding, extraction/fastening), serving narrative intensity rather than ritual or building procedure.