Shloka 147

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

Devanagari script

मत्वा कालक्षमं कार्यं कालनेमिर्महासुरः आश्रित्य दानवीं मायां वितत्य स्वं महावपुः //

Transliteration

matvā kālakṣamaṃ kāryaṃ kālanemirmahāsuraḥ āśritya dānavīṃ māyāṃ vitatya svaṃ mahāvapuḥ //

Translation

Judging the undertaking timely and suited to the moment, the great Asura Kālanemi resorted to daityic māyā (illusion); and, spreading it forth, he expanded his own colossal form.

Word by Word

• matvā: having considered/judged

• kāla-kṣamam: fit for the time, seasonable

• kāryam: the task/undertaking

• kālanemiḥ: Kālanemi (proper name)

• mahā-asuraḥ: the great demon/Asura

• āśritya: resorting to, taking refuge in/using

• dānavīm: belonging to the Dānavas (daityic/demonic)

• māyām: illusion, magical artifice

• vitatya: having spread/extended

• svam: his own

• mahā-vapuḥ: great/huge body, gigantic form

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) recounting events (narrative voice within Matsya Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Kālanemi
• Asura
• Dānava
• Māyā

Tags

• Asura-strategy
• Māyā
• Mythic-warfare
• Timing (Kāla)
• Purāṇic-narrative

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it highlights kāla (timing) and māyā (illusion) as forces within worldly conflict—motifs that, elsewhere in the Matsya Purāṇa, also frame how cosmic events unfold according to time.

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

By stressing kāla-kṣamatā (acting at the right time), it indirectly supports a key dharma principle: rulers and householders should choose proper timing and prudent means—while recognizing that deceptive māyā is characteristic of adharmic strategy and must be guarded against.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is specified in this verse; the technical term māyā here functions as “illusion/magical artifice,” not as architectural measurement or craft terminology.