Shloka 197

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

Devanagari script

महता स तु कोपेन सर्वायोमयसादनम् जग्राह मुद्गरं भीमं कालदण्डविभीषणम् //

Transliteration

mahatā sa tu kopena sarvāyomayasādanam jagrāha mudgaraṃ bhīmaṃ kāladaṇḍavibhīṣaṇam //

Translation

Then, in towering rage, he seized a dreadful mace—an all-iron instrument of crushing—terrifying like Yama’s rod of Time.

Word by Word

• महता: with great

• स: he

• तु: then/indeed

• कोपेन: with anger

• सर्व-आयः-मय: made wholly of iron

• सादनम्: crushing/striking implement (instrument that brings down)

• जग्राह: seized/took up

• मुद्गरम्: mace/hammer-club

• भीमम्: terrible, formidable

• काल-दण्ड: the rod of Time (Yama’s punitive staff)

• विभीषणम्: frightening, causing dread

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the combat scene

Entities Mentioned

• Kāla (Time)
• Daṇḍa (rod/staff, as Yama’s chastising power)

Tags

• Combat
• Iconography
• Weapons
• Puranic Narratives
• Dharma (punitive power)

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it uses the image of “Kāla-daṇḍa” (Time’s rod) to convey inevitable, overpowering force—an idea often associated with cosmic time and destruction in Purāṇic thought.

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

Through the metaphor of the “rod” (daṇḍa), it echoes the Purāṇic theme of daṇḍanīti: legitimate authority must restrain wrongdoing with decisive force, but only when warranted—anger here functions as narrative intensity around punishment and protection.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse is primarily martial imagery. Indirectly, the mudgara/gadā motif is relevant to iconographic vocabulary used when describing protective deities and their attributes.