Shloka 8

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

Devanagari script

तमेव मुद्गरं गृह्य यमस्य महिषं रुषा पातयामास वेगेन स पपात महीतले //

Transliteration

tameva mudgaraṃ gṛhya yamasya mahiṣaṃ ruṣā pātayāmāsa vegena sa papāta mahītale //

Translation

Seizing that very mallet, he angrily struck down Yama’s buffalo with force; and it fell swiftly to the ground.

Word by Word

• तम्-एव (tam eva): that very

• मुद्गरम् (mudgaram): mallet/club

• गृह्य (gṛhya): having seized/taking hold

• यमस्य (yamasya): of Yama (the Lord of Death)

• महिषम् (mahiṣam): buffalo (mount/vehicle)

• रुषा (ruṣā): with anger/in wrath

• पातयामास (pātayāmāsa): caused to fall/struck down

• वेगेन (vegena): with speed/force

• स (sa): it/he

• पपात (papāta): fell

• महीतले (mahītale): on the surface of the earth/ground.

Speaker

• Narrator (Purana narration; speaker not explicit in this single verse)

Entities Mentioned

• Yama
• Mahisha (Yama’s buffalo mount)
• Mudgara (mallet/club)

Tags

• Yama
• Afterlife
• Punishment
• Conflict
• Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmology; it depicts a forceful act within an afterlife/Yama-related narrative, emphasizing consequence and power rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it underscores the Purāṇic theme that actions invite results and that confronting the instruments of punishment (symbolized by Yama’s retinue/vehicle) is tied to questions of justice, authority, and the moral order (dharma).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, iconographic measurement, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the verse is purely narrative, focusing on the striking down of Yama’s buffalo.