Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

उत्प्लुत्याथ यमस्तस्मान् महिषान्निष्पतिष्यतः प्रासेन ताडयामास ग्रसनं वदने दृढम् //

Transliteration

utplutyātha yamastasmān mahiṣānniṣpatiṣyataḥ prāsena tāḍayāmāsa grasanaṃ vadane dṛḍham //

Translation

Then Yama sprang up; as that buffalo was about to bolt away, he struck it hard in the mouth and throat with his spear, restraining it firmly.

Word by Word

• उत्प्लुत्य (utplutya): springing up, leaping

• अथ (atha): then

• यमः (yamaḥ): Yama, the Lord of Death

• तस्मात् (tasmāt): from there/thereupon

• महिषात् (mahiṣāt): from/onto the buffalo (his mount)

• निष्पतिष्यतः (niṣpatiṣyataḥ): as it was about to rush out, bolt, flee

• प्रासेन (prāsena): with a spear/javelin

• ताडयामास (tāḍayāmāsa): struck, smote

• ग्रसनम् (grasanam): throat, gullet/neck (place of swallowing)

• वदने (vadane): in the mouth/face

• दृढम् (dṛḍham): firmly, strongly.

Speaker

• Narrator (Purana-style narration; likely Suta reporting the episode)

Entities Mentioned

• Yama
• Mahisha (buffalo-mount)
• Prasa (spear)

Tags

• Yama
• Afterlife
• Dharma
• Naraka
• Puranic battle-scene

FAQs

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

Nothing directly about pralaya appears here; the verse focuses on Yama’s forceful control, emphasizing moral order and restraint rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

By portraying Yama as an enforcer who prevents escape and upholds order, it indirectly reinforces the dharmic ideal that rulers and householders must restrain wrongdoing and maintain discipline through firm, lawful action.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No vastu/temple-building or ritual procedure is stated; the significance is iconographic—Yama’s association with the buffalo mount and spear, details often used in Puranic descriptions of deities.