Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तस्यापरे तु गात्रेषु दशनैरप्यदंशयन् अपरे मुष्टिभिः पृष्ठं किंकराः प्रहरन्ति च //

Transliteration

tasyāpare tu gātreṣu daśanairapyadaṃśayan apare muṣṭibhiḥ pṛṣṭhaṃ kiṃkarāḥ praharanti ca //

Translation

કેટલાંક તેના અંગોને દાંતથી કાટતા હતા; અને કેટલાંક યમના કિંકરો મુઠ્ઠીઓથી તેની પીઠ પર પ્રહાર કરતા હતા.

Word by Word

• tasya: of him

• apare: some (others)

• tu: indeed/and

• gātreṣu: on the limbs

• daśanaiḥ: with teeth

• api: even

• adaṃśayan: they bite

• apare: others

• muṣṭibhiḥ: with fists

• pṛṣṭham: the back

• kiṃkarāḥ: attendants/servants (of Yama)

• praharanti: they strike/beat

• ca: and

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s account of Yama-loka punishments)

Entities Mentioned

• Kiṃkarāḥ (Yama’s attendants)

Tags

• Naraka
• Yama-loka
• Karma
• Punishment
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on karmic retribution in Yama’s realm, portraying the concrete suffering that follows wrongdoing.

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

By depicting punishment administered by Yama’s attendants, the verse reinforces the Matsya Purana’s ethical warning: rulers and householders must uphold dharma—justice, restraint, and truthful conduct—because harmful actions inevitably mature into suffering.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the verse is a Naraka (hell) passage intended as a moral deterrent rather than an architectural or liturgical instruction.