Shloka 64
असुराणां पुराण्यासंस्त्रीणि वीर्यवर्तां दिवि । आयसं राजतं चैव सौवर्ण परमं महत्,पूर्वकालमें परम पराक्रमी तीन असुरोंके आकाशमें तीन नगर थे। एक लोहेका, दूसरा चाँदीका और तीसरा अत्यन्त विशाल नगर सोनेका बना हुआ था
asurāṇāṃ purāṇy āsan trīṇi vīryavatāṃ divi | āyasaṃ rājataṃ caiva sauvarṇaṃ paramaṃ mahat ||
Vyāsa berkata: Wahai Raja, pada zaman dahulu para Asura yang perkasa memiliki tiga kota di langit—yang satu dari besi, yang kedua dari perak, dan yang ketiga, amat luas, terbuat dari emas.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material grandeur and seemingly impregnable power (cities of iron, silver, and gold) do not guarantee moral legitimacy or lasting security; narratives of the Asuras often use such splendor to highlight how pride and domination invite eventual ruin when opposed by dharma.
Vyāsa introduces an ancient account: the Asuras possessed three heavenly cities—one iron, one silver, and one enormous golden city—setting up a mythic background (commonly associated with the Tripura motif) that explains later divine or heroic action against them.