Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 145

Devanagari script

विरतानां रणादस्मात् क्रुद्धः प्राणान्हरिष्यति शीतेन नष्टश्रुतयो भ्रष्टवाक्पाटवास्तथा //

Transliteration

viratānāṃ raṇādasmāt kruddhaḥ prāṇānhariṣyati śītena naṣṭaśrutayo bhraṣṭavākpāṭavāstathā //

Translation

ഈ യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിൽ നിന്ന് പിന്മാറിയവരുടെ പ്രാണൻ അവൻ ക്രോധത്തോടെ അപഹരിക്കും. ശീതബാധയാൽ അവരുടെ ശ്രുതി-ജ്ഞാനം നശിക്കും; വാക്പാടവവും അങ്ങനെ തന്നെ ക്ഷയിക്കും.

Word by Word

• viratānām: of those who have turned away/ceased/withdrawn

• raṇāt: from the battle, from warfare

• asmāt: from this, herefrom

• kruddhaḥ: enraged, wrathful

• prāṇān: lives, vital breaths

• hariṣyati: will seize, will take away, will destroy

• śītena: by cold, through cold

• naṣṭa-śrutayaḥ: those whose śruti/learning/hearing (instruction) is lost

• bhraṣṭa-vāk-pāṭavāḥ: those whose eloquence and verbal skill are impaired

• tathā: likewise, in the same manner.

Speaker

• Likely Sūta (narrator) reporting a didactic warning within the Matsya Purana’s rajadharma/nīti discourse (exact interlocutors not explicit from the single verse).

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Niti
• War
• Portents
• Kingship

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic pralaya; it describes human-scale destruction—death, loss of learning, and collapse of eloquence—arising from wrath and harsh conditions during conflict.

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

It warns that anger-driven warfare and instability ruin both people and policy: a king must restrain wrath, protect the vulnerable, and preserve counsel (śruta) and clear speech (vāk-pāṭava), which are essential for governance and social order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule appears here; the practical takeaway is contextual—calamity and disorder weaken learning and communication, which indirectly undermines the proper transmission of ritual and technical traditions.