Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 37

Devanagari script

अभिद्रुतस्तथा घोरैर् ग्रसनः क्रोधमूर्छितः उत्सृज्य गात्रं भूपृष्ठे निष्पिपेष सहस्रशः //

Transliteration

abhidrutastathā ghorair grasanaḥ krodhamūrchitaḥ utsṛjya gātraṃ bhūpṛṣṭhe niṣpipeṣa sahasraśaḥ //

Translation

അങ്ങനെ ഭീകരന്മാർ ആക്രമിച്ചപ്പോൾ, ക്രോധമൂർഛിതനായ ഗ്രസനൻ തന്റെ ദേഹം ഭൂമിയുടെ മേൽപ്പുറത്ത് വീഴ്ത്തി, ആയിരങ്ങളെയൊക്കെ വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും അമർത്തി ചതച്ചുകളഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• abhidrutaḥ: assailed/attacked

• tathā: thus

• ghoraiḥ: by the dreadful/terrifying (ones)

• grasanaḥ: Grasana (proper name)

• krodha-mūrcchitaḥ: overcome/faint with anger

• utsṛjya: having cast down/let fall

• gātram: (his) body/limbs

• bhū-pṛṣṭhe: on the surface of the earth/on the ground

• niṣpipeṣa: crushed/pounded to fragments

• sahasraśaḥ: in thousands/repeatedly by the thousand

Speaker

• Suta (Puranic narrator) reporting the events to the listening sages

Entities Mentioned

• Grasana

Tags

• Puranic battle
• Wrath
• Asura conflict
• Epic violence
• Narrative episode

FAQs

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

This verse is not a Pralaya (cosmic dissolution) teaching; it is a battlefield image emphasizing destructive force on the earthly ground (bhūpṛṣṭha) rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it functions as a cautionary portrayal of krodha (wrath): being “overcome by anger” (krodhamūrcchitaḥ) signals how rage can drive excessive violence—an ethical counterpoint to the Purana’s broader ideal of restrained, dharmic action.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated; the only technical term is bhūpṛṣṭhe (“on the ground”), used as a narrative setting rather than an architectural instruction.