Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 90

Devanagari script

चिछेद रिपुवक्त्राणि विचित्राणि समन्ततः तिर्यक्पृष्ठमधश्चोर्ध्वं दीर्घबाहुर्महासिना //

Transliteration

cicheda ripuvaktrāṇi vicitrāṇi samantataḥ tiryakpṛṣṭhamadhaścordhvaṃ dīrghabāhurmahāsinā //

Translation

Dengan pedang besarnya, wira bertangan panjang itu menetak wajah dan bahagian hadapan musuh dengan cara yang menakjubkan di segenap penjuru—menyilang, dari belakang, dari bawah, dan dari atas.

Word by Word

• ciccheda: cut, severed

• ripu-vaktrāṇi: the faces/fronts of enemies

• vicitrāṇi: wondrous, varied, striking

• samantataḥ: on all sides, everywhere

• tiryak: crosswise, obliquely

• pṛṣṭham: from the back/backside

• adhaḥ: from below

• ca: and

• ūrdhvam: from above

• dīrgha-bāhuḥ: long-armed (mighty-armed)

• mahā-asinā: with a great sword

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the battle (narrative voice; specific combatant unnamed in this verse)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Battle
• Kshatriya Dharma
• Heroic Deeds
• Puranic Narrative

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is a battlefield description focused on martial prowess, not cosmic dissolution or the Great Flood narrative.

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

It reflects kṣatriya-dharma: the ideal of a ruler/warrior protecting order through courage and decisive action against enemies, depicted here through controlled, skillful swordsmanship.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the technical focus is purely martial (directional slashing—crosswise, from below/above, and from behind).