Matsya Purana — Tārakāsura’s Austerity and Boon; Mobilization for War; Bṛhaspati’s Fourfold P..., Shloka 2

Devanagari script

वंशक्षयकरा देवाः सर्वेषामेव दानवाः अस्माकं जातिधर्मो वै विरूढं वैरमक्षयम् //

Transliteration

vaṃśakṣayakarā devāḥ sarveṣāmeva dānavāḥ asmākaṃ jātidharmo vai virūḍhaṃ vairamakṣayam //

Translation

เหล่าเทวะเป็นผู้ทำลายวงศ์สกุลของเรา—ดังที่ดานวะทั้งปวงกล่าวกัน สำหรับเรานี่คือธรรมแห่งกำเนิด คือความเป็นศัตรูที่หยั่งรากลึกและไม่เสื่อมสูญ

Word by Word

• vaṃśa: lineage, dynasty

• kṣaya-kara: causing destruction

• devāḥ: the Devas (gods)

• sarveṣām eva: of all, indeed / unanimously

• dānavāḥ: the Dānavas (a class of Asuras)

• asmākam: of us/our

• jāti-dharmaḥ: the duty/law inherent to one’s birth-group or clan-nature

• vai: indeed

• virūḍham: grown strong, firmly rooted

• vairam: enmity, hostility

• akṣayam: imperishable, undecaying

Speaker

• Dānavas (collective voice within the narrative; reported speech in the dynastic/conflict episode)

Entities Mentioned

• Devas
• Danavas

Tags

• Dynasties
• Conflict
• Dharma
• Genealogy
• Asura-Deva

FAQs

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

It does not describe cosmic dissolution; instead, it speaks of social and dynastic “dissolution” (vaṃśa-kṣaya)—the feared destruction of a lineage due to ongoing Deva–Dānava conflict.

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

By framing enmity as “jāti-dharma,” the verse shows how inherited clan-hostilities can be treated as obligatory; the broader Purāṇic ethical lens often urges rulers to restrain such inherited vengeance to prevent vaṃśa-kṣaya (loss of heirs, stability, and social order).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu-śāstra or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its focus is political-mythic hostility and the idea of lineage preservation versus destruction.