Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 178

Devanagari script

प्रच्छाद्य गगनाभोगं रविमायां व्यनाशयत् शीतं ववर्ष सलिलं दानवेन्द्रबलं प्रति //

Transliteration

pracchādya gaganābhogaṃ ravimāyāṃ vyanāśayat śītaṃ vavarṣa salilaṃ dānavendrabalaṃ prati //

Translation

เมื่อปกคลุมทั่วท้องฟ้า เขาได้ขจัดมายาของดวงอาทิตย์ และโปรยปรายน้ำเย็นลงมายังกองทัพของจอมอสูรดานพ

Word by Word

• pracchādya: having covered/veiled

• gagana-ābhogam: the entire expanse of the sky

• ravi-māyām: the sun’s illusion/magic (sun-created delusion)

• vyanāśayat: destroyed/dispelled

• śītam: cold/cooling

• vavarṣa: rained down/poured forth

• salilam: water

• dānavendra-balam: the army/forces of the Dānava-king (lord of demons)

• prati: against/upon

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) summarizing the battle episode

Entities Mentioned

• Ravi (Sun)
• Dānavendra (lord of the Dānavas)

Tags

• Deva-Asura war
• Māyā (illusion)
• Celestial omens
• Battle narrative
• Puranic cosmology

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; instead it uses cosmic-scale imagery—covering the sky and altering solar appearance—to depict māyā and elemental forces being deployed in a battle.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic ethic that victory should include strategic countermeasures to deception (māyā); for rulers, it models vigilance against भ्रम (delusion) and the use of appropriate, proportionate means to protect one’s forces.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-rule detail is stated; the key takeaway is ritual-cosmological language where sun, sky, and rain function as symbolic instruments—useful for understanding how Purāṇas frame natural elements within sacred narrative.