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

Các Deva là kẻ làm tiêu vong dòng giống của chúng ta—mọi Dānava đều nói vậy. Đối với chúng ta, đó chính là pháp tắc của sự sinh ra và huyết tộc: mối thù hằn ăn sâu, không bao giờ tiêu diệt.

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.