Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 180

Devanagari script

ततः स मेघरूपी तु कालनेमिर्महासुरः शस्त्रवृष्टिं ववर्षोग्रां देवानीकेषु दुर्जयाम् //

Transliteration

tataḥ sa megharūpī tu kālanemirmahāsuraḥ śastravṛṣṭiṃ vavarṣogrāṃ devānīkeṣu durjayām //

Translation

Bấy giờ Kālanemi, đại Asura, hóa thành mây, trút xuống một trận mưa vũ khí dữ dội lên các đạo quân chư thiên—một đợt công kích khó bề chống đỡ.

Word by Word

• ततः (tataḥ): then/thereupon

• स (sa): he

• मेघरूपी (megharūpī): having the form of a cloud

• तु (tu): indeed

• कालनेमिः (kālanemiḥ): Kālanemi

• महासुरः (mahāsuraḥ): great Asura/demon

• शस्त्रवृष्टिम् (śastravṛṣṭim): a rain/shower of weapons

• ववर्ष (vavarṣa): rained down/poured forth

• उग्राम् (ugrām): fierce/terrible

• देवानीकेषु (devānīkeṣu): upon the armies/companies of the gods

• दुर्जयाम् (durjayām): difficult to conquer/overcome, hard to withstand

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the battle episode

Entities Mentioned

• Kālanemi
• Devas (the gods)
• Asuras

Tags

• Devāsura-yuddha
• Kālanemi
• Mythic warfare
• Divine armies
• Weapon imagery

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmological dissolution; it focuses on a battlefield image where Kālanemi uses a cloud-like form to unleash a weapon-storm against the Devas.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic ideal of kṣātra-dharma (martial duty): leaders must remain steadfast under overwhelming assaults, just as the Deva-host must endure and respond to a seemingly unstoppable attack.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated here; the technical focus is poetic warfare vocabulary (megharūpī, śastravṛṣṭi) used to depict supernatural combat.