Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 115

Devanagari script

ततो ऽस्त्रं विस्फुलिङ्गाङ्कं तमः कृत्स्नं व्यनाशयत् प्रफुल्लारुणपद्मौघं शरदीवामलं सरः //

Transliteration

tato 'straṃ visphuliṅgāṅkaṃ tamaḥ kṛtsnaṃ vyanāśayat praphullāruṇapadmaughaṃ śaradīvāmalaṃ saraḥ //

Translation

তখন স্ফুলিঙ্গচিহ্নিত সেই অস্ত্র সমগ্র অন্ধকার বিনাশ করল—যেমন শরৎকালের নির্মল হ্রদ, প্রস্ফুটিত লাল পদ্মের সমুদায়ে পরিপূর্ণ।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• astram: weapon/divine missile

• visphuliṅga-aṅkam: bearing sparks/marked with scintillations

• tamaḥ: darkness

• kṛtsnam: entirely, wholly

• vyanāśayat: dispelled, destroyed

• praphulla: fully blossomed

• aruṇa: red, rosy

• padma-ogham: multitude/mass of lotuses

• śaradā iva: like in autumn

• amalam: spotless, pure, clear

• saraḥ: lake

Speaker

• Sūta (narrative voice summarizing the episode within the Matsya Purana’s dialogue framework)

Tags

• Pralaya
• DivineWeapon
• LightOverDarkness
• Purification
• PuranicImagery

FAQs

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

It portrays the restoration of order during a crisis: a divine force (astra) removes pervasive darkness, symbolizing the re-establishment of cosmic clarity after obscuration associated with pralaya-like conditions.

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

By analogy, it suggests the ethical duty to remove “darkness” (confusion, injustice, ignorance) and establish purity and clarity—like a ruler enforcing dharma or a householder maintaining disciplined, luminous conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct vastu or ritual rule is stated; the imagery of a clear autumn lake with red lotuses functions as a purity-and-auspiciousness motif often echoed in ritual aesthetics (cleanliness, clarity, and auspicious floral symbolism).