Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

मया स वरदानेन छन्दयित्वा निवारितः तपसः सांप्रतं राजा त्रैलोक्यदहनात्मकात् //

Transliteration

mayā sa varadānena chandayitvā nivāritaḥ tapasaḥ sāṃprataṃ rājā trailokyadahanātmakāt //

Translation

Ich besänftigte ihn, indem ich ihm eine Gnadengabe verlieh, und hielt ihn so zurück. Gegenwärtig ist jener König in seiner Askese gehemmt — einer Askese, deren Wesen darin bestand, die drei Welten zu verbrennen.

Word by Word

• mayā: by me

• saḥ: he (that person/king)

• vara-dānena: by the giving of a boon

• chandayitvā: having pleased/propitiated

• nivāritaḥ: restrained, held back

• tapasaḥ: from austerity (tapas)

• sāṃpratam: now, at present

• rājā: the king

• trailokya: the three worlds

• dahana-ātmakāt: having the nature of burning/consuming (i.e., world-scorching).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution typical to Matsya Purana dialogue flow)

Entities Mentioned

• A king (unnamed in this verse)
• Lord Matsya (implied by first-person narration)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Tapas
• Boons
• Cosmic balance
• Puranic ethics

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; instead, it highlights a recurring Puranic principle: excessive tapas can destabilize the cosmos (even “burn” the three worlds), requiring divine intervention to preserve cosmic order.

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

It implies that power gained through austerity must be governed by restraint; a king’s discipline should protect the world, not endanger it—so divine or ethical checks are necessary when ascetic power becomes destructive.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or temple-ritual rule is stated in this verse; the ritual takeaway is about tapas and boon-granting as mechanisms for regulating spiritual power within dharmic order.