Shloka 48

Matsya Purana — Brahmā–Gāyatrī as a Divine Pair and the Early Genealogies of Creation

Devanagari script

तत्तपोरक्षिता वृक्षा बभुर् लोके समन्ततः देवादेशाच्च तानग्निर् अदहद्रविनन्दन //

Transliteration

tattaporakṣitā vṛkṣā babhur loke samantataḥ devādeśācca tānagnir adahadravinandana //

Translation

Those trees, protected by the power of austerity (tapas), flourished everywhere in the world; yet, by the command of the gods, Fire—Agni—burned them, O delight of the Solar line.

Word by Word

• tat-tapasā: by that austerity (tapas)

• rakṣitāḥ: protected, safeguarded

• vṛkṣāḥ: trees

• babhūḥ: became / were (came to be)

• loke: in the world

• samantataḥ: on all sides, everywhere

• deva-ādeśāt: by the command of the gods

• ca: and

• tān: those (trees)

• agniḥ: fire (the deity Agni / fire)

• adahat: burned

• ravinandana: O son/delight of Ravi (the Sun), an epithet addressing Manu/royal solar lineage.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s early Manu-related account; vocative address to a solar-line interlocutor)

Entities Mentioned

• Agni
• Devas
• Ravi (Sun)
• Tapas (austerity)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Tapas
• Divine Decree
• Cosmic Order
• Agni

FAQs

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

It shows that even forces sustained by ascetic power (tapas) can be overridden by a higher cosmic decision—destruction by Agni occurs “by the gods’ command,” reflecting controlled, purposeful dissolution rather than random catastrophe.

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

It implies that personal merit and discipline (tapas) are powerful but not absolute; rulers and householders must align conduct with dharma and divine/cosmic order, accepting that higher ordinance can redirect outcomes beyond individual effort.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, Agni represents purificatory destruction and transformation; the takeaway is that fire-rites and Agni’s agency symbolize sanctioned clearing/purification—an idea later echoed in Vedic-Puranic ritual logic (though no direct Vāstu rule is stated in this verse).