Shloka 81

Matsya Purana — Characteristics of Dvāpara and Kali Yugas

Devanagari script

निःशेषेष्वथ सर्वेषु मत्स्यपक्षिपशुष्वथ संध्यांशे प्रतिपन्ने तु निःशेषास्तु तदा कृताः //

Transliteration

niḥśeṣeṣvatha sarveṣu matsyapakṣipaśuṣvatha saṃdhyāṃśe pratipanne tu niḥśeṣāstu tadā kṛtāḥ //

Translation

Then, when all had been completely exhausted—fish, birds, and beasts alike—and when the world had entered the twilight-portion (the liminal time of dissolution), they were at that time made utterly without remainder.

Word by Word

• niḥśeṣeṣu: when completely ended/without remainder

• atha: then

• sarveṣu: in all (beings)

• matsya: fish

• pakṣi: birds

• paśuṣu: among beasts/animals

• saṃdhyā-aṃśe: in the twilight-portion (junction-time)

• pratipanne: having entered/arrived

• tu: indeed

• niḥśeṣāḥ: remainderless, utterly finished

• tadā: then

• kṛtāḥ: were made/became

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic account within the Matsya Purana’s pralaya-themed discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya (fish, as a class of beings)
• Pakṣi (birds)
• Paśu (animals)
• Saṃdhyā (cosmic twilight/junction)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Dissolution
• Cosmic Twilight
• Kāla (Time)
• Puranic Cosmology

FAQs

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

It depicts a pralaya-stage where living beings (fish, birds, animals) become “niḥśeṣa” (without remainder), occurring as the cosmos enters a twilight/junction phase (saṃdhyā-aṃśa) associated with dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it reinforces impermanence: kingship and household life are time-bound within kāla. The ethical implication in Purāṇic teaching is to govern and live dharmically, knowing all conditioned existence ends in dissolution.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-rule detail appears in this verse; its significance is cosmological, highlighting saṃdhyā (junction-time), which in ritual thought broadly underscores liminal times as potent—but here it primarily marks dissolution.