Shloka 17

Matsya Purana — Description of Pralaya: Drying

Devanagari script

महासत्त्वान्यपि विभुं प्रविष्टान्यमितौजसम् नष्टार्कपवनाकाशे सूक्ष्मे जगति संवृते //

Transliteration

mahāsattvānyapi vibhuṃ praviṣṭānyamitaujasam naṣṭārkapavanākāśe sūkṣme jagati saṃvṛte //

Translation

When the sun, the winds, and even space itself have vanished, and the world has contracted into a subtle state, even the great beings enter into that all-pervading Lord of immeasurable power.

Word by Word

• mahā-sattvāni: great beings, exalted entities

• api: even

• vibhum: the all-pervading Lord

• praviṣṭāni: entered into, dissolved into

• amita-ojasam: of immeasurable potency/energy

• naṣṭa: vanished, destroyed

• arka: sun

• pavana: wind, vital air

• ākāśe: in/with space (ether)

• sūkṣme: subtle, imperceptible

• jagati: the world, cosmos

• saṃvṛte: contracted, withdrawn, enfolded (at dissolution)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within the Matsya Purana’s pralaya discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Vibhu (the all-pervading Lord/Vishnu)
• Mahāsattvas (great beings)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmic Dissolution
• Vishnu
• Subtle Reabsorption
• Puranic Cosmology

FAQs

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

It describes pralaya as a progressive withdrawal where cosmic supports (sun, wind, and space) disappear and the universe becomes subtle, culminating in all beings—even exalted ones—being reabsorbed into the all-pervading Lord.

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

By emphasizing the inevitability of dissolution and reabsorption into the Supreme, it supports the Matsya Purana’s ethical thrust: rulers and householders should act with dharma and detachment, remembering that power and status (even of “great beings”) ultimately return to the Divine source.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or temple-building rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is contemplative—pralaya theology frames rites as oriented toward the imperishable Lord beyond cosmic elements like sun, wind, and space.