Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — Genealogy and Classification of Sacred Fires

Devanagari script

हव्यसूदो ह्य् असंमृज्यः शामित्रः स विभाव्यते शतधामा सुधाज्योती रौद्रैश्वर्यः स उच्यते //

Transliteration

havyasūdo hy asaṃmṛjyaḥ śāmitraḥ sa vibhāvyate śatadhāmā sudhājyotī raudraiśvaryaḥ sa ucyate //

Translation

He is the consumer of the sacrificial oblations (havya), the unassailable one, and the subduer. He is contemplated as the bearer of a hundred abodes (or splendors), as nectar-like radiance, and as lordly power—fierce, Rudra-like—in sovereignty.

Word by Word

• havyasūdaḥ: eater/consumer of havis (sacrificial oblations)

• hi: indeed

• asaṃmṛjyaḥ: not to be wiped away/overcome, unassailable, irrepressible

• śāmitraḥ: subduer, restrainer, pacifier of foes/forces

• saḥ: he

• vibhāvyate: is contemplated/recognized

• śatadhāmā: having a hundred abodes/splendors/radiances

• sudhā-jyotī: whose light is like sudhā (nectar), ambrosial radiance

• raudra-aiśvaryaḥ: Rudra-like (fierce) lordship/sovereignty

• saḥ ucyate: he is called/declared.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) conveying the Matsya Purana’s devotional-ritual description of the Supreme Deity (Vishnu/Matsya) through epithets

Entities Mentioned

• Havis (sacrificial oblations)
• Rudra (as a qualifier: raudra-)

Tags

• Iconography
• Ritual
• Divine Names
• Dharma
• Devotion

FAQs

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

This verse is not a Pralaya narration; it functions as a theological name-verse, praising the deity as irresistible and sovereign—qualities that, by implication, ground cosmic control in all cycles including dissolution.

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

By presenting the deity as śāmitra (subduer/discipliner) and raudraiśvarya (fierce sovereignty), it offers an ethical model: rulers and householders should uphold dharma with firmness—restraining harm and protecting sacrificial/social order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The explicit ritual marker is havis: the deity is ‘havyasūda’, the receiver/consumer of offerings, reinforcing homa-yajña worship. For temple practice, it supports offering-rituals (naivedya/havis) as integral to consecrated worship.