Shloka 62

Matsya Purana — Inquiry into Taraka’s Slaying and the Prelude to Guha

Devanagari script

तस्यैव तीरे सरसस् तत्प्रीत्या मौनमास्थिता निराहारा तपो घोरं प्रविवेश महाद्युतिः //

Transliteration

tasyaiva tīre sarasas tatprītyā maunamāsthitā nirāhārā tapo ghoraṃ praviveśa mahādyutiḥ //

Translation

On the very bank of that lake, out of devotion to him, the radiant lady undertook the vow of mauna (sacred silence); fasting without food, she entered upon a terrible and austere tapas.

Word by Word

• tasyaiva: of that very (one/thing)

• tīre: on the bank/shore

• sarasas: of the lake

• tat-prītyā: out of love/devotion for him/that

• maunam: silence (vow of silence)

• āsthitā: having undertaken/observing

• nirāhārā: without food, fasting

• tapaḥ: austerity, penance

• ghoram: severe, formidable

• praviveśa: entered upon, commenced

• mahā-dyutiḥ: of great radiance/splendour (a luminous person, feminine in context: “she”).

Speaker

• Narrator (Purāṇic narrator relating the episode within Matsya Purana’s dialogue frame)

Tags

• Tapas
• Mauna-vrata
• Fasting
• Tirtha
• Penance

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya or cosmology; it highlights personal spiritual discipline—silence and fasting—as a means of intense tapas.

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

It underscores the Purāṇic ideal of self-restraint (niyama): vows like mauna (measured speech) and regulated food (fasting) are presented as disciplines that even householders may adopt in a limited form for purification and devotion.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-construction rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is vrata-practice—mauna-vrata and nirāhāra as components of austerity performed at a sacred waterside setting.