Shloka 66

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

Devanagari script

तपोबलाढ्या सा तस्य न वध्यत्वं जगाम ह ततो गोमायुरूपेण तस्यादूषयदाश्रमम् //

Transliteration

tapobalāḍhyā sā tasya na vadhyatvaṃ jagāma ha tato gomāyurūpeṇa tasyādūṣayadāśramam //

Translation

Endowed with the strength born of tapas, she made him unable to slay her (rendering herself inviolable); then, assuming the form of a jackal, she defiled his hermitage.

Word by Word

• तपोबलाढ्या (tapobalāḍhyā): endowed with the power of austerity

• सा (sā): she

• तस्य (tasya): of him/for him

• न (na): not

• वध्यत्वं (vadhyatvaṃ): the state of being killable / liability to be slain

• जगाम (jagāma): attained, brought about

• ह (ha): indeed (emphatic particle)

• ततः (tataḥ): then, thereafter

• गोमायुरूपेण (gomāyurūpeṇa): in the form of a jackal

• तस्य (tasya): his

• अदूषयत् (adūṣayat): defiled, polluted

• आश्रमम् (āśramam): hermitage, ascetic dwelling

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) continuing the Matsya Purana’s episode narration (speaker not explicit in this single verse)

Tags

• Tapas
• Ashrama
• Purity
• Puranic-legend
• Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it highlights tapas (austerity-power) and the moral-ritual theme of protecting or polluting a sacred hermitage.

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

It underscores the dharmic principle that spiritual power can confer protection, but sacred spaces (like an āśrama) must be safeguarded from defilement—an indirect guideline for rulers/householders to uphold purity, protect ascetics, and prevent acts that corrupt holy institutions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it points to āśrama-śauca (hermitage purity): defilement (doṣa) of a sacred residence is a serious fault requiring cleansing rites; architecturally, it implies the sanctity of consecrated living spaces rather than giving specific Vastu rules.