Shloka 11

Matsya Purana — Kārtavīrya Arjuna’s Solar Boon and the Genealogy from Kroṣṭu to the Yādava Lines

Devanagari script

एवं प्राचीमन्वदहत् ततः सर्वां स दक्षिणाम् निर्वृक्षा निस्तृणा भूमिर् हता घोरेण तेजसा //

Transliteration

evaṃ prācīmanvadahat tataḥ sarvāṃ sa dakṣiṇām nirvṛkṣā nistṛṇā bhūmir hatā ghoreṇa tejasā //

Translation

Thus he scorched the eastern quarter; then he likewise burned the entire southern region. The earth, struck by that dreadful blaze, became stripped of trees and bereft of grass.

Word by Word

• evam: thus

• prācīm: the eastern direction/quarter

• anvadahat: burned, scorched (in succession)

• tataḥ: then, thereafter

• sarvām: entirely, all

• saḥ: he

• dakṣiṇām: the southern direction/quarter

• nirvṛkṣā: without trees, treeless

• nistṛṇā: without grass, deprived of blades of grass

• bhūmiḥ: the earth, ground

• hatā: struck, smitten, devastated

• ghoreṇa: terrible, dreadful

• tejasā: by fiery energy, by blazing heat

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the pralaya-like devastation (contextual narration within the Matsya Purana’s dialogue framework)

Entities Mentioned

• Earth (Bhūmi)
• Prācī (East)
• Dakṣiṇā (South)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmic Fire
• Directions
• Destruction
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

It depicts a pralaya-type devastation through overwhelming tejas (fiery heat) that burns entire directions and renders the earth barren—an image of dissolution by fire rather than renewal.

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

Indirectly, it underscores impermanence: kingship, prosperity, and household security depend on maintaining dharma and preparedness, since even the natural order can be overturned by cosmic forces.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; however, the emphasis on quarters (east/south) aligns with the Purāṇic habit of reading cosmic events through directional space, a framework later used in Vāstu orientation and ritual mapping of space.