Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

पूर्णे व्रते महातेजा उदतिष्ठंस्तपोधनः सो ऽपश्यदाश्रमं दग्धम् अर्जुनेन महामुनिः //

Transliteration

pūrṇe vrate mahātejā udatiṣṭhaṃstapodhanaḥ so 'paśyadāśramaṃ dagdham arjunena mahāmuniḥ //

Translation

When his sacred vow was completed, that great, radiant sage—rich in ascetic power—rose up, and the great seer saw that his hermitage had been burned by Arjuna.

Word by Word

• पूर्णे: when completed/fulfilled

• व्रते: in the vow/observance

• महातेजाः: of great brilliance/energy

• उदतिष्ठन्: rising up/standing up

• तपोधनः: one whose wealth is austerity (ascetic)

• सः: he

• अपश्यत्: saw

• आश्रमम्: hermitage/āśrama

• दग्धम्: burnt/consumed by fire

• अर्जुनेन: by Arjuna

• महामुनिः: the great sage

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing events within the episode (narrative voice of the Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Arjuna
• Mahamuni (the great sage)
• Ashrama (hermitage)

Tags

• Tapas
• Vrata
• Ashrama
• Conflict
• Puranic Narrative

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on a completed ascetic vow and the ethical shock of a hermitage being burned—highlighting dharma around sacred spaces rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

By portraying the burning of an āśrama as a grave wrong, it implies a core duty: rulers and householders must protect ascetics, vows, and hermitages, since such places sustain dharma through tapas, teaching, and ritual continuity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it underscores the sanctity of the āśrama as a consecrated living-ritual space tied to vows (vrata) and austerity (tapas); its destruction is not merely physical damage but a disruption of sacred observance.