Shloka 33

Matsya Purana — Lineage of Yayāti through Yadu and the Deeds of Kārtavīrya Arjuna

Devanagari script

तस्य बाहुसहस्रेण क्षोभ्यमाणे महोदधौ भवन्त्यतीव निश्चेष्टाः पातालस्था महासुराः //

Transliteration

tasya bāhusahasreṇa kṣobhyamāṇe mahodadhau bhavantyatīva niśceṣṭāḥ pātālasthā mahāsurāḥ //

Translation

When the great ocean was being violently churned and agitated by his thousand arms, the mighty Asuras dwelling in Pātāla became utterly motionless and powerless.

Word by Word

• tasya: of him/that one

• bāhu-sahasreṇa: by (his) thousand arms

• kṣobhyamāṇe: being stirred, agitated, churned

• mahodadhau: in the great ocean

• bhavanti: become/come to be

• atīva: exceedingly, utterly

• niśceṣṭāḥ: without movement, powerless, inert

• pātāla-sthāḥ: situated in Pātāla (the netherworld)

• mahā-asurāḥ: great/mighty Asuras (demons)

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic account; verse describes events rather than direct speech)

Entities Mentioned

• Mahodadhi (the Great Ocean)
• Pātāla
• Mahāsuras (Asuras)

Tags

• Pralaya
• CosmicOcean
• Asuras
• Pātala
• MatsyaPuranaNarrative

FAQs

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

It portrays a cosmic-scale upheaval—when the ocean is powerfully agitated, even beings in the netherworld (Pātāla) are rendered inert—highlighting how pralaya-like turbulence subdues demonic forces and overwhelms ordinary stability.

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

Indirectly, it reinforces the Purāṇic ethic that unrighteous power (asuric force) collapses when confronted by a higher, divinely sanctioned order; for kings and householders, it supports maintaining dharma so that social “turbulence” does not paralyze the realm.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the verse is primarily cosmological, using the ocean’s agitation as a narrative image rather than prescribing temple-building or rite procedures.