Shloka 18

Matsya Purana — Mahāgaurī’s Entry

Devanagari script

जलधयो ललितोद्धतवीचयो हुतवहद्युतयश्च चराचरम् फणसहस्रभृतश्च भुजंगमास् त्वदभिधास्यति मय्यभयंकराः //

Transliteration

jaladhayo lalitoddhatavīcayo hutavahadyutayaśca carācaram phaṇasahasrabhṛtaśca bhujaṃgamās tvadabhidhāsyati mayyabhayaṃkarāḥ //

Translation

The oceans with their playfully surging waves; the fires blazing with their radiance; all beings, moving and unmoving; and the serpent-hosts bearing a thousand hoods—when they utter Your name in me, they become makers of fearlessness (and no longer a cause of terror).

Word by Word

• jaladhayaḥ: oceans

• lalita-uddhata-vīcayaḥ: with playful, uplifted/surging waves

• hutavaha-dyutayaḥ: fires with blazing radiance

• ca: and

• carācaram: the moving and the unmoving (all beings)

• phaṇa-sahasra-bhṛtaḥ: bearing a thousand hoods

• ca: and

• bhujaṅgamāḥ: serpents/nāgas

• tvat-abhidhāsyati: (when) Your name is uttered/recited

• mayi: in me/with respect to me (in my presence/as my refuge)

• abhayaṃ-karāḥ: causing fearlessness, granting safety.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within the deluge-protection discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Oceans (Jaladhi)
• Fire (Hutavaha/Agni)
• Serpents/Nagas (Bhujaṅgama)
• Thousand-hooded serpent motif (Phaṇasahasra)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Divine Name
• Fearlessness
• Cosmic Order
• Protection

FAQs

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

It frames even overwhelming primal forces—ocean, fire, and nāgas—as pacified and rendered non-threatening when aligned with the divine refuge and the recitation of the Lord’s name, a key motif in the Pralaya-protection narrative.

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

It emphasizes taking refuge in dharmic remembrance (nāma-smaraṇa) and stabilizing fear in crisis—an ethical ideal for rulers and householders: govern and live with steadiness, invoking higher order rather than panic before calamity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights the protective efficacy of divine-name recitation (japa/abhidhāna) as a means of establishing “abhaya” (safety); architecturally, it does not give direct Vastu rules in this verse, but supports the broader temple-ritual idea of consecrated protection through mantra and remembrance.