Shloka 25

Matsya Purana — Mahāgaurī’s Entry

Devanagari script

सा चापि भैरवी जाता देवस्य प्रतिरूपिणी तस्या रूपसहस्राणि ददर्श गिरिगोचरः //

Transliteration

sā cāpi bhairavī jātā devasya pratirūpiṇī tasyā rūpasahasrāṇi dadarśa girigocaraḥ //

Translation

She, too, became Bhairavī—assuming a form that mirrored the Deva; and the mountain-roaming one beheld her in thousands of forms.

Word by Word

• सा (sā): she

• च अपि (ca api): and also/indeed

• भैरवी (bhairavī): Bhairavī (the Terrible Goddess)

• जाता (jātā): became/was born/manifested

• देवस्य (devasya): of the Deva (the god)

• प्रतिरूपिणी (pratirūpiṇī): one having a counterpart-form, a likeness, a mirror-form

• तस्या (tasyā): of her

• रूपसहस्राणि (rūpasahasrāṇi): thousands of forms

• ददर्श (dadarśa): saw/beheld

• गिरिगोचरः (girigocaraḥ): the one who moves in/among mountains, mountain-roamer (an epithet for a being dwelling in the hills, likely a deity/attendant/ascetic depending on context).

Speaker

• Narrator (Purāṇic narration within Matsya Purana; commonly Sūta relating events—exact speaker uncertain from isolated verse)

Entities Mentioned

• Bhairavī
• Deva (unnamed)

Tags

• Iconography
• Devi
• Manifestation
• Theophany
• Puranic narrative

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it describes a theophany—Bhairavī manifesting in a form mirroring a Deva and appearing in innumerable forms, emphasizing divine multiplicity rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Matsya Purana’s ethical theme of reverence and restraint: a ruler or householder should honor divine manifestations appropriately (through worship and right conduct), recognizing that divinity can appear in many forms beyond ordinary perception.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The phrase “thousands of forms” aligns with iconographic thought used in temple practice: deities may be represented in multiple sanctioned forms (pratimā-bheda), guiding ritual selection and installation according to the intended aspect (here, a fierce Bhairavī aspect).