Shloka 27

Matsya Purana — Maya’s Nectar-Reservoir in Tripura and the Revival of the Slain in the Tripur...

Devanagari script

ततः क्षुब्धाम्बुधिनिभा भेरी सा तु भयंकरी वाद्यमाना ननादोच्चै रौरवी सा पुनः पुनः //

Transliteration

tataḥ kṣubdhāmbudhinibhā bherī sā tu bhayaṃkarī vādyamānā nanādoccai rauravī sā punaḥ punaḥ //

Translation

Then that kettledrum—like the surging, churned ocean, terrifying in its power—was beaten and again and again roared aloud with a dreadful, raurava-like sound.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• kṣubdha: agitated, churned

• ambudhi-nibhā: resembling the ocean

• bherī: (large) drum/kettledrum

• sā: that (she/it)

• tu: indeed

• bhayaṃkarī: fear-causing, awe-inspiring

• vādyamānā: being played/struck

• nanāda: sounded/roared

• uccaiḥ: loudly, on high

• rauravī: dreadful, harsh/raurava-like

• punaḥ punaḥ: again and again, repeatedly

Speaker

• Sūta (narratorial voice describing the rite/scene)

Entities Mentioned

• Bherī (ritual drum)
• Ambudhi (ocean, as simile)

Tags

• Ritual
• Temple ceremonies
• Sacred sound
• Vastu context
• Auspicious-inauspicious omens

FAQs

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

It does not describe pralaya directly; the ocean simile is poetic, used to convey the overwhelming force of ritual sound rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

It reflects the Purāṇic ideal of supporting and participating in public rites—festivals, consecrations, and protective ceremonies—where powerful instruments signal communal order, auspiciousness, and disciplined ritual performance.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The bherī’s repeated loud sounding indicates a formal ritual moment (often in temple festivals or consecration contexts), where regulated sound marks transitions in the ceremony and is treated as a potent, awe-inducing element of the rite.