Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — Maya’s War-Counsel to the Danavas and the Moonlit Revels in Tripura

Devanagari script

इति संमन्त्र्य हृष्टास्ते पुरान्तर्विबुधारयः प्रदोषे मुदिता भूत्वा चेरुर्मन्मथचारताम् //

Transliteration

iti saṃmantrya hṛṣṭāste purāntarvibudhārayaḥ pradoṣe muditā bhūtvā cerurmanmathacāratām //

Translation

Thus, after conferring together, those delighted hosts of gods moved about within the city; at twilight, becoming joyful, they wandered in the sportive ways of Kāma (the god of love).

Word by Word

• iti: thus

• saṃmantrya: having consulted/conferred

• hṛṣṭāḥ: delighted, exhilarated

• te: they

• purāntar: within the city/inside the town

• vibudhārayaḥ: multitudes/hosts of the gods (vibudhas)

• pradoṣe: at dusk, at twilight

• muditāḥ: joyful, gladdened

• bhūtvā: having become

• ceruḥ: they moved/wandered

• manmatha-cāratām: the mode/behavior of Manmatha (Kāma), amorous sportiveness

Speaker

• Sūta (narrative voice; descriptive continuation of the episode)

Entities Mentioned

• Vibudhas (gods)
• Manmatha (Kāma)

Tags

• Devas
• Twilight (Pradoṣa)
• Kāma
• City-life
• Narrative-episode

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is a situational description of the gods’ conduct at twilight within a city, not a pralaya or cosmogonic teaching.

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

Indirectly, it highlights kāma (desire) as a powerful force that arises in social life; Matsya Purana ethics typically imply that householders and rulers should channel pleasure within dharma—through restraint, right timing, and social order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it points to pradoṣa (twilight) as a marked time in Purāṇic culture; architecturally, it only indicates an inhabited urban setting (purāntar) without giving Vāstu rules in this line.