Shloka 10

Matsya Purana — Narasimha’s Victory over Hiraṇyakaśipu and the Catalogue of Apocalyptic Omens

Devanagari script

तानि सर्वाणि चक्राणि मृगेन्द्रेण महात्मना ग्रस्तान्युदीर्णानि तदा पावकार्चिःसमानि वै //

Transliteration

tāni sarvāṇi cakrāṇi mṛgendreṇa mahātmanā grastānyudīrṇāni tadā pāvakārciḥsamāni vai //

Translation

Then that great-souled lion-king swallowed all those discus-weapons; and at that moment they flared up, blazing like tongues of fire.

Word by Word

• तानि (tāni): those

• सर्वाणि (sarvāṇi): all

• चक्राणि (cakrāṇi): discus-weapons/wheels (cakras)

• मृगेन्द्रेण (mṛgendreṇa): by the lord of beasts, the lion-king

• महात्मना (mahātmanā): by the great-souled one

• ग्रस्तानि (grastāni): swallowed, seized into the mouth

• उदीर्णानि (udīrṇāni): risen up, burst forth, flared

• तदा (tadā): then, at that time

• पावक (pāvaka): fire

• अर्चिस् (arciḥ): flame, flame-tongue

• समानि (samāni): like, comparable to

• वै (vai): indeed, surely.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) recounting the episode (likely within a dialogue framework of Matsya Purana narration)

Entities Mentioned

• Mṛgendra (lion-king)
• Cakra (discus-weapon)

Tags

• Puranic battle imagery
• Divine weapons
• Mythic symbolism
• Tejas (radiance)
• Narrative episode

FAQs

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

This verse is not a Pralaya (cosmic dissolution) statement; it uses fire-like radiance (pāvaka-arciḥ) to intensify a combat/narrative moment, highlighting tejas (power/energy) rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it models the ideal of mahātman (great-souled) fearlessness and capacity to contain danger—an epic virtue often mapped onto kingship ethics (steadiness under threat), though the verse itself describes a mythic feat rather than a prescriptive rule.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual procedure appears here; the key technical image is the cakra as a weapon and its fire-like brilliance, which can inform iconographic/poetic understanding of divine radiance but does not state temple-building rules.