Shloka 107

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

Devanagari script

अष्टचक्रेण यानेन भूतयुतेन भास्वता अव्यक्तप्रकृतिर्देवः स्वस्थानं गतवान्प्रभुः //

Transliteration

aṣṭacakreṇa yānena bhūtayutena bhāsvatā avyaktaprakṛtirdevaḥ svasthānaṃ gatavānprabhuḥ //

Translation

Then the Lord—the god whose nature is the Unmanifest—departed to His own abode, mounted upon a radiant, eight-wheeled chariot attended by elemental beings.

Word by Word

• aṣṭa-cakreṇa: with eight wheels

• yānena: by a vehicle/chariot

• bhūta-yutena: accompanied by bhūtas (elemental beings/attendants)

• bhāsvatā: shining, radiant

• avyakta-prakṛtiḥ: whose essential nature is the Unmanifest (transcendent, beyond manifest matter)

• devaḥ: the god, the divine one

• sva-sthānam: to his own place/abode

• gata-vān: went, departed

• prabhuḥ: the Lord, sovereign.

Speaker

• Sūta (narratorial voice describing the event within the Matsya–Manu frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Deva (the Lord)
• Bhūtas (elemental attendants)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmology
• Divine Vehicle
• Iconography
• Theophany

FAQs

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

It emphasizes transcendence after cosmic events: the Lord, identified with the Unmanifest (avyakta), withdraws to His own abode, implying sovereignty beyond manifest creation and dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it models the Purāṇic ethic of rightful completion and withdrawal: after fulfilling a cosmic or social duty, one returns to one’s proper station (svasthāna), mirroring the king’s duty to act and then remain established in dharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The imagery of an eight-wheeled radiant vehicle with elemental attendants functions as iconographic/ritual symbolism—useful for pratīmā-lakṣaṇa (depicting divine processions) and for understanding cosmological correspondences sometimes mapped onto temple and maṇḍala designs.