Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

न च तं चालयामासुर् दैत्यौघा देवसत्तमम् भीमवेगो ऽचलश्रेष्ठं समुद्र इव मन्दरम् //

Transliteration

na ca taṃ cālayāmāsur daityaughā devasattamam bhīmavego 'calaśreṣṭhaṃ samudra iva mandaram //

Translation

Yet the rushing hosts of Daityas could not make that best of the gods so much as stir—steadfast and supreme like the loftiest mountain, as the ocean (cannot dislodge) Mandara.

Word by Word

• na: not

• ca: and/indeed

• tam: him/that one

• cālayāmāsuḥ: they caused to move/shake

• daitya-oghāḥ: floods/hosts of Daityas (demons)

• deva-sattamam: the best of the gods

• bhīma-vegaḥ: of terrible/violent speed/impetus

• acala-śreṣṭham: the best of mountains / the foremost immovable one

• samudraḥ: the ocean

• iva: like/as

• mandaram: (Mount) Mandara

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the battle scene

Entities Mentioned

• Daityas
• Devas
• Mandara
• Samudra (Ocean)

Tags

• Devasura-war
• Steadfastness
• Mandara
• Epic-simile
• Puranic-battle

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it uses the ocean–Mandara comparison as a poetic image of immovability and overwhelming force, not as a flood/dissolution episode.

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

By praising unwavering steadiness under assault, it supports the Purāṇic ethic of dhairya (fortitude): a king (or householder) should remain unshaken in dharma despite pressure from hostile forces or crises.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the verse’s key takeaway is the symbolic ideal of stability (acalavat)—a quality later valued in temple/axis symbolism, though here it remains a battle simile.