Shloka 43

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

Devanagari script

देवानामपि यो देवः सो ऽप्यवर्षत शोणितम् अपतन्गगनादुल्का विद्युद्रूपा महास्वनाः //

Transliteration

devānāmapi yo devaḥ so 'pyavarṣata śoṇitam apatangaganādulkā vidyudrūpā mahāsvanāḥ //

Translation

Even that god who is the God of the gods rained down blood; and from the sky fell blazing meteors, lightning-shaped and thunderous.

Word by Word

• devānām api: even of the gods

• yaḥ devaḥ: whichever deity / the deity who

• devaḥ (devānām…devaḥ): the God (lord) of the gods

• saḥ api: even he

• avarṣata: rained down

• śoṇitam: blood

• apatan: fell

• gaganāt: from the sky

• ulkāḥ: meteors / fiery bolides

• vidyud-rūpāḥ: having the form of lightning

• mahā-svanāḥ: with a great sound / loudly roaring

Speaker

• Likely Lord Matsya (Vishnu) narrating portents to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within the Matsya Purana’s dialogue frame).

Entities Mentioned

• Deva (God of the gods)
• Ulkā (meteors)
• Vidyut (lightning)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Omens
• Cosmic Disorder
• Puranic Cosmology
• Adbhuta

FAQs

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

It lists classic pralaya-nimittas (omens of dissolution): blood-like rain and sky-falling meteors with thunderous sound, signaling a breakdown of cosmic order.

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

Such omens function as warnings: a king should intensify protection, charity, and public rites for appeasement, while householders should strengthen dharma—truthfulness, restraint, and prescribed offerings—when disorder appears.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, these are adbhuta signs that prompt śānti-karmas (pacificatory rites) and protective homas; architecturally, it implies safeguarding settlements/temples through consecrated boundaries and corrective rites rather than design rules in this specific verse.