Shloka 45

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

Devanagari script

फलैः फलान्यजायन्त पुष्पैः पुष्पं तथैव च उन्मीलन्ति निमीलन्ति हसन्ति च रुदन्ति च //

Transliteration

phalaiḥ phalānyajāyanta puṣpaiḥ puṣpaṃ tathaiva ca unmīlanti nimīlanti hasanti ca rudanti ca //

Translation

From fruits, other fruits were strangely produced; from blossoms, blossoms likewise arose. They would open and close of themselves—appearing to laugh and to weep.

Word by Word

• फलैः (phalaiḥ): by/through fruits

• फलानि (phalāni): fruits

• अजायन्त (ajāyanta): were produced/came to be

• पुष्पैः (puṣpaiḥ): by/through flowers

• पुष्पम् (puṣpam): a flower/blossom

• तथा एव (tathaiva): just so/likewise

• च (ca): and

• उन्मीलन्ति (unmīlanti): they open/unfold

• निमीलन्ति (nimīlanti): they close/shut

• हसन्ति (hasanti): they laugh (as if)

• रुदन्ति (rudanti): they weep/cry (as if)

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) recounting the Matsya Purana’s description of extraordinary omens (contextually within the Matsya–Manu discourse tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Nature (plants/flowers/fruits)

Tags

• Omens
• Portents
• Pralaya
• Cosmic disorder
• Puranic symbolism

FAQs

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

It depicts nature behaving in inverted, self-acting ways—symbolic of cosmic imbalance that typically precedes major upheaval, such as pralaya-like disorder or epochal transition.

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

Such portents function as warnings: a king should respond with vigilance, public rites, charity, and protection of social order; a householder should intensify dharmic conduct and prescribed rituals to restore harmony.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

While not architectural, it supports the ritual principle that abnormal signs in nature call for śānti (pacificatory) rites—offerings, recitations, and corrective ceremonies to counter inauspiciousness.