Shloka 68

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

Devanagari script

कैलासशिखराकारं यत्कृतं विश्वकर्मणा रक्ततोयो महाभीमो लौहित्यो नाम सागरः //

Transliteration

kailāsaśikharākāraṃ yatkṛtaṃ viśvakarmaṇā raktatoyo mahābhīmo lauhityo nāma sāgaraḥ //

Translation

There is a sea named Lauhitya—terrifying and vast—whose waters are red; it is said to have been fashioned by Viśvakarman, shaped like the peak of Mount Kailāsa.

Word by Word

• कैलास-शिखर-आकारम्: having the form of Kailāsa’s summit

• यत्: which

• कृतम्: made/constructed

• विश्वकर्मणा: by Viśvakarman (the divine architect)

• रक्त-तोयः: having red water

• महा-भीमः: exceedingly formidable/terrifying

• लौहित्यः: Lauhitya (name, ‘reddish’/connected with Lohit)

• नाम: named

• सागरः: sea/ocean

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) reporting the Purāṇic description

Entities Mentioned

• Kailasa
• Vishvakarman
• Lauhitya Sagara

Tags

• Tirtha
• Sacred Geography
• Cosmography
• Puranic Seas
• Divine Architecture

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it presents a cosmographic origin-story in which a specific sea (Lauhitya) is ‘made’ by Viśvakarman, emphasizing purposeful divine ordering of the world’s geography.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ideal that rulers and householders should honor sacred geography—protecting tīrthas and waters, and undertaking pilgrimages or donations connected to such places as part of dharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

By naming Viśvakarman and comparing the form to Kailāsa’s peak, the verse uses an architectural analogy—divine craftsmanship and ideal form—often echoed in Matsya Purana themes about sacred design, proportion, and auspicious natural/constructed shapes.