Shloka 82

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

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्वसति दुष्टात्मा नरको नाम दानवः मेघश्च पर्वतश्रेष्ठो मेघगम्भीरनिःस्वनः //

Transliteration

yasminvasati duṣṭātmā narako nāma dānavaḥ meghaśca parvataśreṣṭho meghagambhīraniḥsvanaḥ //

Translation

In that region dwells the wicked-souled demon named Naraka; and there too is the foremost of mountains, Megha, whose reverberation is deep like thunder-clouds.

Word by Word

• yasmin: in which (place/region)

• vasati: dwells

• duṣṭa-ātmā: evil-natured, wicked-souled

• narakaḥ: Naraka (proper name)

• nāma: named

• dānavaḥ: demon/descendant of Danu

• meghaḥ: Megha (name of a mountain

• ca: and

• parvata-śreṣṭhaḥ: best/foremost among mountains

• megha-gambhīra: deep like a cloud/thunder

• niḥsvanaḥ: sound, roar, reverberation

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing a region and its inhabitants (contextual descriptive passage)

Entities Mentioned

• Naraka (Dānava)
• Megha (mountain)

Tags

• Naraka
• Daityas
• Pātāla
• Purāṇic geography
• Cosmography

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it belongs to cosmographic description, locating the demon Naraka in a specific region and characterizing the mountain Megha by its deep, thunder-like roar.

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

Indirectly, it functions as moral geography: by naming Naraka as ‘wicked-souled,’ it reinforces the Purāṇic ethical polarity (dharma vs. adharma) that kings and householders are expected to uphold, even though no direct duty is prescribed here.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the verse is primarily topographical and mythic, useful for understanding Matsya Purana’s mapping of realms rather than temple-building procedure.