Shloka 10

Matsya Purana — Questions on Padmanabha’s Lotus-Creation in the Padma Mahakalpa; Prelude to N...

Devanagari script

कथमेकार्णवे शून्ये नष्टस्थावरजङ्गमे दग्धे देवासुरनरे प्रनष्टोरगराक्षसे //

Transliteration

kathamekārṇave śūnye naṣṭasthāvarajaṅgame dagdhe devāsuranare pranaṣṭoragarākṣase //

Translation

How, when the universe has become a single ocean and lies empty—when all the immovable and movable beings have perished, when gods, Asuras, and men are burnt up, and when serpents and Rākṣasas too are destroyed—(how does anything remain or proceed)?

Word by Word

• katham: how?

• eka-arṇave: in the single ocean (one vast flood)

• śūnye: in emptiness, in a void-like state

• naṣṭa: destroyed, perished

• sthāvara: immovable beings (plants, mountains—fixed life/forms)

• jaṅgama: movable beings (animals, humans—moving life/forms)

• dagdhe: when burned, consumed by fire

• deva: gods

• asura: Asuras (anti-gods/demons)

• nara: humans/men

• pranaṣṭa: utterly destroyed

• uraga: serpents (Nāgas)

• rākṣasa: Rākṣasas (demonic beings)

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (questioning Lord Matsya about Pralaya conditions)

Entities Mentioned

• Devas
• Asuras
• Naras (humans)
• Uraga (Nāgas/serpents)
• Rākṣasas
• Eka-arṇava (the single cosmic ocean)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Great Flood
• Cosmic Dissolution
• Matsya-Avatara Context
• Manu’s Questions

FAQs

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

It portrays Pralaya as a total collapse of the manifest world into an undifferentiated ‘single ocean’ (eka-arṇava), where all classes of beings—divine, demonic, human, and other—are destroyed, emphasizing the near-total withdrawal of creation.

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

Indirectly, it underlines impermanence: kingship, power, and worldly achievements are all subject to dissolution. In the Matsya Purana’s ethical frame, this supports dharma-driven conduct—charity, restraint, and protection of beings—since worldly status is not enduring.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its practical takeaway is contextual—temple, city, and household constructions are meaningful within dharma but remain transient under cosmic dissolution.