Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — The Battle at Tripura: Shiva’s Strategy

Devanagari script

सो ऽप्यसौ पृथ्वीसारं च सिंहश्च रथमास्थितः तिष्ठते त्रिपुरं पीड्य देहं व्याधिरिवोच्छ्रितः //

Transliteration

so 'pyasau pṛthvīsāraṃ ca siṃhaśca rathamāsthitaḥ tiṣṭhate tripuraṃ pīḍya dehaṃ vyādhirivocchritaḥ //

Translation

He too—mounted upon the chariot with lion-like might that is the very essence of the earth—stood there, pressing hard upon Tripura, towering over it like a disease that rises up to afflict the body.

Word by Word

• saḥ api asau: he also, that very one

• pṛthvī-sāram: the essence/strength of the earth (earth’s core-like might)

• siṃhaḥ: lion / lion-like (as an epithet of valor)

• ca: and

• ratham āsthitaḥ: having mounted the chariot

• tiṣṭhate: stands, remains stationed

• tripuram: Tripura (the triple city/fortress)

• pīḍya: crushing, oppressing, pressing hard

• deham: the body

• vyādhiḥ iva: like a disease

• ucchritaḥ: risen up, towering, swelling aloft

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) reporting the episode in third-person

Entities Mentioned

• Tripura

Tags

• Tripura
• Royal warfare
• Puranic simile
• Siege imagery
• Kshatriya valor

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic Pralaya; it uses a bodily simile (“like a disease afflicting the body”) to describe the pressure of a siege on Tripura, emphasizing destructive affliction rather than cosmological dissolution.

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

It frames the attacker as steadfast and overwhelming in battle—an image aligned with kṣatriya-dharma (resolve, strategic pressure, and valor). Ethically, the Purāṇic subtext often warns that force should be purposeful and disciplined, not merely cruel—here the focus is the intensity of conquest.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architecturally, “Tripura” evokes a fortified ‘triple city’ motif (layered strongholds). The verse itself gives no Vāstu rule, but it indirectly highlights siege dynamics against fortified urban design—useful when discussing Puranic conceptions of city/fort structure.