Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — The Battle for Tripura: Portents

Devanagari script

यथा भ्रमन्ति प्रमथाः सदैत्यास् तथा भ्रमन्ते तिमयः सनक्राः यथैव छिन्दन्ति परस्परं तु तथैव क्रन्दन्ति विभिन्नदेहाः //

Transliteration

yathā bhramanti pramathāḥ sadaityās tathā bhramante timayaḥ sanakrāḥ yathaiva chindanti parasparaṃ tu tathaiva krandanti vibhinnadehāḥ //

Translation

Just as the Pramathas, together with the Daityas, whirl about in frenzy, so too do the great fishes and crocodiles churn and roam. And just as they cut and tear one another, so do their bodies, split apart, cry out in anguish.

Word by Word

• yathā: just as

• bhramanti: wander/whirl about

• pramathāḥ: Pramathas (fierce attendants/spirits, often of Rudra)

• sa-daityāḥ: together with the Daityas (demons)

• tathā: so/likewise

• bhramante: move about/roam

• timayaḥ: timis/timayaḥ (large fishes, sea-monsters)

• sa-nakrāḥ: together with crocodiles (nakras)

• yathā eva: just as indeed

• chindanti: cut, tear, rend

• parasparam: one another

• tu: but/indeed

• tathā eva: likewise

• krandanti: cry out, wail

• vibhinna-dehāḥ: having bodies split apart, dismembered

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) recounting the Pralaya description within the Matsya Purana’s discourse (traditionally in the Matsya–Manu frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Pramatha
• Daitya
• Timi (great fish/sea-monster)
• Nakra (crocodile)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmic Dissolution
• Portents
• Oceanic Chaos
• Puranic Imagery

FAQs

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

It portrays Pralaya as a state of violent, lawless upheaval where even oceanic life turns chaotic—creatures whirl about, attack one another, and suffer dismemberment—signaling the breakdown of natural order.

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

Indirectly, it functions as a warning: when order (dharma) collapses, suffering spreads everywhere. The king/householder is urged elsewhere in the Matsya Purana to uphold restraint, protection, and right conduct as the opposite of such disorder.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No specific Vāstu or ritual rule is stated in this verse; its significance is thematic—describing Pralaya’s terror, which in other chapters motivates proper rites, purification, and dharmic foundations for stable life and sacred building.