Shloka 40

Matsya Purana — The Battle for Tripura: Portents

Devanagari script

एकं तु ऋग्वेदतुरंगमस्य पृष्ठे पदं न्यस्य वृषस्य चैकम् तस्थौ भवः सोद्यतबाणचापः पुरस्य तत्सङ्गसमीक्षमाणः //

Transliteration

ekaṃ tu ṛgvedaturaṃgamasya pṛṣṭhe padaṃ nyasya vṛṣasya caikam tasthau bhavaḥ sodyatabāṇacāpaḥ purasya tatsaṅgasamīkṣamāṇaḥ //

Translation

Placing one foot upon the back of the horse that was the Ṛgveda, and the other upon the Bull (his mount), Bhava (Śiva) stood there with bow and arrow raised, intently watching the fortified city and its assembled host.

Word by Word

• एकम्: one (foot)

• तु: indeed

• ऋग्वेद-तुरंगमस्य: of the horse identified with the Ṛgveda

• पृष्ठे: on the back

• पदम्: foot/step

• न्यस्य: placing

• वृषस्य: of the bull

• च: and

• एकम्: one (foot)

• तस्थौ: stood

• भवः: Bhava (Śiva)

• स-उद्यत-बाण-चापः: with arrow and bow lifted/ready

• पुरस्य: of the city/fortress

• तत्-सङ्ग-समīkṣamāṇaḥ: observing its gathering/assembled forces.

Speaker

• Suta (Purana narrator) describing the scene (narrative voice)

Entities Mentioned

• Bhava (Shiva)
• Rigveda (as the war-horse)
• Vrisha (Bull/Nandi as Shiva’s mount)
• Pura (Tripura/fortified city)

Tags

• Tripura
• Shiva
• Puranic warfare
• Vedic symbolism
• Divine iconography

FAQs

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

It does not describe pralaya directly; instead it uses Vedic allegory (the Ṛgveda as a ‘horse’) to depict Śiva’s cosmic authority in battle, a theme that can parallel cosmic control but is not a dissolution passage.

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

By portraying Śiva as alert, prepared, and observant of the enemy’s formation, it indirectly models kṣātra virtues valued in the Purāṇic ethic—readiness, vigilance, and decisive action when confronting adharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The key term is pura (‘fortified city’), highlighting the fortified, constructed nature of Tripura; the verse is primarily iconographic/ritual-poetic rather than a Vāstu rule, but it frames the city as a ritualized cosmic battleground.