Shloka 46

Matsya Purana — The Battle for Tripura: Portents

Devanagari script

यज्ञोपवीतम् आदाय चिछेद च ननाद च ततः सिंहरवो घोरः शङ्खशब्दश्च भैरवः गणेश्वरैः कृतस्तत्र तारकाख्ये निषूदिते //

Transliteration

yajñopavītam ādāya cicheda ca nanāda ca tataḥ siṃharavo ghoraḥ śaṅkhaśabdaśca bhairavaḥ gaṇeśvaraiḥ kṛtastatra tārakākhye niṣūdite //

Translation

Seizing the sacred thread (yajñopavīta), he tore it away and roared. Then, when the one called Tāraka had been slain, a dreadful lion-like roar and a fearsome conch-blast arose there, raised by the hosts of the Gaṇeśvaras.

Word by Word

• यज्ञोपवीतम्: sacred thread (yajñopavīta)

• आदाय: having seized/taken

• चिछेद: cut/tore

• च: and

• ननाद: roared/sounded

• ततः: then/thereupon

• सिंहरवः: lion-roar

• घोरः: terrible/dreadful

• शङ्खशब्दः: sound of a conch

• च: and

• भैरवः: fearsome/terrifying

• गणेश्वरैः: by the Gaṇeśvaras (Śiva’s attendant hosts)

• कृतः: made/raised

• तत्र: there

• तारकाख्ये: in/when (the demon) named Tāraka

• निषूदिते: was slain/killed.

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the event

Entities Mentioned

• Gaṇeśvaras
• Tāraka (Tārakāsura)
• Yajñopavīta (sacred thread)
• Śaṅkha (conch)

Tags

• Mythology
• Skanda cycle
• Gaṇa hosts
• Battle narrative
• Ritual symbolism

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it depicts a victory moment in a mythic battle episode—marked by the tearing of the yajñopavīta and the terrifying roar and conch-sound raised by the Gaṇeśvaras after Tāraka’s death.

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

Indirectly, it highlights the ritual identity signified by the yajñopavīta (a key marker of Vedic discipline for householders), but here it is used in a dramatic narrative gesture rather than as a prescriptive dharma rule for kings or गृहस्थs.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The explicit ritual element is the yajñopavīta (sacred thread) and the śaṅkha-śabda (conch blast), both strongly associated with Vedic/temple ritual culture; the verse uses them as symbols of charged religious identity and victorious proclamation.