Shloka 10

Matsya Purana — The Birth of Tāraka: Varāṅgī’s Lament

Devanagari script

*वज्राङ्ग उवाच उत्थितेन मया दृष्टा समाधानात्त्वदाज्ञया महिषी भीषिता दीना रुदती शाखिनस्तले //

Transliteration

*vajrāṅga uvāca utthitena mayā dṛṣṭā samādhānāttvadājñayā mahiṣī bhīṣitā dīnā rudatī śākhinastale //

Translation

Vajrāṅga said: “When I rose—composed in mind and acting under your command—I saw the queen, terrified and wretched, weeping beneath the shade of a tree.”

Word by Word

• वज्राङ्ग (vajrāṅga): Vajrāṅga

• उवाच (uvāca): said

• उत्थितेन (utthitena): by me having risen/after rising

• मया (mayā): by me

• दृष्टा (dṛṣṭā): seen

• समाधानात् (samādhānāt): from composure/with steadiness (having regained presence of mind)

• त्वदाज्ञया (tvad-ājñayā): by your order/command

• महिषी (mahiṣī): queen/royal consort

• भीषिता (bhīṣitā): frightened/terrified

• दीना (dīnā): distressed, pitiable

• रुदती (rudatī): weeping/crying

• शाखिनः (śākhi-naḥ): of a tree/branch-bearing tree

• तले (tale): at the base/beneath

Speaker

• Vajrāṅga

Entities Mentioned

• Vajrāṅga
• Mahīṣī (the Queen)

Tags

• Matsya Purana narrative episode
• Royal distress
• Command and duty
• Pathos in Purana
• Courtly ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya or cosmology; it is a narrative moment focusing on a queen’s fear and Vajrāṅga’s action under instruction.

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

It highlights prompt, steady action under rightful command and the protective duty toward the vulnerable—an applied dharma theme often illustrated through Purāṇic storytelling.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated here; the only setting detail is the queen weeping beneath a tree, serving a narrative and emotional function rather than a technical one.