Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — The Burning of Tripura and Rudra’s Victory

Devanagari script

प्रवृद्धवेगैस्तैस्तत्र सुरासुरकरेरितैः आयुधैस्त्रस्तनक्षत्रः क्रियते संक्षयो महान् //

Transliteration

pravṛddhavegaistaistatra surāsurakareritaiḥ āyudhaistrastanakṣatraḥ kriyate saṃkṣayo mahān //

Translation

There, by those weapons—hurled from the hands of gods and Asuras with ever-increasing force—even the constellations are struck with fear, and a vast destruction is wrought.

Word by Word

• प्रवृद्धवेगैः: with greatly increased speed/impetus

• तैः: by those

• तत्र: there (in that battle/scene)

• सुरासुरकरेरितैः: propelled/shot by the hands of Devas and Asuras

• आयुधैः: with weapons

• त्रस्तनक्षत्रः: with the nakṣatras (constellations) terrified/shaken

• क्रियते: is done/is caused

• संक्षयः: destruction, ruin, annihilation

• महान्: great, vast

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) or the main Purana narrator describing the battle (contextual narrative voice)

Entities Mentioned

• Devas (Suras)
• Asuras
• Nakshatras (constellations)

Tags

• Deva-Asura War
• Cosmic Omens
• Pralaya-like Destruction
• Puranic Astronomy
• Weapons

FAQs

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

It uses pralaya-like imagery—cosmic-scale ruin so intense that even the nakṣatras are said to tremble—signaling an order-shaking destruction (though framed here as war, not the formal cosmic dissolution).

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

Indirectly, it underscores the Purāṇic warning about unchecked violence: when conflict escalates beyond dharma, it becomes socially and cosmically destabilizing—an implicit ethical caution for rulers to restrain warfare and protect order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple rule is stated; the key ritual takeaway is the idea of cosmic disturbance as an omen—such portents in Purāṇic thought typically call for śānti (pacificatory) rites rather than construction guidance.