Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

वक्षसः स शरस्तस्य पपौ रुधिरमुत्तमम् सूर्यस्त्वात्मप्रभावेण नद्यर्णवजलं यथा //

Transliteration

vakṣasaḥ sa śarastasya papau rudhiramuttamam sūryastvātmaprabhāveṇa nadyarṇavajalaṃ yathā //

Translation

That arrow drank up the finest blood from his chest, just as the Sun, by its own radiance, draws up the waters of rivers and oceans.

Word by Word

• वक्षसः (vakṣasaḥ): from the chest

• सः (saḥ): that

• शरः (śaraḥ): arrow

• तस्य (tasya): of him / his

• पपौ (papau): drank up, absorbed

• रुधिरम् (rudhiram): blood

• उत्तमम् (uttamam): excellent, finest

• सूर्यः (sūryaḥ): the Sun

• तु (tu): indeed

• आत्मप्रभावेण (ātma-prabhāveṇa): by its own inherent power/radiance

• नदी (nadī): river

• अर्णव (arṇava): ocean

• जलम् (jalam): water

• यथा (yathā): just as.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) speaking in epic-puranic narrative style (battle description); specific interlocutors not explicit in this verse

Entities Mentioned

• Surya (Sun)

Tags

• Battle
• Simile
• Puranic Poetics
• Divine Power
• Wounding

FAQs

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

It does not directly describe Pralaya; it uses a cosmological image (the Sun drawing up waters) as a simile to convey the arrow’s power of absorption.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Purana’s war-ethos: weapons and valor are portrayed with vivid moral gravity, reminding rulers that battle has real, consuming consequences.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse is primarily poetic, using natural philosophy (solar power over waters) to intensify a battlefield description.