Shloka 68

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

Devanagari script

तुषारराशिः कमलाकराणां यथा दहत्यम्बुजकानि शीते तथैव सो ऽग्निस्त्रिपुराङ्गनानां ददाह वक्त्रेक्षणपङ्कजानि //

Transliteration

tuṣārarāśiḥ kamalākarāṇāṃ yathā dahatyambujakāni śīte tathaiva so 'gnistripurāṅganānāṃ dadāha vaktrekṣaṇapaṅkajāni //

Translation

Just as, in the cold season, a mass of frost scorches the lotus-blossoms in lotus-ponds, so too that fire burned up the lotus-like faces and eyes of the women of Tripura.

Word by Word

• tuṣāra-rāśiḥ: a heap/mass of frost

• kamala-ākarāṇām: of lotus-reservoirs (ponds where lotuses grow)

• yathā: just as

• dahati: burns/scorches

• ambujakāni: lotuses (water-born flowers)

• śīte: in cold/weather (in winter)

• tathā eva: in the same way indeed

• saḥ agniḥ: that fire

• tripura-aṅganānām: of the women of Tripura

• dadāha: burned up/consumed

• vaktra-īkṣaṇa-paṅkajāni: lotus-like faces and eyes.

Speaker

• Suta (narrative voice) recounting a mythic comparison within the Matsya Purana’s descriptive passage

Entities Mentioned

• Tripura
• Tripura women (Tripurāṅganāḥ)
• Agni (fire)

Tags

• Tripura
• Mythic imagery
• Poetics (upamā)
• Iconography context
• Purāṇic narrative

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe cosmic Pralaya; it uses a seasonal natural image (frost destroying lotuses) to illustrate destructive fire in a mythic episode (Tripura-dahana).

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

Indirectly, it reinforces a Purāṇic ethical theme: destructive forces (like fire) follow from adharma and conflict; for kings and householders, it implies the duty to uphold dharma to avoid ruin, though the verse itself is primarily poetic narration.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu rule is stated; however, the vivid Tripura-dahana simile can guide temple iconography and narrative wall panels—showing the consuming fire and lotus imagery to convey pathos and divine power in sculptural programs.