Shloka 74

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

Devanagari script

सहस्रशृङ्गैर् भवनैर् यदासीत् सहस्रशृङ्गः स इवाचलेशः नामावशेषं त्रिपुरं प्रजज्ञे हुताशनाहारबलिप्रयुक्तम् //

Transliteration

sahasraśṛṅgair bhavanair yadāsīt sahasraśṛṅgaḥ sa ivācaleśaḥ nāmāvaśeṣaṃ tripuraṃ prajajñe hutāśanāhārabaliprayuktam //

Translation

That Tripura which once stood with a thousand lofty pinnacles and palatial mansions—like a mountain-lord crowned with a thousand peaks—was reduced to a mere name. It became only a remnant, consumed by Fire, when the offerings and oblations were duly applied to feed the blazing conflagration.

Word by Word

• सहस्र-शृङ्गैः: with a thousand peaks/pinnacles

• भवनैः: with mansions/palaces

• यदा: when/which

• आसीत्: was

• सहस्र-शृङ्गः: having a thousand peaks

• सः: that/it

• इव: like

• अचल-ईशः: lord of mountains (a great mountain)

• नाम-अवशेषम्: only a name remaining, a mere remnant

• त्रि-पुरम्: Tripura (the three cities/fortresses)

• प्रजज्ञे: came to be/became (was reduced into the state of)

• हुताशन: fire, the eater of oblations

• आहार: fuel/feeding, that which is consumed

• बलि: offering/oblation

• प्रयुक्तम्: applied/used/employed (duly offered).

Speaker

• Suta (Purana-narrator) describing the event within the Tripura-dahana narrative

Entities Mentioned

• Tripura
• Hutashana (Fire)

Tags

• Tripura-dahana
• Shaiva myth
• Ritual fire
• Puranic warfare
• Destruction motif

FAQs

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

Though not describing cosmic Pralaya, it uses a dissolution motif: a magnificent, structured city is reduced to “name-only,” underscoring the Purāṇic theme that even the greatest built forms can be dissolved by divine/elemental fire.

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

It functions as a warning against pride in power and possessions: rulers and householders should ground prosperity in dharma and humility, remembering that grandeur without righteousness can be swiftly destroyed.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architecturally, it evokes a city of many pinnacles and palatial structures; ritually, it highlights fire as “hutāśana,” fed by offerings—linking destruction imagery with the technical language of oblations and sacrificial fuel.