Shloka 81

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

Devanagari script

तत्रापि देवताः सन्ति आप्तोर्यामाः सुरोत्तमाः तत्राशक्तं ततो गन्तुं तं चैकं पुरमुत्तमम् //

Transliteration

tatrāpi devatāḥ santi āptoryāmāḥ surottamāḥ tatrāśaktaṃ tato gantuṃ taṃ caikaṃ puramuttamam //

Translation

There too dwell divine beings—the Āptoryāmas, the foremost among the gods. From there, one is unable to go onward; and that alone is the unsurpassed, supreme city.

Word by Word

• tatra api: there also

• devatāḥ: deities, divine beings

• santi: are, exist

• āptoryāmāḥ: Āptoryāma deities (a class of divine beings associated with the Āptoryāma Soma-rite / ritual epithet)

• sura-uttamāḥ: the best of the gods

• tatra-aśaktam: it is not possible there / one is powerless

• tataḥ: from there

• gantum: to go

• tam: that

• ca: and

• ekam: alone, singular

• puram: city

• uttamam: supreme, excellent

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Āptoryāma (deities/ritual-associated divine class)
• Devatāḥ

Tags

• Vastuvidya
• Sacred Geography
• Puranic Cosmography
• Divine Realms
• Ritual Terminology

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; instead, it points to a transcendent “supreme city” where divine beings dwell, suggesting a realm beyond ordinary passage and change.

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

By highlighting a highest, unreachable divine abode, the verse implicitly supports the Matsya Purana’s ethic that righteous rule and disciplined household life aim at higher attainments—yet ultimate realms are accessed through merit, ritual, and spiritual qualification rather than mere travel or power.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The mention of “Āptoryāma” signals ritual vocabulary tied to Soma-sacrifice traditions; in Vastu/cosmographic contexts it frames sacred geography as structured by ritual hierarchies—cities/abodes are graded, with one described as uniquely “supreme.”