Shloka 84
Matsya Purana — The Burning of Tripura and Rudra’s Victory
पितामहं वन्द्य ततो महेशं प्रगृह्य चापं प्रविमृज्य भूतान् रथाच्च संपत्य हरेषुदग्धं क्षिप्तं पुरं तन्मकरालये च //
pitāmahaṃ vandya tato maheśaṃ pragṛhya cāpaṃ pravimṛjya bhūtān rathācca saṃpatya hareṣudagdhaṃ kṣiptaṃ puraṃ tanmakarālaye ca //
Having first paid homage to the Grand-sire (Brahmā), and then to Maheśa (Śiva), he took up the bow and set the beings (the hosts) in order. Then, leaping down from the chariot, he cast that city—burnt by Hari’s arrow—into the ocean, the abode of makaras.
FAQs
It does not describe cosmic pralaya; it depicts the destruction of a specific fortified city (asura-pura), which is then cast into the ocean—an episode of localized devastation rather than universal dissolution.
By portraying homage to Brahmā and Śiva before decisive action, the verse models dharmic conduct: authority should begin with reverence for higher principles and proceed with disciplined, orderly execution—an ethical template applicable to rulers and householders alike.
The key motif is a ‘pura’ (fortified city) being destroyed and disposed into the ocean; ritually, it emphasizes auspicious preliminaries (salutation to deities) before action, while architecturally it underscores the symbolic vulnerability of even mighty fortifications before divine ordinance.