Shloka 36

Matsya Purana — The Burning of Tripura: Maya’s Triple Fortresses and the Boon that Leads to S...

Devanagari script

सतारकाख्येन मयेन गुप्तं स्वस्थं च गुप्तं तडिन्मालिनापि को नाम हन्तुं त्रिपुरं समर्थो मुक्त्वा त्रिनेत्रं भगवन्तमेकम् //

Transliteration

satārakākhyena mayena guptaṃ svasthaṃ ca guptaṃ taḍinmālināpi ko nāma hantuṃ tripuraṃ samartho muktvā trinetraṃ bhagavantamekam //

Translation

Tripura—guarded by the Māyā called Satāraka, secure and well-protected, and even shielded by Taḍinmālin, the lightning-garlanded power—who could destroy it, save the one blessed Lord, the Three-Eyed (Śiva) alone?

Word by Word

• satāraka-ākhyena: named Satāraka

• mayena: by Māyā/illusion (or the demon’s magical art)

• guptam: protected, concealed, guarded

• svastham: secure, stable, unharmed

• ca: and

• guptam: guarded (repeated for emphasis)

• taḍin-mālinā: by Taḍinmālinā, ‘she who is garlanded with lightning’ (a protective power/energy)

• api: even, also

• kaḥ nāma: who indeed

• hantum: to slay, destroy

• tripuram: Tripura (the triple cities/fortresses)

• samarthaḥ: capable, able

• muktvā: except, leaving aside

• tri-netram: the three-eyed one

• bhagavantam: the Blessed Lord

• ekam: alone, the one.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) recounting the Tripura-dahana tradition within the Matsya Purana’s discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Tripura
• Satāraka (Māyā)
• Taḍinmālinī
• Trinetra (Śiva)

Tags

• Tripura-dahana
• Shaiva theology
• Divine power
• Maya (illusion)
• Puranic warfare

FAQs

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

It is not a pralaya (cosmic dissolution) verse; it highlights the irresistible power of Śiva in a mythic destruction event (Tripura-dahana), where even strong magical protections are ineffective before the Three-Eyed Lord.

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

Indirectly, it teaches that extraordinary threats protected by deceit (māyā) cannot be overcome by ordinary means alone; rulers and householders should rely on dharma, humility, and divine refuge rather than pride in mere strategy or power.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The focus is not Vastu rules but the idea of ‘Tripura’ as three fortified cities—symbolically showing that even the strongest fortifications and protective energies fail without divine sanction; ritually, it supports Śiva-centric worship connected to Tripura-dahana traditions.