Shloka 2

Matsya Purana — The Episode of Madhu and Kaiṭabha: Gunas

Devanagari script

तौ रजस्तमसौ विष्णोः सम्भूतौ तामसौ गणौ एकार्णवे जगत्सर्वं क्षोभयन्तौ महाबलौ //

Transliteration

tau rajastamasau viṣṇoḥ sambhūtau tāmasau gaṇau ekārṇave jagatsarvaṃ kṣobhayantau mahābalau //

Translation

Those two—Rajas and Tamas—born from Viṣṇu, a pair of dark (tāmasic) mighty beings, were powerfully agitating the entire universe within the single, all-engulfing ocean (of dissolution).

Word by Word

• tau: those two

• rajas-tamasau: Rajas and Tamas (the guṇas of activity and inertia)

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu

• sambhūtau: arisen/born

• tāmasau: dark, belonging to Tamas

• gaṇau: two beings/attendant forces

• ekārṇave: in the single ocean (cosmic flood)

• jagat-sarvam: the whole world/universe

• kṣobhayantau: agitating/churning/disturbing

• mahābalau: very powerful/mighty

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the pralaya-setting within the Matsya–Manu discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Viṣṇu
• Rajas
• Tamas
• Ekārṇava (cosmic ocean)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmic Ocean
• Gunas
• Vishnu
• Deluge

FAQs

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

It depicts pralaya as a state where the universe becomes an ‘ekārṇava’ (one ocean), and the guṇic forces—especially rājasic agitation and tāmasic obscuration—violently churn that dissolution-state.

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

Indirectly, it frames ethical life as guṇa-management: kings and householders are urged elsewhere in the Matsya Purāṇa to restrain tamas (confusion, negligence) and rajas (uncontrolled passion) through dharma, discipline, and sattvic conduct—mirroring how cosmic disorder arises when these forces dominate.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; however, the image of ‘churning disturbance’ in the cosmic waters is often used in Purāṇic thought to contrast with the stabilizing aim of ritual order and Vāstu-alignment (establishing steadiness against chaos).