Shloka 4

Matsya Purana — The Kauśika Descendants: Śrāddha

Devanagari script

पितर्युपरते तेषाम् अभूद्दुर्भिक्षमुल्बणम् अनावृष्टिश्च महती सर्वलोकभयंकरी //

Transliteration

pitaryuparate teṣām abhūddurbhikṣamulbaṇam anāvṛṣṭiśca mahatī sarvalokabhayaṃkarī //

Translation

When their father had passed away, a fierce famine arose among them, and there was also a great drought—one that spread fear throughout all the worlds.

Word by Word

• पितरि (pitari): when the father

• उपरते (uparate): had ceased/was gone (had died)

• तेषाम् (teṣām): of them/among them

• अभूत् (abhūt): arose/occurred

• दुर्भिक्षम् (durbhikṣam): famine, scarcity of food

• उल्बणम् (ulbaṇam): severe, dreadful

• अनावृष्टिः (anāvṛṣṭiḥ): absence of rain, drought

• च (ca): and

• महती (mahatī): great, extensive

• सर्वलोकभयंकरी (sarvaloka-bhayaṅkarī): causing fear to all beings/worlds

Speaker

• Sūta (narratorial voice within the Purāṇic framing; recounting the episode as part of the Matsya Purana’s calamity narrative)

Entities Mentioned

• Father (pitṛ)
• All worlds (sarvaloka)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Drought
• Famine
• Kingship
• Cosmic fear

FAQs

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

It presents drought (anāvṛṣṭi) and famine (durbhikṣa) as large-scale omens of destabilization—conditions that Purāṇas often associate with the onset of decline and fear across society, foreshadowing wider disorder that can culminate in pralaya-like crisis.

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

By highlighting famine and drought as “fear-causing to all,” it implies the urgency of dharmic response—rulers must secure grain, manage water resources, and protect the vulnerable, while householders are urged toward restraint, charity, and communal support during scarcity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple rule is stated, but the verse foregrounds anāvṛṣṭi (lack of rain), a condition that later ritual sections typically address through rain-invoking rites and water management priorities—key concerns also reflected in Vāstu-oriented planning around wells, tanks, and reservoirs.