Shloka 166

Matsya Purana — The Slaying of Jambha and the Rise of Tāraka: Divine Battle Formations

Devanagari script

लोकावसादमेकत्र जगत्पालनमेकतः चराचराणि भूतानि सुरासुरविभेदतः //

Transliteration

lokāvasādamekatra jagatpālanamekataḥ carācarāṇi bhūtāni surāsuravibhedataḥ //

Translation

In one and the same Reality are found both the sinking of worlds and the safeguarding of the universe; and all beings—moving and unmoving—are (also) differentiated as gods and asuras.

Word by Word

• loka: worlds/realms

• avasāda: decline, sinking, downfall

• ekatra: in one place/within one principle

• jagat: the universe, the moving world

• pālana: protection, governance, preservation

• ekataḥ: on the one side/likewise, in a single source

• cara: moving

• acara: unmoving

• carācarāṇi: all that moves and does not move

• bhūtāni: beings, creatures, existents

• sura: god, deva

• asura: anti-god, adversarial power

• vibhedataḥ: by distinction, through differentiation/classification

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) recounting the Matsya Purāṇa’s teaching (likely within the Matsya–Manu discourse context)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Pralaya
• Dharma
• Deva-Asura
• Non-duality theme

FAQs

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

It frames pralaya-like decline (lokāvasāda) and preservation (jagatpālana) as arising from a single overarching principle—suggesting one divine governance behind both dissolution and protection.

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

By pairing “decline” with “protection,” it implies that governance and ethical duty must account for both crisis and stability—protecting the world while recognizing cycles of rise and fall, and discerning deva-like (dharmic) vs asura-like (adharmic) tendencies.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the takeaway is conceptual: sacred order includes both preservation and dissolution, a principle that later informs ritual timing and temple-world symbolism in Purāṇic thought.