Shloka 25
Matsya Purana — The Slaying of Jambha and the Rise of Tāraka: Divine Battle Formations
पृष्ठरक्षो ऽभवद्विष्णुः ससैन्यस्य शतक्रतोः आदित्या वसवो विश्वे मरुतश्चाश्विनावपि //
pṛṣṭharakṣo 'bhavadviṣṇuḥ sasainyasya śatakratoḥ ādityā vasavo viśve marutaścāśvināvapi //
Vishnu became the rear-guard protector of Śatakratu (Indra) together with his army; and the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Viśvedevas, the Maruts, and the two Aśvins also stood with him.
FAQs
This verse does not address Pralaya; it depicts a martial-theological scene where Vishnu and other divine groups protect Indra’s forces, emphasizing divine order upheld through protection and coordinated cosmic powers.
By portraying Vishnu as the “rear-guard protector,” it models strategic guardianship and protection of one’s people—an implicit rājadharma lesson: a ruler must secure the army and realm through proper defense, alliances, and disciplined formations.
No Vāstu or temple-ritual rule is stated directly; the key takeaway is symbolic—ordered placement (rear-guard protection, grouped deities) reflects the Purāṇic ideal of structured arrangement, a principle that later parallels ritual and spatial ordering in ceremonial layouts.