Shloka 56
Matsya Purana — The Slaying of Jambha and the Rise of Tāraka: Divine Battle Formations
यां यां निमिगजो याति दिशं तां तां सवाहना संत्यज्य दुद्रुवुर्देवा भयार्तास्त्यक्तहेतयः गन्धेन सुरमातङ्गा दुद्रुवुस्तस्य हस्तिनः //
yāṃ yāṃ nimigajo yāti diśaṃ tāṃ tāṃ savāhanā saṃtyajya dudruvurdevā bhayārtāstyaktahetayaḥ gandhena suramātaṅgā dudruvustasya hastinaḥ //
Whichever direction the elephant Nimigaja moved toward, in that very direction the gods—abandoning even their mounts—fled in panic, casting aside their weapons. And by his scent, the celestial elephants too ran off, along with his own herd of elephants.
FAQs
This verse does not directly teach Pralaya; it depicts a crisis-omen scene where even the gods panic, emphasizing cosmic disorder and fear rather than dissolution doctrine.
Indirectly, it highlights how fear can cause even the powerful to abandon duty and weapons—serving as a cautionary image for rulers to cultivate steadiness (dhairya) and preparedness rather than panic.
No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its focus is narrative—movement, panic, and the portents associated with a powerful elephant’s presence and scent.