Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

तथैवाद्येह मग्नानां भव विष्णो सुराश्रयः एवमुक्तस्ततो विष्णुर् व्यवर्धत महाभुजः //

Transliteration

tathaivādyeha magnānāṃ bhava viṣṇo surāśrayaḥ evamuktastato viṣṇur vyavardhata mahābhujaḥ //

Translation

“So too, here and now, for those who are sinking, become our support—O Viṣṇu, refuge of the gods!” Thus addressed, Viṣṇu, the mighty-armed one, then grew in form.

Word by Word

• तथा एव (tathā eva): just so, likewise

• अद्य इह (adya iha): today, here and now

• मग्नानाम् (magnānām): of those who are submerged/sinking

• भव (bhava): become (imperative), be

• विष्णो (viṣṇo): O Viṣṇu (vocative)

• सुर-आश्रयः (sura-āśrayaḥ): refuge/support of the gods

• एवम् (evam): thus

• उक्तः (uktaḥ): addressed, spoken to

• ततः (tataḥ): then, thereafter

• विष्णुः (viṣṇuḥ): Viṣṇu

• व्यवर्धत (vyavardhata): grew, expanded

• महा-भुजः (mahā-bhujaḥ): mighty-armed, of great arms

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (and/or the endangered beings accompanying him) addressing Lord Vishnu as Matsya

Entities Mentioned

• Vishnu

Tags

• Pralaya
• Matsya Avatara
• Refuge
• Divine Protection
• Flood Narrative

FAQs

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

It depicts the peril of the deluge—beings “sinking/submerged”—and shows Viṣṇu invoked as the saving refuge who expands in form to protect during Pralaya.

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

The verse models dharmic response to crisis: seeking divine refuge and protection for those in danger, aligning with the king/householder duty to preserve life and uphold order when calamity overwhelms human capacity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or temple-rule detail appears in this śloka; its ritual takeaway is the protective invocation of Viṣṇu as “sura-āśraya,” a formulaic refuge-prayer used in संकट (crisis) contexts.