Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth
मेरुप्रभृतयश्चापि मूर्तिमन्तो महाबलाः तस्मिन्महोत्सवे प्राप्ते दिव्यप्रभृतपाणयः //
meruprabhṛtayaścāpi mūrtimanto mahābalāḥ tasminmahotsave prāpte divyaprabhṛtapāṇayaḥ //
Meru and the other great ones too—embodied and immensely powerful—arrived for that grand festival, their hands adorned with divine splendor and gifts.
This verse is not describing Pralaya; it depicts a cosmographic scene where mighty, embodied beings associated with Meru assemble for a great festival, emphasizing the ordered, celebratory cosmos rather than dissolution.
Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ideal of participating in dharmic festivals and assemblies—kings sponsor mahotsavas and householders attend with offerings—mirroring the divine model of gathering with reverence and gifts.
The key ritual cue is “mahotsava” (grand festival) and arriving with “divine offerings in hand,” aligning with temple-festival practice: processions, ceremonial arrivals, and presenting offerings—important for Matsya Purana-aligned ritual planning and festival protocol.