Shloka 32

Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth

Devanagari script

सचराचरनिर्मथने किमिति कितवस्तु कृतो विहितो भवता किल देव त्वया स्थितये जगतां महदद्भुतचित्रविचिगुणाः //

Transliteration

sacarācaranirmathane kimiti kitavastu kṛto vihito bhavatā kila deva tvayā sthitaye jagatāṃ mahadadbhutacitraviciguṇāḥ //

Translation

O Lord, why indeed was this wondrous ‘deceptive stratagem’ arranged by you in the churning that shook all moving and unmoving beings? For the stability of the worlds, you—endowed with great, astonishing, manifold and variegated excellences—ordained it.

Word by Word

• sacara-acara: moving and unmoving (all beings)

• nirmathane: in the churning/agitation (of the cosmos/ocean)

• kim iti: why?, for what reason?

• kitava-vastu: a deceptive device/stratagem (lit. ‘trickster-thing’)

• kṛtaḥ: done, made

• vihitaḥ: arranged, ordained

• bhavatā: by you

• kila: indeed, as is said

• deva: O God/Lord

• tvayā: by you

• sthitaye: for stability/maintenance

• jagatām: of the worlds

• mahat: great

• adbhuta: wondrous

• citra: varied, many-colored/variegated

• vici-guṇāḥ: possessing many distinct qualities/excellences

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (inquiry to Lord Matsya/Vishnu)

Entities Mentioned

• Lord (Vishnu/Lord Matsya implied)
• Moving and unmoving beings (carācara)
• The worlds (jagat)

Tags

• Sthiti
• Cosmic Churning
• Divine Strategy
• Pralaya-context
• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It frames cosmic upheaval (the ‘churning’ affecting all beings) as a deliberate divine arrangement meant to secure sthiti—continued stability and order of the worlds—even when events appear disruptive or deceptive.

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

It implies a governance ethic: maintaining stability may require prudent, even indirect strategy—yet the aim must be lokasaṅgraha (the welfare and steadiness of society), not personal gain.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the takeaway is thematic—rituals and ordered practices in Purāṇic tradition are justified as supports of sthiti (world-order), even if their deeper purpose is not immediately obvious.