Shloka 34
Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth
अपहृत्य विमानगणं स कृतो दितिजेन महामरुभूमिसमः कृतवानसि सर्वगुणातिशयं यमशेषमहीधरराजतया //
apahṛtya vimānagaṇaṃ sa kṛto ditijena mahāmarubhūmisamaḥ kṛtavānasi sarvaguṇātiśayaṃ yamaśeṣamahīdhararājatayā //
Having stolen away the host of celestial vimānas, that Daitya was reduced to a state like a vast desert wasteland. But you have fashioned this (vīmāna/edifice) to excel in every quality—standing in kingly splendor like the foremost of mountains, as lofty and enduring as the world-bearing peaks.
FAQs
It does not describe cosmic Pralaya directly; instead it uses an image of desolation—“like a great desert”—to depict the ruin that follows wrongful seizure, contrasting it with the enduring, mountain-like stability of a properly fashioned structure.
It implies a dharmic principle relevant to rulers and householders: covetous appropriation (stealing prized resources like vimānas) leads to decline, while rightful construction and patronage that perfects ‘all qualities’ brings lasting renown and stability.
The verse praises a vimāna/edifice as ‘surpassing in all qualities’ and ‘mountain-king-like,’ signaling Vāstu ideals of excellence—grandeur, firmness, elevation, and enduring presence—used in Matsya Purana-style architectural commendation.