Shloka 9

Matsya Purana — The Terror of Tripura and the Gods’ Hymn to Śiva

Devanagari script

यदि न त्रायसे लोकं दानवैर्विद्रुतं द्रुतम् धर्षणानेन निर्देवं निर्मनुष्याश्रमं जगत् //

Transliteration

yadi na trāyase lokaṃ dānavairvidrutaṃ drutam dharṣaṇānena nirdevaṃ nirmanuṣyāśramaṃ jagat //

Translation

If you do not swiftly protect the world, which has been quickly thrown into panic by the Dānavas through this violent outrage, then the cosmos will become godless and devoid of the human āśrama order.

Word by Word

• yadi: if

• na: not

• trāyase: you protect/save

• lokaṃ: the world/people

• dānavaiḥ: by the Dānavas (demonic beings)

• vidrutam: driven into flight/panic

• drutam: swiftly/quickly

• dharṣaṇānena: by an act of assault/outrage/violation

• nirdevam: without the gods/godless

• nir-manuṣya-āśramam: without the human āśrama-system (stages/orders of life)

• jagat: the world/universe

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (or a supplicant addressing Lord Viṣṇu/Matsya as protector)

Entities Mentioned

• Dānavas
• Loka (the world)
• Āśrama-dharma (human social-religious order)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Daṇava
• Protection
• Dharma
• Āśrama

FAQs

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

It frames catastrophe as a slide into cosmic disorder: when divine protection is absent, demonic forces overwhelm society, leading toward a ‘godless’ condition and breakdown of dharma—an atmosphere associated with pralaya-like collapse.

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

The verse highlights āśrama-dharma as the backbone of human life; kings and householders are expected to uphold social order and protect people from violent disruption, while also seeking divine support when adharma becomes overpowering.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is the urgency of invoking divine protection to preserve deva-worship and the dharmic institutions (like āśramas) that sustain sacrificial and daily religious practice.