Shloka 3

Matsya Purana — Tripura’s Prosperity

Devanagari script

सिंहा वनमिवानेके मकरा इव सागरम् रोषैश्चैवातिपारुष्यैः शरीरमिव संहतैः //

Transliteration

siṃhā vanamivāneke makarā iva sāgaram roṣaiścaivātipāruṣyaiḥ śarīramiva saṃhataiḥ //

Translation

Like many lions filling a forest, like makaras crowding the ocean, so too—bound together as one body—men become formidable through wrath and excessive harshness.

Word by Word

• सिंहाः: lions

• वनम्: forest

• इव: like

• अनेकाः: many

• मकराः: makaras (mythic sea-creatures/crocodile-like beings)

• सागरम्: ocean

• रोषैः: with anger/wrath

• च एव: and indeed

• अति-पारुष्यैः: with extreme harshness/cruel severity

• शरीरम्: a body

• इव: like

• संहतैः: united, compacted, consolidated (acting together).

Speaker

• Likely Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu in governance/ethics (Rajadharma context)

Entities Mentioned

• Siṃha (lion)
• Makara
• Sāgara (ocean)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Governance
• Social cohesion
• Anger
• Harsh speech

FAQs

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

It does not describe cosmic pralaya; it uses natural imagery (forest, ocean) as a moral-political simile to show how destructive forces become powerful when they unite through anger and cruelty.

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

It warns that collective rage and harshness create a dangerous, tightly bound force—implying a king should prevent factional unity based on cruelty, restrain punitive excess, and cultivate disciplined, lawful order rather than rule by rage.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse is primarily a political-ethical observation using zoological and oceanic metaphors rather than temple-building or rite-specific terminology.