Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — Vishnu’s Names Across Yugas and the Gods’ Refuge During the Tārakāmaya War

Devanagari script

चण्डा विद्युद्गणोपेता घोरनिर्ह्रादकारिणः अन्योन्यवेगाभिहताः प्रववुः सह मारुताः //

Transliteration

caṇḍā vidyudgaṇopetā ghoranirhrādakāriṇaḥ anyonyavegābhihatāḥ pravavuḥ saha mārutāḥ //

Translation

Fierce winds, accompanied by masses of lightning and producing dreadful thunderous roars, blew forth—striking one another with opposing force as they surged.

Word by Word

• चण्डाः (caṇḍāḥ): fierce, violent

• विद्युद्गणोपेताः (vidyud-gaṇa-upetāḥ): accompanied by hosts of lightning

• घोरनिर्ह्रादकारिणः (ghora-nirhrāda-kāriṇaḥ): causing terrifying thunderous noise/roar

• अन्योन्यवेगाभिहताः (anyonya-vega-abhihatāḥ): struck/checked by each other’s momentum (colliding gusts)

• प्रववुः (pravavuḥ): blew forth, rushed

• सह (saha): together with

• मारुताः (mārutāḥ): winds (storm-gales), Maruts-like gusts

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the omens within the Matsya Purana narrative frame

Entities Mentioned

• Maruts (storm-winds)
• Lightning (vidyut)
• Thunder/roar (nirhrāda)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Omens
• Storms
• Cosmic dissolution
• Puranic narration

FAQs

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

It depicts classic pralaya-portents: violent, colliding winds with lightning and terrifying thunder, signaling disorder in the elements that precedes large-scale dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it functions as a warning-sign motif: when nature turns chaotic, rulers and householders are urged elsewhere in the Purana to prioritize protection, ritual steadiness, and dharmic order rather than panic or adharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu rule is stated; ritually, it reads like an inauspicious atmospheric omen (utpāta) that would prompt protective rites, recitations, and stabilizing observances described in related Purāṇic practice.