Shloka 16

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

Devanagari script

तत उल्कासहस्राणि निपेतुः खगतान्यपि दिव्यानि च विमानानि प्रपतन्त्युत्पतन्ति च //

Transliteration

tata ulkāsahasrāṇi nipetuḥ khagatānyapi divyāni ca vimānāni prapatantyutpatanti ca //

Translation

Then thousands of meteors fell; and even divine aerial cars, moving through the sky, were seen plunging down and rising up again.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• ulkā-sahasrāṇi: thousands of meteors/fireballs

• nipetuḥ: fell down

• khaga-tāni api: even those that go in the sky (sky-moving/airborne)

• divyāni: celestial, divine

• ca: and

• vimānāni: heavenly chariots/aerial cars

• prapatanti: plunge/fall headlong

• utpatanti: spring up/rise suddenly

• ca: and

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the omens within the Matsya Purana’s pralaya/utpāta narrative

Entities Mentioned

• Vimāna
• Ulkā

Tags

• Pralaya
• Utpāta
• Celestial omens
• Cosmic disorder
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

It depicts utpātas—violent celestial anomalies (meteors and unstable heavenly vimānas)—signaling cosmic disorder typical of pralaya-like upheaval.

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

As an omen-verse, it indirectly supports the Purāṇic ethic that rulers and householders should respond to portents with restraint, protection of people, and intensified dharma (rites, charity, and order), rather than panic.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu rule is stated; ritually, such sky-omens are classic triggers for śānti-karmas (pacificatory rites) in Purāṇic practice to counteract perceived cosmic imbalance.