Shloka 19

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

Devanagari script

विवेश रूपिणी काली कालमेघावगुण्ठिता द्यौर्न भात्यभिभूतार्का घोरेण तमसावृता //

Transliteration

viveśa rūpiṇī kālī kālameghāvaguṇṭhitā dyaurna bhātyabhibhūtārkā ghoreṇa tamasāvṛtā //

Translation

Then Kālikā—darkness embodied—entered, veiled by black storm-clouds; the sky no longer shone, the sun being overpowered, as a dreadful gloom enveloped everything.

Word by Word

• viveśa: entered/spread into

• rūpiṇī: embodied in a form

• kālī: the dark one/darkness personified

• kāla-megha: black clouds/clouds of doom

• avaguṇṭhitā: covered/veiled

• dyauḥ: the heaven/sky

• na bhāti: does not shine/does not appear bright

• abhibhūta: subdued/overpowered

• arkā: the sun

• ghoreṇa: by dreadful/terrifying

• tamasā: by darkness/gloom

• āvṛtā: covered/enveloped

Speaker

• Sūta (narrative description within the Matsya Purana’s discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Kālī (darkness personified)
• Arka (Sun)
• Dyauḥ (Sky/Heaven)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Omens
• Cosmic Darkness
• Portents
• Puranic Cosmology

FAQs

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

It portrays a pralaya-like portent: darkness becomes ‘embodied,’ black clouds veil the heavens, and even the sun’s radiance is subdued—signaling the breakdown of cosmic order.

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

Such omens function as warnings: a king or householder should respond with heightened dharma—protecting dependents, performing prescribed rites, and maintaining moral order when nature and society show signs of disturbance.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu rule is stated, but the imagery underscores a ritual takeaway common in the Matsya Purana: when inauspicious darkness and cloud-omens arise, one turns to śānti (appeasement) rites and protective observances to restore auspiciousness.