Shloka 32

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

Devanagari script

जन्तुमत्स्यगणाकीर्णं शैलशङ्खकुलैर्युतम् त्रैगुण्यविषयावर्तं सर्वलोकतिमिङ्गिलम् //

Transliteration

jantumatsyagaṇākīrṇaṃ śailaśaṅkhakulairyutam traiguṇyaviṣayāvartaṃ sarvalokatimiṅgilam //

Translation

It is crowded with hosts of creatures and fishes, filled with mountains and conch-bearing lineages; it churns as a whirlpool of the objects born of the three guṇas, and for all the worlds it is a devouring sea-monster (timiṅgila).

Word by Word

• jantu: living beings/creatures

• matsya-gaṇa: schools/hosts of fish

• ākīrṇa: crowded, densely filled

• śaila: mountain, rocky mass

• śaṅkha-kula: conch(-shell) families/collections (shell-bearing kinds)

• yuta: joined with, endowed with

• trai-guṇya: the triad of guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas)

• viṣaya: sense-objects, fields of experience

• āvarta: whirlpool, eddy, vortex

• sarva-loka: all worlds/all beings

• timiṅgila: a great sea-monster/huge fish that swallows others (metaphor for overwhelming saṃsāra).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution for this Pralaya/saṃsāra passage)

Entities Mentioned

• Timiṅgila
• Traiguṇya (Sattva-Rajas-Tamas)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Saṃsāra
• Guṇas
• Cosmology
• Metaphor

FAQs

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

It frames existence like an ocean that becomes perilous at dissolution: beings are swept in a vortex of the three guṇas’ sense-objects, making the world itself resemble a devouring timiṅgila—an image of overwhelming, consuming instability.

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

By portraying worldly life as a guṇa-driven whirlpool, it implies that kings and householders should govern and live with restraint (control of viṣayas), cultivating sattva and dharma so they are not “swallowed” by desire, agitation, and delusion.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the verse is primarily cosmological and philosophical, using oceanic imagery (āvarta, timiṅgila) to teach detachment from sense-objects rather than temple-building procedure.