Shloka 142

Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A...

Devanagari script

एकैको ऽपि क्षमो ग्रस्तुं जगत्सर्वं चराचरम् एकैकस्यापि पर्याप्ता न सर्वे ऽपि दिवौकसः //

Transliteration

ekaiko 'pi kṣamo grastuṃ jagatsarvaṃ carācaram ekaikasyāpi paryāptā na sarve 'pi divaukasaḥ //

Translation

Each one of them alone is capable of swallowing the entire universe—everything moving and unmoving; and even for just one such being, all the gods together are not sufficient (to match or restrain him).

Word by Word

• एकैकः (ekaikaḥ): each single one

• अपि (api): even/indeed

• क्षमः (kṣamaḥ): capable/able

• ग्रस्तुम् (grastum): to swallow, devour, overwhelm

• जगत् (jagat): the world/universe

• सर्वम् (sarvam): all/entire

• चराचरम् (carācaram): moving and unmoving beings

• एकैकस्य (ekaikasya): of each single one

• अपि (api): even

• पर्याप्ताः (paryāptāḥ): sufficient, adequate, equal to the task

• न (na): not

• सर्वे (sarve): all

• अपि (api): even

• दिवौकसः (divaukasaḥ): the gods, dwellers of heaven (devas).

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the overwhelming might of extraordinary beings in the narrative context

Entities Mentioned

• Divaukasaḥ (Devas)

Tags

• Dharma
• Cosmic Power
• Devas
• Comparative Might
• Puranic Cosmology

FAQs

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

By saying a single being can “swallow the whole moving-and-unmoving universe,” the verse uses pralaya-like imagery of total cosmic engulfment to express absolute dominance, even if it is not a direct flood (pralaya) description.

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

It implies a dharma lesson in humility and prudent governance: worldly power (even celestial authority) has limits, so a king/householder should rely on restraint, counsel, and righteousness rather than arrogance.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse is primarily cosmological and rhetorical, emphasizing scale (carācara-jagat) rather than temple-building or iconographic rules.