Shloka 150

Matsya Purana — Yadu Lineage

Devanagari script

रक्षोघ्नाय पशुघ्नायाविघ्नाय श्वसिताय च विभ्रान्ताय महान्ताय अर्णवे दुर्गमाय च //

Transliteration

rakṣoghnāya paśughnāyāvighnāya śvasitāya ca vibhrāntāya mahāntāya arṇave durgamāya ca //

Translation

Salutations to Him who destroys rākṣasas and malignant spirits; who strikes down harmful beasts; who removes obstacles; who is the very Breath of life; who moves in wondrous, unfathomable ways; who is the Great One; who is the Ocean itself—and who is difficult to cross.

Word by Word

• rakṣaḥ-ghnāya: to the slayer of rākṣasas/demonic forces

• paśu-ghnāya: to the slayer of harmful beasts (or destructive animal forces)

• avighnāya: to the remover of obstacles (the unobstructed one)

• śvasitāya: to the Breath/breather, the life-wind

• ca: and

• vibhrāntāya: to the wondrously moving/whirling, the perplexing/unfathomable one

• mahāntāya: to the Great One

• arṇave: in/to the ocean, the flood-like expanse

• durgamāya: to the hard-to-cross, inaccessible one

• ca: and

Speaker

• Suta (narrating a protective litany within the Matsya–Manu context); ultimately addressed to Lord Matsya/Vishnu

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu)
• Rakshasas (demonic forces)
• Ocean/Arṇava (cosmic flood imagery)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Matsya Avatara
• Stotra
• Protection
• Mantra

FAQs

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

By calling the deity “the Ocean” and “hard to cross,” the verse evokes the cosmic flood as a divine, overwhelming reality—Pralaya as both a literal deluge and a metaphysical expanse that only the Lord can carry beings across.

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

The epithets emphasize protection and obstacle-removal: a king mirrors this by guarding subjects from destructive forces, while a householder invokes such protection to maintain order (dharma) amid dangers, fear, and disruption.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it functions like a kavacha-style invocation—names of the deity are recited for safeguarding a rite; while not a direct Vastu rule, it supports temple/ritual practice where obstacle-removal (avighna) and protection are prerequisites for consecrations and ceremonies.