Shloka 19
Matsya Purana — Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Dialogue: Seniority
तत्र स्थितं मां देवसुखेषु सक्तं काले ऽतीते महति ततो ऽतिमात्रम् दूतो देवानामब्रवीदुग्ररूपो ध्वंसेत्युच्चैस्त्रिः प्लुतेन स्वरेण //
tatra sthitaṃ māṃ devasukheṣu saktaṃ kāle 'tīte mahati tato 'timātram dūto devānāmabravīdugrarūpo dhvaṃsetyuccaistriḥ plutena svareṇa //
While I remained there, absorbed in the pleasures of the gods, when a great span of time had passed—indeed, more than enough—a messenger of the devas, fierce in form, addressed me, crying aloud in a prolonged voice three times: “Destruction! Destruction!”
FAQs
It signals the imminence of pralaya through an explicit divine proclamation—“dhvaṃsa” (destruction)—showing that dissolution is announced as a cosmic inevitability governed by time (kāla).
It cautions against complacency in pleasure and comfort: even exalted enjoyments are temporary. The implied ethic aligns with Matsya Purana’s guidance that rulers and householders remain vigilant, disciplined, and prepared for sudden reversals brought by time.
No direct Vāstu or temple-building rule appears in this verse; its ritual takeaway is the urgency of heeding divine portents—an attitude that underlies timely performance of protective rites and preparations described elsewhere in the Purana.