Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth, Shloka 194

Devanagari script

तद्यथा शीघ्रमेवैषां योगं यायात्पिनाकिना तथा विधेयं विधिवत् त्वया शैलेन्द्रसत्तम अत्यन्तं हि महत्कार्यं देवानां हिमभूधर //

Transliteration

tadyathā śīghramevaiṣāṃ yogaṃ yāyātpinākinā tathā vidheyaṃ vidhivat tvayā śailendrasattama atyantaṃ hi mahatkāryaṃ devānāṃ himabhūdhara //

Translation

Ainsi, veille à ce que leur union avec le Porteur du Pināka (Śiva) s’accomplisse promptement. Fais-le correctement, selon le rite prescrit, ô le meilleur des monts—Himālaya couvert de neige—car c’est là, en vérité, une œuvre d’une grandeur suprême pour les dieux.

Word by Word

• tad-yathā: in such a way/accordingly

• śīghram eva: swiftly indeed

• eṣām: of these (persons/beings in context)

• yogam: union, joining, conjunction (often marital/ritual union)

• yāyāt: may go/attain/may be accomplished

• pinākinā: with Pinākin (Śiva, bearer of the Pināka bow)

• tathā: thus, in that manner

• vidheyam: to be done/should be arranged

• vidhi-vat: according to rule, in the prescribed manner

• tvayā: by you

• śailendra-sattama: O best among mountain-lords

• atyantam: exceedingly, utterly

• hi: indeed

• mahat-kāryam: a great task/major undertaking

• devānām: for the gods/of the gods

• hima-bhūdhara: O snow-bearing mountain (Himālaya).

Speaker

• A divine speaker addressing Himālaya (likely a deva/elder such as Brahmā or the gods’ spokesman, within the Śiva–Himālaya narrative frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Pinākin (Śiva)
• Himālaya (Himabhūdhara/Śailendra)

Tags

• Deva-kārya
• Śiva
• Himālaya
• Ritual procedure
• Puranic narrative

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya directly; it emphasizes a timely, divinely significant undertaking—ensuring a prescribed, orderly completion of a sacred union connected with the gods’ larger purpose.

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

By insisting on vidhivat (“according to due procedure”), it mirrors the Matsya Purana’s broader ethic: major social or religious acts—marriage alliances, rites, and state decisions—should be executed promptly yet strictly in accordance with dharma and proper ritual/legal norms.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance lies in the stress on vidhivat—proper ordinance and correct method—an idea central to Purāṇic ritual culture (and, by extension, to Vastu/śilpa works where correct procedure governs successful outcomes).