Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

गर्भस्थाने च तन्मातुः स्वेन रूपेण रञ्जय ततो विहाय शर्वस्तां विश्रान्तो नर्मपूर्वकम् //

Transliteration

garbhasthāne ca tanmātuḥ svena rūpeṇa rañjaya tato vihāya śarvastāṃ viśrānto narmapūrvakam //

Translation

Et même dans le séjour du sein maternel, il la réjouit en manifestant sa propre forme. Puis Śarva (Śiva), la laissant, se retira pour se reposer, avec enjouement et une douce humeur de plaisanterie.

Word by Word

• garbhasthāne: in the womb/at the place of conception

• ca: and

• tat-mātuḥ: of his mother

• svena rūpeṇa: by/with his own form

• rañjaya: delighted, pleased, gladdened

• tataḥ: then, thereafter

• vihāya: leaving, abandoning

• śarvaḥ: Śarva (an epithet of Śiva)

• tāṃ: her

• viśrāntaḥ: rested, withdrew, became at ease

• narmapūrvakam: with playfulness, jokingly, in sportive manner

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) recounting the episode (narrative voice; not direct speech of Matsya/Manu in this verse)

Entities Mentioned

• Śarva (Śiva)

Tags

• Purāṇic narrative
• Śiva epithets
• Divine manifestation
• Mythic birth motif
• Devotional literature

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya directly; it highlights a mythic motif of divine manifestation and agency even before birth, emphasizing supernatural presence rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it reinforces the Purāṇic worldview that divine will shapes life events from the earliest stages; as ethical subtext, it supports reverence for motherhood and the sanctity of birth, themes often used to ground dharma in household life.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-building rule appears here; the key technical term is garbhasthāna (“womb”), which later Vāstu literature also echoes metaphorically (e.g., garbhagṛha), but this verse itself remains narrative, not architectural.