Matsya Purana — Planetary Chariots, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

ततः केतुमतस्त्वश्वा अष्टौ ते वातरंहसः पलालधूमवर्णाभाः क्षामदेहाः सुदारुणाः //

Transliteration

tataḥ ketumatastvaśvā aṣṭau te vātaraṃhasaḥ palāladhūmavarṇābhāḥ kṣāmadehāḥ sudāruṇāḥ //

Translation

അനന്തരം കേതുമതിൽ നിന്ന് എട്ട് അശ്വങ്ങൾ ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചു; അവ വാതത്തെപ്പോലെ വേഗവാന്മാരായിരുന്നു. അവയ്ക്ക് പുല്ലുതൂവലിന്റെ പുകപോലുള്ള വർണ്ണവും, ക്ഷീണദേഹവും, അത്യന്തം ഭയാനകതയും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• ketumataḥ: from Ketumat (a named source/region/person in the narrative)

• tu: indeed

• aśvāḥ: horses

• aṣṭau: eight

• te: those

• vātaraṃhasaḥ: wind-swift, moving with the speed of the wind

• palāla-dhūma-varṇa-ābhāḥ: having the hue/appearance of smoke from chaff (pale, ashen, smoky-colored)

• kṣāma-dehāḥ: with emaciated/gaunt bodies

• su-dāruṇāḥ: very terrible, exceedingly fierce/awful

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) recounting the signs described in the Matsya Purana’s pralaya-themed discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Ketumat
• Eight horses

Tags

• Pralaya
• Omens
• Portents
• Cosmic Dissolution
• Puranic Imagery

FAQs

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

It depicts a specific pralaya-omen: the sudden manifestation of eight wind-swift, ashen-colored, gaunt and terrifying horses—imagery signaling destabilization of the cosmic order and the approach of dissolution.

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

As a pralaya-portent passage, it functions as a warning motif: rulers and householders are urged (in the broader Purāṇic ethic) to uphold dharma, practice restraint, and prepare spiritually—since worldly security is shown to be fragile when cosmic upheaval approaches.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated in this verse; its ritual takeaway is indirect—ominous signs like these traditionally prompt expiatory rites, heightened worship, and protective observances described elsewhere in Purāṇic practice.