Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 149

Devanagari script

दिशश्च मायया चण्डैः पूरयामास पावकैः ततो ज्वालाकुलं सर्वं त्रैलोक्यमभवत्क्षणात् //

Transliteration

diśaśca māyayā caṇḍaiḥ pūrayāmāsa pāvakaiḥ tato jvālākulaṃ sarvaṃ trailokyamabhavatkṣaṇāt //

Translation

അവൻ തന്റെ മായയാൽ ദിക്കുകളെ ഉഗ്രമായ അഗ്നിയാൽ നിറച്ചു; അപ്പോൾ ക്ഷണനേരം കൊണ്ട് മൂന്നു ലോകങ്ങളും തീജ്വാലകളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• दिशः (diśaḥ): the directions/quarters

• च (ca): and

• मायया (māyayā): by illusion, by magical power

• चण्डैः (caṇḍaiḥ): fierce, terrible

• पूरयामास (pūrayāmāsa): he filled, he pervaded

• पावकैः (pāvakaiḥ): with fires, with flames

• ततः (tataḥ): then

• ज्वालाकुलम् (jvālākulam): crowded with flames, a mass of fire

• सर्वम् (sarvam): all, the whole

• त्रैलोक्यम् (trailokyam): the three worlds (heaven, mid-region, earth)

• अभवत् (abhavat): became

• क्षणात् (kṣaṇāt): in an instant.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the pralaya-like conflagration within the Matsya Purana’s discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Trailokya (the three worlds)
• Pāvaka (fire, as an elemental force)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmic Fire
• Maya
• Three Worlds
• Destruction

FAQs

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

It depicts a pralaya-like phase where, through māyā, the quarters are pervaded by fierce fire and the three worlds rapidly become engulfed—an image of sudden, total cosmic dissolution by heat.

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

By stressing the swiftness and inevitability of world-changing destruction, it reinforces the Matsya Purana’s ethical urgency: rulers and householders should practice dharma, charity, and right governance without delay, since worldly stability can vanish “in an instant.”

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or temple-rule instruction is stated; indirectly, the verse highlights fire as an overwhelming purifying/destroying force—useful context for ritual fire symbolism, but not a technical Vastu Shastra prescription.