Matsya Purana — Design and Splendour of Tripura: Maya’s Threefold Moving Fortress, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

कृतवांस्त्रिपुरं दैत्यस् त्रिनेत्रः पुष्पकं यथा येन येन मयो याति प्रकुर्वाणः पुरं पुरात् //

Transliteration

kṛtavāṃstripuraṃ daityas trinetraḥ puṣpakaṃ yathā yena yena mayo yāti prakurvāṇaḥ puraṃ purāt //

Translation

Sebagaimana Yang Bermata Tiga (Śiva) memusnahkan Tripura milik para Daitya, dan sebagaimana Puṣpaka milik Rāvaṇa bergerak menurut kehendak, demikian pula Māyā, sang arkitek, pergi ke mana sahaja yang diingininya—terus-menerus membentuk kota demi kota.

Word by Word

• kṛtavān: (he) made/caused

• tripuram: Tripura (the three cities/fortresses)

• daityaḥ: the Daitya (demon)

• trinetraḥ: the three-eyed one (Śiva)

• puṣpakam: Puṣpaka (the aerial car)

• yathā: just as

• yena yena: wherever, in whatever direction

• māyaḥ (mayo): Māyā (name of the Asura-architect

• yāti: goes, moves

• prakurvāṇaḥ: constructing, fashioning

• puram purāt: city after city (lit. ‘a city from a city’—repeatedly).

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) recounting the account within the Matsya Purana’s architectural/town-planning context

Entities Mentioned

• Śiva (Trinetra)
• Tripura
• Daitya
• Puṣpaka
• Māyā (Asura-architect)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Pura-nirmana
• Mythic architecture
• Tripura
• Aerial vimana

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic dissolution; it uses famous mythic images (Tripura and Puṣpaka) to emphasize extraordinary mobility and repeated construction—city-making through skill (māyā) rather than pralaya.

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

By highlighting planned, repeatable city-construction, it supports the king’s duty to found, expand, and maintain well-built settlements—an applied dharma of governance tied to prosperity, defense, and orderly habitation.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architecturally, it underscores the ideal of systematic ‘pura-nirmāṇa’—the capacity to design and replicate urban forms (puraṃ purāt). The references to Tripura and Puṣpaka signal advanced, even ‘marvel-like’ engineering motifs used in Purāṇic Vastu discourse.