Matsya Purana — Devayānī and Śarmiṣṭhā’s Quarrel, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तस्तु सह तैस् त्रिदशैर् मघवांस्तदा तथेत्युक्त्वोपचक्राम सो ऽपश्यद्विपिने स्त्रियः //

Transliteration

evamuktastu saha tais tridaśair maghavāṃstadā tathetyuktvopacakrāma so 'paśyadvipine striyaḥ //

Translation

एवमुक्तो मघवाṃस्त्रिदशैः सह तदा ‘तथास्तु’ इत्युक्त्वा प्रचक्रमे; स विपिने स्त्रियः अपश्यत्।

Word by Word

• evam: thus

• uktas: addressed/spoken to

• tu: indeed/then

• saha: together with

• taiḥ: by them/with those

• tridaśaiḥ: by the thirty gods (the devas)

• maghavān: Maghavān, Indra

• tadā: then

• tathā-iti: “so indeed/so be it”

• uktvā: having said

• upacakrāma: he began/advanced/set out

• saḥ: he

• apaśyat: saw

• vipine: in the forest/wood

• striyaḥ: women

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing Indra’s action (narrative voice)

Entities Mentioned

• Indra (Maghavān)
• Tridaśas (the gods)

Tags

• Devas
• Indra
• Forest episode
• Puranic narrative
• Temptation motif

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya or cosmology; it shifts the narrative to Indra and the gods moving through a forest, setting up a mythic episode rather than a dissolution account.

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

Indirectly, it frames a situation where powerful beings encounter women in a secluded setting—often a narrative prelude in Purāṇas for testing restraint and discernment, themes relevant to dharma even if not explicitly stated here.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No vāstu, temple-architecture, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; it is purely narrative, describing movement and an encounter in a forest.