Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 171

Devanagari script

इतश्चेतश्च सलिलं प्रार्थयन्तस्तृषातुराः प्रच्छायविटपांश्चैव गिरीणां गह्वराणि च //

Transliteration

itaścetaśca salilaṃ prārthayantastṛṣāturāḥ pracchāyaviṭapāṃścaiva girīṇāṃ gahvarāṇi ca //

Translation

தாகத்தால் தவித்த அவர்கள் இங்கும் அங்கும் அலைந்து தண்ணீர் கெஞ்சினார்கள்; நிழல் தரும் மரக்கிளைகளையும் மலைகளின் குகைகளையும் தேடினார்கள்.

Word by Word

• itaś ca etaś ca: here and there

• salilam: water

• prārthayantaḥ: imploring/begging for

• tṛṣā-āturāḥ: afflicted with thirst

• pracchāyā: providing shade

• viṭapān: branches/boughs (of trees)

• ca eva: and also

• girīṇām: of mountains

• gahvarāṇi: caves, hollows, ravines

• ca: and

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the condition of people within the ongoing discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Mountains (giri)
• Caves/Ravines (gahvara)
• Water (salila)

Tags

• Drought
• Human suffering
• Pralaya motifs
• Refuge
• Environmental distress

FAQs

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

It portrays a pralaya-like distress motif—scarcity of water and people seeking natural refuges—used in Purāṇic narration to emphasize societal breakdown and the urgency of divine protection and dharma.

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

By highlighting thirst and displacement, it implies the king’s duty to secure water sources, shelter, and relief in crisis, and the householder’s duty to offer water (udaka-dāna) and shade—classic dharmic responses to public suffering.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architecturally, it underscores the primacy of water access and shaded shelter—core planning concerns in Vāstu-oriented thinking (wells, tanks, groves). Ritually, it aligns with the merit of providing water and rest-houses as protective, welfare-focused acts.