Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Dānavas: Yama and Kubera Defeated; Kālanemi’s Māyā and the A..., Shloka 177

Devanagari script

अभवत्कल्पमेघाभः स्फुरद्भूरिशतह्रदः गम्भीरास्फोटनिर्ह्रादजगद्धृदयघट्टकः //

Transliteration

abhavatkalpameghābhaḥ sphuradbhūriśatahradaḥ gambhīrāsphoṭanirhrādajagaddhṛdayaghaṭṭakaḥ //

Translation

มันกลายเป็นดุจเมฆแห่งปลายกัลป์—วาบวับประหนึ่งแอ่งวนเป็นร้อยเป็นพันนับไม่ถ้วน เสียงคำรามลึกดังกระแทกแตกพลัน ราวกับทุบกวนหัวใจของโลกทั้งปวง

Word by Word

• abhavat: became

• kalpa-meghābhaḥ: resembling the age-ending (kalpa) cloud

• sphurat: flashing, heaving, surging

• bhūri: abundant, innumerable

• śata: hundreds

• hradaḥ: pools, lakes, deep eddies

• gambhīra: deep, profound

• āsphoṭa: bursting, crashing (as of waves)

• nirhrāda: loud roar, reverberation

• jagat: the world, cosmos

• hṛdaya: heart, core

• ghaṭṭakaḥ: striker, pounder, that which batters/churns

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the Pralaya-like upheaval within the Matsya Purana’s deluge narrative

Entities Mentioned

• Pralaya
• Kalpa
• Cosmic Ocean / Flood Waters

Tags

• Pralaya
• Deluge
• Cosmic dissolution
• Puranic imagery
• Matsya Purana flood narrative

FAQs

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

It uses Pralaya imagery—kalpa-ending clouds, violent surging waters, and world-shaking roar—to convey dissolution as a cosmic-scale turbulence that seems to batter the very ‘heart’ (core) of the universe.

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

Indirectly, it frames impermanence and catastrophic change as real forces in the Purana’s worldview—supporting the ethical emphasis that rulers and householders should cultivate dharma, preparedness, and humility rather than complacency amid prosperity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the takeaway is symbolic: sacred architecture and rites in the Matsya Purana are often justified as stabilizing, dharmic responses to cosmic instability and dissolution imagery like this.