Matsya Purana — Measures of Time: Caturyuga Computation, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

जायन्ते च तदा शूरा आयुष्मन्तो महाबलाः न्यस्तदण्डा महायोगा यज्वानो ब्रह्मवादिनः //

Transliteration

jāyante ca tadā śūrā āyuṣmanto mahābalāḥ nyastadaṇḍā mahāyogā yajvāno brahmavādinaḥ //

Translation

তখন বীর, দীর্ঘায়ু ও মহাবলবান পুরুষ জন্ম নেয়—যারা দণ্ড তথা হিংসা ত্যাগ করেছে, মহাযোগী, যজ্ঞকারী এবং ব্রহ্মতত্ত্বের বক্তা।

Word by Word

• jāyante: are born

• ca: and

• tadā: then/at that time

• śūrāḥ: heroes/valiant men

• āyuṣmantaḥ: long-lived/blessed with vitality

• mahābalāḥ: very strong

• nyasta-daṇḍāḥ: those who have set down the rod (renounced punishment/violence)

• mahā-yogāḥ: great yogins/advanced practitioners of yoga

• yajvānaḥ: sacrificers/performers of Vedic rites

• brahma-vādinaḥ: speakers of Brahman, expounders of the Veda

Speaker

• Likely Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the characteristics of an age within the Matsya Purana’s discourse on dharma and societal conditions

Entities Mentioned

• Brahman
• Yoga
• Yajña (Vedic sacrifice)

Tags

• Yuga-Dharma
• Ahimsa
• Yoga
• Yajna
• Vedic-Teaching

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it describes the moral-spiritual quality of people born in a righteous phase of time—marked by strength joined with non-violence, yoga, and Vedic truth.

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

It presents an ideal social outcome of dharma: rulers and householders should cultivate restraint (nyasta-daṇḍa as non-cruelty), support yajña and Vedic learning, and encourage yogic discipline—creating a society where power is aligned with righteousness.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The explicit ritual element is yajña (Vedic sacrifice): the verse praises a culture of properly performed rites and Vedic proclamation; it does not state Vāstu or temple-building rules in this line.