Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

वैराजा यत्र ते जाता बहवः शंसितव्रताः स्वायंभुवा महाभागाः सप्त सप्त तथापरे //

Transliteration

vairājā yatra te jātā bahavaḥ śaṃsitavratāḥ svāyaṃbhuvā mahābhāgāḥ sapta sapta tathāpare //

Translation

Aus Virāja gingen viele erhabene Nachkommen hervor — Männer mit gerühmten Gelübden — unter ihnen die edlen Svāyambhuvas: sieben, und wiederum weitere sieben dazu.

Word by Word

• vairājāḥ: (those) descended from Virāja / born of Virāja

• yatra: from whom/wherein

• te: they

• jātāḥ: were born/arose

• bahavaḥ: many

• śaṃsita-vratāḥ: whose vows are celebrated/praised for their disciplines

• svāyaṃbhuvāḥ: the Svāyambhuvas (connected with Svayambhū/Brahmā

• mahābhāgāḥ: greatly fortunate/noble

• sapta: seven

• sapta: seven

• tathā: likewise/also

• apare: others/another set

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing early creation-era genealogies within the Matsya Purana’s discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Virāja
• Svāyambhuva (lineage/class)

Tags

• Creation
• Manvantaras
• Genealogy
• Prajapatis
• Cosmogony

FAQs

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

It belongs to the creation-oriented genealogy: it traces progenitors/lines arising from Virāja and enumerates groups (seven and seven), rather than describing dissolution (pralaya).

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

Indirectly, it frames dharma through ancestry: the phrase “śaṃsitavratāḥ” highlights praised vows and disciplined conduct, implying that exemplary rulers/householders should embody celebrated vratas and self-restraint like the ideal progenitors.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-rule instruction appears in this verse; its ritual takeaway is the emphasis on “vrata” (vowed discipline) as a marker of sacred lineage and legitimacy in Purāṇic tradition.