Matsya Purana — Dynastic Genealogies: Paurava–Anu Lines, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

ततः प्रसादयामास बलिस् तमृषिसत्तमम् बलिः सुदेष्णां तां भार्यां भर्त्सयामास दानवः //

Transliteration

tataḥ prasādayāmāsa balis tamṛṣisattamam baliḥ sudeṣṇāṃ tāṃ bhāryāṃ bhartsayāmāsa dānavaḥ //

Translation

Daraufhin bemühte sich Bali, jenen erhabensten der Weisen zu besänftigen. Doch der Dānava Bali tadelte seine Gattin Sudeṣṇā.

Word by Word

• ततः (tataḥ): thereupon/then

• प्रसादयामास (prasādayāmāsa): appeased, sought favor of, propitiated

• बलिः (baliḥ): Bali

• तम् (tam): him/that one

• ऋषिसत्तमम् (ṛṣisattamam): the best of sages

• सुदेष्णाम् (sudeṣṇām): Sudeṣṇā (name of Bali’s wife)

• ताम् (tām): her

• भार्याम् (bhāryām): wife

• भर्त्सयामास (bhartsayāmāsa): censured, scolded, rebuked

• दानवः (dānavaḥ): the Dānava (demon/Daitya), i.e., Bali

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) reporting the events within the Bali episode

Entities Mentioned

• Bali
• Sudeṣṇā
• Ṛṣi-sattama (a foremost sage)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Itihasa
• Daitya kings
• Ethics
• Householder conduct

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is narrative and ethical in tone, focusing on Bali’s attempt to placate a sage and his ensuing harsh speech toward his wife, rather than cosmology or Pralaya.

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

It highlights two dharmic themes: a ruler should seek reconciliation with the wise (appeasing the sage), and a householder/king should restrain harsh, blameful speech within the family—Bali’s rebuke of Sudeṣṇā serves as a cautionary contrast.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, iconography, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; it belongs to an itihāsa-style moral narrative segment of the Matsya Purana.