Matsya Purana — Pitṛ Worlds, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

मातृभ्रातृपितृस्वसृसखिसम्बन्धिबान्धवान् अपि जन्मायुतैर्दृष्टान् अनुभूतान्सहस्रशः //

Transliteration

mātṛbhrātṛpitṛsvasṛsakhisambandhibāndhavān api janmāyutairdṛṣṭān anubhūtānsahasraśaḥ //

Translation

Mütter, Brüder, Väter, Schwestern, Freunde, Verwandte und Sippenangehörige ebenfalls—man hat sie gesehen und erfahren durch Zehntausende von Geburten, immer wieder, auf unzählige Weisen.

Word by Word

• mātṛ: mother

• bhrātṛ: brother

• pitṛ: father

• svasṛ: sister

• sakhi: friend

• sambandhi: relation by connection/affinity

• bāndhava: kinsman, family member

• api: even/also

• janma: birth

• ayuta: ten-thousand (a very great number)

• janmāyutaiḥ: by tens of thousands of births / through innumerable births

• dṛṣṭān: seen

• anubhūtān: experienced, undergone

• sahasraśaḥ: a thousandfold, repeatedly, countless times

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (instructing Vaivasvata Manu)

Tags

• Samsara
• Vairagya
• Attachment
• Ethics
• Renunciation

FAQs

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

It does not describe cosmic Pralaya directly; it emphasizes the recurring cycle of births (saṃsāra), where relationships repeat across innumerable lifetimes.

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

It urges a ruler/householder to perform duties without possessive attachment—recognizing that familial bonds recur across lives, one should act with dharma and steadiness rather than clinging.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse is a philosophical reminder supporting detachment and right conduct rather than temple-building or rites.