Matsya Purana — Planetary Chariots, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यदह्ना कुरुते पापं तं दृष्ट्वा निशि मुञ्चति शिशुमारशरीरस्था यावत्यस्तारकास्तु ताः //

Transliteration

yadahnā kurute pāpaṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā niśi muñcati śiśumāraśarīrasthā yāvatyastārakāstu tāḥ //

Translation

Welches Unrecht ein Mensch am Tage auch begeht: erblickt er dies in der Nacht, wird er von jener Sünde befreit — soweit die Sterne, die im Leib des Śiśumāra (der himmlischen „Delfin“-Gestalt) weilen, davon Zeugnis ablegen.

Word by Word

• yat: whatever

• ahnā: by day

• kurute: commits/does

• pāpam: sin

• tam: that (sin)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen/after beholding

• niśi: at night

• muñcati: releases (one)/sets free

• śiśumāra-śarīra-sthāḥ: situated in the body-form of Śiśumāra (celestial configuration)

• yāvatyaḥ: as many as/so far as

• tārakāḥ: stars

• tu: indeed

• tāḥ: those

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating Purāṇic teaching on sacred cosmology; often framed as instruction ultimately traceable to divine discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Śiśumāra
• Tārakāḥ (stars)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Sacred Astronomy
• Darśana
• Dharma
• Puranic Cosmology

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it presents a cosmological-sacral view of the heavens: the ordered star-body (Śiśumāra) functions as a purifying sacred structure, reflecting the Purāṇic idea that cosmic order endures through cycles of creation and dissolution.

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

It supports daily dharma through expiation: a householder (and by extension a king responsible for public morality) is taught that disciplined nightly remembrance/darśana of sacred cosmic forms is a means to counteract moral lapses and maintain purity of conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it emphasizes darśana (sacred viewing) as a purificatory act; while not a Vāstu rule, it parallels temple practice where visual alignment with sanctifying forms (deity, yantra, or cosmic diagram) is treated as spiritually efficacious.