Matsya Purana — Planetary Chariots, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

एक एव भ्रमत्येष मेरोरन्तरमूर्धनि ज्योतिषां चक्रमादाय आकर्षंस्तमधोमुखः मेरुमालोकयन्नेव प्रतियाति प्रदक्षिणम् //

Transliteration

eka eva bhramatyeṣa merorantaramūrdhani jyotiṣāṃ cakramādāya ākarṣaṃstamadhomukhaḥ merumālokayanneva pratiyāti pradakṣiṇam //

Translation

Er allein kreist auf dem inneren Gipfel des Berges Meru; das Rad der Himmelslichter mit sich führend, zieht er es hinter sich her. Mit dem Antlitz nach unten gewandt und Meru im Blick, kehrt er wieder, indem er einen rechtsläufigen (im Uhrzeigersinn) Pradakṣiṇā-Kreis vollzieht.

Word by Word

• ekaḥ: alone, a single one

• eva: indeed/only

• bhramati: revolves, circles

• eṣaḥ: this one (the celestial mover—commonly understood as the Sun/solar mechanism in Purāṇic cosmography)

• meroḥ: of Meru

• antara-mūrdhani: on the inner summit/within the crown (central top region)

• jyotiṣām: of the luminaries (stars/planets/heavenly lights)

• cakram: wheel/orbital circuit

• ādāya: having taken up/bearing

• ākarṣan: drawing, pulling along

• tam: that (wheel/circuit)

• adho-mukhaḥ: facing downward, with face turned below

• merum: Meru

• ālokayan: looking at, keeping in sight

• eva: just/indeed

• pratiyāti: goes back/returns along the course

• pradakṣiṇam: rightward, clockwise (auspicious circumambulation).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu in Purāṇic cosmology (likely narration frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Meru
• Jyotiṣ (luminaries)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Jyotiṣa
• Meru
• Solar motion
• Pradakṣiṇā

FAQs

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

This verse is not describing Pralaya; it presents a cosmographic model where a single celestial agent (commonly interpreted as the Sun’s course) carries the ‘wheel of luminaries’ in a clockwise circuit around Mount Meru.

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

Indirectly, it reinforces the Purāṇic ideal of ṛta/order: just as the luminaries move in an orderly pradakṣiṇa around Meru, a king and householder should uphold regularity—daily rites, calendrical observances, and dharmic routine aligned with time (kāla) and celestial cycles.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The key ritual cue is pradakṣiṇam (clockwise circumambulation), a standard rule in temple worship and sacred architecture practice—devotees and processions move keeping the deity/axis to the right, mirroring the auspicious ‘rightward’ cosmic motion described here.