Shloka 24

Matsya Purana — Agastya’s Origin

Devanagari script

तदा काममधुस्त्रीणां विषादम् अगमद्गणः संक्षोभाय ततस्तेषां स्वोरुदेशान्नराग्रजः नारीमुत्पादयामास त्रैलोक्यजनमोहिनीम् //

Transliteration

tadā kāmamadhustrīṇāṃ viṣādam agamadgaṇaḥ saṃkṣobhāya tatasteṣāṃ svorudeśānnarāgrajaḥ nārīmutpādayāmāsa trailokyajanamohinīm //

Translation

Then the host of those women—intoxicated with desire and sweetness—fell into dejection. To stir and unsettle them, Nara’s elder brother brought forth, from his own thigh-region, a woman who bewilders the beings of the three worlds.

Word by Word

• tadā: then

• kāma-madhu-strīṇām: of the women made ‘honey-sweet’/intoxicated by desire

• viṣādam: dejection, despair

• agamat: went, fell into

• gaṇaḥ: the group/host

• saṃkṣobhāya: for agitation, for causing disturbance

• tataḥ: then, therefore

• teṣām: of them

• sva-ūru-deśāt: from his own thigh-region

• nara-agrajaḥ: the elder brother of Nara (i.e., Nārāyaṇa)

• nārīm: a woman

• utpādayāmāsa: produced, manifested

• trailokya-jana-mohinīm: an enchantress who deludes the beings of the three worlds

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the episode within the Matsya Purana’s narrative frame

Entities Mentioned

• Nara
• Nārāyaṇa
• Trailokya
• Mohinī (motif)

Tags

• Mohinī
• Cosmogony
• Deva-Asura motifs
• Temptation
• Mythic etymology

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it depicts a mythic act of manifestation—creating a bewitching woman to disturb and redirect a group overwhelmed by desire.

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

Indirectly, it warns that kāma (desire) can lead to agitation and mental collapse (viṣāda); the ethical takeaway aligns with Purāṇic guidance that self-control and discernment are essential for rulers and householders to maintain order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its significance is narrative-symbolic, using the Mohinī/enchantress motif to explain how delusion can be generated to unsettle beings.