Shloka 31

Matsya Purana — Agastya’s Origin

Devanagari script

भजस्वेति यतो वेश्या धर्म एष त्वया कृतः जलकुम्भे ततो वीर्यं मित्रेण वरुणेन च प्रक्षिप्तमथ संजातौ द्वावेव मुनिसत्तमौ //

Transliteration

bhajasveti yato veśyā dharma eṣa tvayā kṛtaḥ jalakumbhe tato vīryaṃ mitreṇa varuṇena ca prakṣiptamatha saṃjātau dvāveva munisattamau //

Translation

Because the courtesan said, “Consort (with me),” and because you acted in accordance with that dharma, the semen of Mitra and Varuṇa was cast into a water-jar; from it were born two most excellent sages.

Word by Word

• bhajasva iti: “consort (with me),” thus

• yataḥ: because

• veśyā: courtesan/prostitute

• dharmaḥ eṣaḥ: this is the proper duty/appropriate conduct

• tvayā kṛtaḥ: performed by you

• jala-kumbhe: into a water-jar (water-pot)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• vīryam: semen/virile essence

• mitreṇa: by Mitra

• varuṇena ca: and by Varuṇa

• prakṣiptam: thrown/cast/placed

• atha: then

• saṃjātau: were born/arose

• dvau eva: two indeed

• muni-sattamau: the best of sages (excellent sages).

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic account, within the Matsya Purāṇa’s dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Mitra
• Varuṇa
• Veśyā (courtesan)
• Two sages (traditionally identified as Vasiṣṭha and Agastya in this jar-birth motif)

Tags

• Rishi origins
• Genealogy
• Dharma
• Mitra-Varuṇa
• Puranic birth narratives

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it focuses on a lineage/origin motif—how two great sages are born through Mitra and Varuṇa’s deposited vīrya in a water-jar.

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

It frames action through the lens of “dharma eṣaḥ”—appropriate conduct for one’s situation—showing that even extraordinary births and lineages are narrated as arising from duty-bound action, a recurring ethical lens in the Matsya Purāṇa.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu/temple rule is stated; the only ritual-material element is the jala-kumbha (water-jar), a common Purāṇic symbol of containment and generation used in rites and origin narratives.