Shloka 28

Matsya Purana — Brahmā–Gāyatrī as a Divine Pair and the Early Genealogies of Creation

Devanagari script

वामदेवस्तु भगवान् असृजन्मुखतो द्विजान् राजन्यान् असृजद्बाह्वोर् विट्छूद्रान् ऊरुपादयोः //

Transliteration

vāmadevastu bhagavān asṛjanmukhato dvijān rājanyān asṛjadbāhvor viṭchūdrān ūrupādayoḥ //

Translation

The Blessed Lord Vāmadeva created the twice-born from his mouth; he created the royal class from his arms, and the vaiśyas and śūdras from his thighs and feet.

Word by Word

• vāmadevaḥ: Vāmadeva (a name/aspect of the Lord/Brahmā as creator)

• tu: indeed

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord

• asṛjat: created

• mukhataḥ: from the mouth

• dvijān: the twice-born (brāhmaṇas, and by extension the initiated classes)

• rājanyān: kṣatriyas/royal class

• bāhvoḥ: from the two arms

• viṭ: vaiśya

• śūdrān: śūdras

• ūru-pādayoḥ: from the thighs and the feet

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) relaying the Purāṇic account of creation

Entities Mentioned

• Vāmadeva
• Bhagavān
• Dvija
• Rājanya (Kṣatriya)
• Vaiśya (Viṭ)
• Śūdra

Tags

• Creation
• Varna
• Social order
• Cosmic body
• Dharma

FAQs

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

It describes creation (sarga), presenting society as emerging from the divine/cosmic body; it is not a pralaya verse but a cosmological charter for order after creation.

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

By locating the rājanya (kṣatriya) in the Lord’s arms, it frames kingship as the ‘arm’ of society—meant for protection, strength, and enforcement of dharma rather than personal power.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct vastu or temple rule is stated, but the ‘cosmic body’ mapping is a key Purāṇic idea later echoed in ritual and vastu symbolism (treating the built space as a body with ordered parts).