Shloka 51

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

Devanagari script

सोमांशस्य च तस्यापि दक्षस्याशीतिकोटयः वक्ष्ये तासां तु विस्तारं लोके यः सुप्रतिष्ठितः //

Transliteration

somāṃśasya ca tasyāpi dakṣasyāśītikoṭayaḥ vakṣye tāsāṃ tu vistāraṃ loke yaḥ supratiṣṭhitaḥ //

Translation

And of that very Dakṣa—who is also a portion of Soma—there are eighty koṭis (vast multitudes) of progeny. I shall describe in detail their expansion, which is firmly established and renowned in the world.

Word by Word

• somāṃśasya: of (one who is) a portion of Soma/the Moon

• ca: and

• tasya api: of him also/indeed of that very one

• dakṣasya: of Dakṣa

• aśīti-koṭayaḥ: eighty crores (a very large number)

• vakṣye: I shall narrate/I will explain

• tāsām: of those (progeny/lineages)

• tu: indeed

• vistāram: the detailed extent/expansion

• loke: in the world

• yaḥ: which/that (account)

• supratiṣṭhitaḥ: well-established, widely accepted/renowned.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic genealogy (within the Matsya Purāṇa’s discourse tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Soma (Moon)
• Dakṣa

Tags

• Genealogy
• Somavaṃśa
• Dakṣa
• Prajāpatis
• Puranic cosmology

FAQs

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

It focuses on creation-era expansion: the immense progeny attributed to Dakṣa (linked here with Soma) and the intent to detail their proliferation, rather than describing dissolution (pralaya).

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

Indirectly, it supports Purāṇic social memory: kings and householders trace lineage, legitimacy, and ritual obligations (śrāddha, gotra remembrance) through such genealogies, which the text frames as ‘well established in the world’.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-rule detail appears in this verse; its ritual relevance is genealogical—providing lineage context often used for rites connected to ancestors and progenitors like Dakṣa.