Shloka 20

Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces

Devanagari script

शब्दः स्पर्शश् च रूपं च रसो गन्धश् च पञ्चमः उत्सर्गानन्दनादानगत्यालापाश् च तत्क्रियाः //

Transliteration

śabdaḥ sparśaś ca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhaś ca pañcamaḥ utsargānandanādānagatyālāpāś ca tatkriyāḥ //

Translation

Sound, touch, form, taste, and—fifth—smell: these are the five sensory qualities; and their corresponding functions are excretion, delight (pleasure), utterance (voicing), movement, and speech.

Word by Word

• śabdaḥ: sound

• sparśaḥ: touch

• rūpam: form/colour/appearance

• rasaḥ: taste/essence

• gandhaḥ: smell/fragrance

• pañcamaḥ: the fifth

• utsarga: discharge/excretion

• ānanda: pleasure/delight

• nāda: sound/voicing

• gati: movement/going

• ālāpaḥ: speech/conversation

• tat-kriyāḥ: their functions/operations

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu

Tags

• Creation
• Cosmology
• Tanmātras
• Indriyas
• Sāṃkhya

FAQs

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

It outlines a creation-stage analysis of the five sensory qualities (sound to smell) and their functions—part of the cosmological framework that explains how embodied experience emerges (and is later withdrawn) in cycles like pralaya.

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

By mapping sense-qualities and their functions, the verse supports ethical discipline: a king/householder should govern the senses (speech, movement, pleasure-seeking, etc.) rather than be governed by them—an implicit foundation for dharma and self-control taught in Purāṇic instruction.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

While not giving a direct building rule, it provides the elemental-sensory schema often used in ritual symbolism and temple/mandala thinking—design and worship frequently align space, materials, and rites with sensory qualities (sound in mantra, form in icon, fragrance in incense).