Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces

Devanagari script

मनः सृष्टिं विकुरुते चोद्यमानं सिसृक्षया आकाशं शब्दतन्मात्राद् अभूच् छब्दगुणात्मकम् //

Transliteration

manaḥ sṛṣṭiṃ vikurute codyamānaṃ sisṛkṣayā ākāśaṃ śabdatanmātrād abhūc chabdaguṇātmakam //

Translation

Urged by the will to create, the mind sets creation in motion; from the subtle essence of sound (śabda-tanmātra) arose ākāśa (ether), whose defining quality is sound.

Word by Word

• मनः (manaḥ): mind

• सृष्टिम् (sṛṣṭim): creation

• विकुरुते (vikurute): transforms/sets in motion

• चोद्यमानम् (codyamānam): being impelled/urged

• सिसृक्षया (sisṛkṣayā): by the desire to create

• आकाशम् (ākāśam): ether/space

• शब्द-तन्मात्रात् (śabda-tanmātrāt): from the subtle element/essence of sound

• अभूत् (abhūt): arose/came into being

• शब्द-गुण-आत्मकम् (śabda-guṇātmakam): having sound as its characteristic quality

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Manas (Mind)
• Ākāśa (Ether/Space)
• Śabda-tanmātra (Subtle principle of Sound)

Tags

• Creation
• Tanmātras
• Mahābhūtas
• Sāṃkhya
• Cosmology

FAQs

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

It describes the forward creation sequence (sarga): when creation begins, mind-driven intention leads to the manifestation of ether from the sound-tanmātra, establishing sound as ether’s defining property.

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

Indirectly, it grounds dharma in cosmic order: as creation proceeds by orderly principles (cause → subtle essence → gross element), a king or householder is likewise expected to act with disciplined intention and structured governance/household management rather than impulse.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ākāśa (space) and śabda (sound) underpin ritual acoustics—mantra and recitation—and, by extension, temple planning that preserves resonant spaces; the verse supplies the cosmological basis for why sound is central in worship and sacred architecture.