Shloka 27

Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces

Devanagari script

प्रायो गन्धगुणा सा तु बुद्धिर् एषा गरीयसी एभिः संपादितं भुङ्क्ते पुरुषः पञ्चविंशकः //

Transliteration

prāyo gandhaguṇā sā tu buddhir eṣā garīyasī ebhiḥ saṃpāditaṃ bhuṅkte puruṣaḥ pañcaviṃśakaḥ //

Translation

This buddhi (intellect) is predominantly characterized by the quality of smell, and it is indeed the superior principle. The twenty-fifth tattva, the Puruṣa, experiences (enjoys) what is produced by these principles.

Word by Word

• prāyaḥ: predominantly, for the most part

• gandha-guṇā: having smell as its quality / characterized by smell

• sā: that (principle)

• tu: indeed, but

• buddhiḥ: intellect, discriminative faculty

• eṣā: this

• garīyasī: weightier, superior, more important

• ebhiḥ: by these, through these (tattvas/instruments)

• saṃpāditam: produced, accomplished, brought about

• bhuṅkte: experiences, enjoys, undergoes

• puruṣaḥ: the conscious Self, spirit

• pañcaviṃśakaḥ: the twenty-fifth (tattva).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Puruṣa
• Buddhi

Tags

• Creation
• Sankhya
• Tattvas
• Purusha
• Buddhi

FAQs

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

It frames creation philosophically: the Puruṣa (conscious principle) does not “create” materially but experiences the results produced by the evolving tattvas—an analysis often used to explain how manifestation proceeds (and can be reversed conceptually in pralaya) through principles rather than through the Self changing.

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

By distinguishing the experiencer (Puruṣa) from the instruments and products (tattvas), it supports ethical self-governance: a king or householder should cultivate buddhi (discernment) to regulate sensory life, understanding that pleasures and pains are experienced through conditioned principles rather than being the true nature of the Self.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the relevance is indirect: Vāstu and ritual sections often assume this tattva-framework, where sensory qualities (like gandha/smell linked to earth) and the experiencer (Puruṣa) are distinguished when prescribing purificatory acts and material arrangements.