Shloka 31
Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces
स्त्रीरूपम् अर्धम् अकरोद् अर्धं पुरुषरूपवत् शतरूपा च सा ख्याता सावित्री च निगद्यते //
strīrūpam ardham akarod ardhaṃ puruṣarūpavat śatarūpā ca sā khyātā sāvitrī ca nigadyate //
He fashioned one half as a woman’s form and the other half as a man’s form. She became renowned as Śatarūpā, and she is also spoken of as Sāvitrī.
FAQs
This verse concerns creation (sarga), describing a deliberate differentiation into male and female forms; it does not describe pralaya, but establishes the generative principle that enables lineage and population after creation.
By grounding human society in the complementary male–female origin, the verse supports Purāṇic social ethics: household life (gṛhastha-dharma), marriage, and progeny are treated as sacred continuations of cosmic order, which kings are expected to protect through righteous governance.
No direct Vāstu or temple-building rule appears here; the primary ritual takeaway is the epithet “Sāvitrī,” which evokes Savitṛ/Gāyatrī associations and the broader Purāṇic emphasis on sacred names used in rites and recitation.