Shloka 32

Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces

Devanagari script

सरस्वत्य् अथ गायत्री ब्रह्माणी च परन्तप ततः स्वदेहसंभूताम् आत्मजाम् इत्य् अकल्पयत् //

Transliteration

sarasvaty atha gāyatrī brahmāṇī ca parantapa tataḥ svadehasaṃbhūtām ātmajām ity akalpayat //

Translation

Then he brought forth Sarasvatī, and also Gāyatrī and Brahmāṇī; O scorcher of foes. Thereafter he ordained her as his own daughter, born from his very body.

Word by Word

• सरस्वती (sarasvatī): Sarasvatī, goddess of speech/learning

• अथ (atha): then

• गायत्री (gāyatrī): Gāyatrī, Vedic metre/mantra-deity

• ब्रह्माणी (brahmāṇī): Brahmāṇī, the feminine power of Brahmā

• च (ca): and

• परन्तप (parantapa): O scorcher of enemies (address to the listener, likely Manu)

• ततः (tataḥ): thereafter

• स्व-देह-सम्भूताम् (svadeha-saṃbhūtām): born from one’s own body

• आत्मजाम् (ātmajām): daughter/offspring

• इति (iti): thus

• अकल्पयत् (akalpayat): he arranged/ordained/appointed (as).

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) conveying the cosmogonic account to the listening sages; framed within Matsya Purana’s dialogue tradition

Entities Mentioned

• Sarasvatī
• Gāyatrī
• Brahmāṇī
• Brahmā (implied as the one who ordains/creates)

Tags

• Creation
• Cosmogony
• Shakti
• Vedic Mantra
• Puranic Genealogy

FAQs

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

It belongs to creation (sarga), describing Brahmā’s manifestation/appointment of divine feminine principles—Sarasvatī (speech/knowledge), Gāyatrī (Vedic metre/mantra), and Brahmāṇī (Brahmā’s shakti)—rather than dissolution (pralaya).

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

By grounding dharma in speech, learning, and Vedic recitation: Sarasvatī and Gāyatrī signify disciplined knowledge and mantra-practice, which support a king’s righteous governance and a householder’s daily rites (svādhyāya, japa, and truthful speech).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights Gāyatrī as the core Vedic metre/mantra-deity central to japa and sandhyā practices; architecturally (vāstu), there is no direct building rule here, but it underpins temple/ritual culture by sanctifying mantra and sacred speech as foundations of worship.