Shloka 33

Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा तां व्यथितस् तावत् कामबाणार्दितो विभुः अहो रूपम् अहो रूपम् इति चाह प्रजापतिः //

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā tāṃ vyathitas tāvat kāmabāṇārdito vibhuḥ aho rūpam aho rūpam iti cāha prajāpatiḥ //

Translation

Seeing her, the mighty lord at once became agitated, struck by the arrows of Kāma; and Prajāpati exclaimed, “Ah, what beauty! Ah, what beauty!”

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā): having seen

• ताम् (tām): her

• व्यथितः (vyathitaḥ): distressed, agitated

• तावत् (tāvat): then, at once

• काम-बाण-अर्दितः (kāma-bāṇa-arditaḥ): wounded/afflicted by the arrows of Kāma (Desire)

• विभुः (vibhuḥ): the mighty one, the lord

• अहो (aho): ah!, indeed!

• रूपम् (rūpam): beauty, form

• इति (iti): thus

• च (ca): and

• आह (āha): said

• प्रजापतिः (prajāpatiḥ): Prajāpati (the Lord of creatures, progenitor).

Speaker

• Narrator (Purāṇic narration; the verse reports Prajāpati’s exclamation)

Entities Mentioned

• Prajāpati
• Kāma

Tags

• Creation
• Prajāpati
• Kāma
• Desire
• Progeny

FAQs

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

It reflects a creation-phase motif: desire (Kāma) agitates Prajāpati, prompting attraction that, in Purāṇic cosmology, is linked to the impulse toward generation and the expansion of beings rather than dissolution.

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

By showing even a progenitor-lord stirred by desire, the verse implicitly highlights the ethical need for restraint and right conduct—householders and rulers are expected to govern kāma through dharma so attraction does not become disorder.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated directly; the focus is psychological and cosmological (kāma as a force in creation), not temple-building or rite-instructions.