Shloka 11

Matsya Purana — Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas

Devanagari script

तदर्थो ऽत्र चतुर्लक्षं संक्षेपेण निवशितः पुराणानि दशाष्टौ च साम्प्रतं तदिहोच्यते //

Transliteration

tadartho 'tra caturlakṣaṃ saṃkṣepeṇa nivaśitaḥ purāṇāni daśāṣṭau ca sāmprataṃ tadihocyate //

Translation

Here, the purport of the Purāṇic teaching has been set forth in brief to the measure of four hundred thousand verses. Now, accordingly, the eighteen Purāṇas are stated here.

Word by Word

• tad-arthaḥ: its meaning/purport

• atra: here (in this context/text)

• catuḥ-lakṣam: four lakhs (400,000)

• saṃkṣepeṇa: in brief, concisely

• nivaśitaḥ (nivēśitaḥ): placed, set forth, established

• purāṇāni: the Purāṇas

• daśāṣṭau: ten and eight, i.e., eighteen

• ca: and

• sāmpratam: now, at present

• tad: that

• iha: here

• ucyate: is said/declared

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) presenting the Matsya Purāṇa’s doctrinal summary

Entities Mentioned

• Purāṇas (the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas)

Tags

• Purana-Classification
• Scriptural-Overview
• Chaturlaksha-Verses
• Mahapuranas-18
• MatsyaPurana-Structure

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it frames the Purāṇas as a concise, systematized body of teaching (traditionally counted as four lakhs of verses), within which pralaya narratives are included elsewhere.

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

Indirectly: by identifying the Purāṇas as an organized corpus, it points the reader to the wider Purāṇic guidance on rājadharma and gṛhastha-dharma found in other chapters and Purāṇas.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No specific vāstu or ritual rule is stated in this verse; it functions as a structural marker introducing the authoritative list/teaching of the eighteen Purāṇas, among which vāstu and temple-ritual topics are treated in detail elsewhere.