Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas

Devanagari script

एतदेव यदा पद्मम् अभूद्धैरण्मयं जगत् तद्वृत्तान्ताश्रयं तद्वत् पाद्ममित्युच्यते बुधैः पाद्मं तत्पञ्चपञ्चाशत्सहस्राणीह कथ्यते //

Transliteration

etadeva yadā padmam abhūddhairaṇmayaṃ jagat tadvṛttāntāśrayaṃ tadvat pādmamityucyate budhaiḥ pādmaṃ tatpañcapañcāśatsahasrāṇīha kathyate //

Translation

When this very world became a golden lotus, the narrative grounded in (and concerning) that event is therefore called the Padma (Purāṇa) by the wise. Here it is said that the Padma (Purāṇa) consists of fifty-five thousand verses.

Word by Word

• etat: this

• eva: indeed/precisely

• yadā: when

• padmam: (as) a lotus

• abhūt: became/came to be

• hairaṇmayam: golden

• jagat: the world/universe

• tad-vṛttānta: that account/narrative

• āśrayam: resting on/based upon

• tadvat: accordingly/therefore

• pādmam: Padma (named ‘Padma’)

• iti: thus

• ucyate: is called

• budhaiḥ: by the wise/learned

• pādmam: the Padma (Purāṇa)

• tat: that

• pañca-pañcāśat-sahasrāṇi: fifty-five thousand

• iha: here/in this context

• kathyate: is stated/is said.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Padma (Purāṇa)
• Buddhaḥ (the wise/learned)

Tags

• PuranaClassification
• TextualEnumeration
• Cosmogony
• LotusSymbolism
• ScripturalMetrics

FAQs

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

It alludes to a cosmogonic image— the world appearing as a ‘golden lotus’—as a defining event/theme, using it to explain the title ‘Padma’; it does not directly describe Pralaya here, but signals creation-symbolism through the lotus motif.

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

Indirectly: it models the Purāṇic method of preserving authoritative accounts (vṛttānta) and their proper enumeration, supporting the king/householder’s dharmic life through reliable sacred history rather than prescribing a specific duty in this line.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the main significance is textual—name-derivation and verse-count—though the lotus symbol later informs temple iconography and sacred layout motifs in broader Purāṇic tradition.