Shloka 28

Matsya Purana — Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas

Devanagari script

यत् तद् ईशानकं कल्पं वृत्तान्तमधिकृत्य च वसिष्ठायाग्निना प्रोक्तम् आग्नेयं तत्प्रचक्षते //

Transliteration

yat tad īśānakaṃ kalpaṃ vṛttāntamadhikṛtya ca vasiṣṭhāyāgninā proktam āgneyaṃ tatpracakṣate //

Translation

That account which concerns the Īśānaka Kalpa—spoken by Agni to Vasiṣṭha—is therefore declared to be the Agneya tradition, that which is related to Agni.

Word by Word

• yat tat: that which

• īśānakam: pertaining to Īśāna (Śiva) / named Īśānaka

• kalpam: the Kalpa (cosmic aeon / ritual-cosmic cycle)

• vṛttāntam: narrative, account, chronicle

• adhikṛtya: having taken as the subject, concerning

• ca: and

• vasiṣṭhāya: to Vasiṣṭha

• agninā: by Agni

• proktam: spoken, proclaimed

• āgneyam: Agneya, belonging to Agni / called Agneya

• tat: that

• pracakṣate: they declare, they call.

Speaker

• Puranic narrator (contextual attribution within Matsya Purana’s discourse; framed as a tradition traced to Agni instructing Vasiṣṭha)

Entities Mentioned

• Agni
• Vasiṣṭha
• Īśāna (by implication via Īśānaka)

Tags

• Kalpa
• Agneya
• Purana-classification
• Transmission
• Itihasa-vrttanta

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it situates the narrative within a specific Kalpa framework (Īśānaka Kalpa), implying a structured cosmic cycle in which creation/dissolution accounts are organized and transmitted.

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

It does not prescribe duties directly; rather, it establishes textual authority and lineage of teaching (Agni → Vasiṣṭha), a common Purāṇic method used to validate later dharma instructions for kings and householders.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No specific Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; the key ritual-literary significance is the naming of the tradition as “Agneya,” grounding the account in Agni’s authoritative transmission.