Shloka 34

Matsya Purana — Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas

Devanagari script

रथंतरस्य कल्पस्य वृत्तान्तमधिकृत्य च सावर्णिना नारदाय कृष्णमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् //

Transliteration

rathaṃtarasya kalpasya vṛttāntamadhikṛtya ca sāvarṇinā nāradāya kṛṣṇamāhātmyamuttamam //

Translation

And, taking up the account of the Rathaṃtara Kalpa, Sāvarṇi narrated to Nārada the unsurpassed greatness (māhātmya) of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Word by Word

रथंतरस्य (rathaṃtarasya)of Rathaṃtara

कल्पस्य (kalpasya)of the Kalpa/aeon

वृत्तान्तम् (vṛttāntam)account, narrative, chronicle

अधिकृत्य (adhikṛtya)taking as the subject, having undertaken

च (ca)and

सावर्णिना (sāvarṇinā)by Sāvarṇi (Manu/Sage named Sāvarṇi)

नारदाय (nāradāya)to Nārada

कृष्णमाहात्म्यम् (kṛṣṇa-māhātmyam)the greatness/glory of Krishna

उत्तमम् (uttamam)supreme, excellent, unsurpassed

Speaker

Narrator voice of the Matsya Purana (reporting Sāvarṇi’s discourse to Nārada)

Entities Mentioned

Rathaṃtara KalpaSāvarṇiNāradaKrishna

FAQs

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

It situates the teaching within a specific Kalpa (Rathaṃtara), implying a cosmological framework of recurring aeons where creation and dissolution are discussed as part of Kalpa-accounts, though this verse itself primarily introduces the narrative focus.

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

Indirectly: by elevating Krishna’s māhātmya within a Kalpa narrative, it frames dharma as grounded in devotion and cosmic order; such Purāṇic glorifications commonly function as ethical-theological orientation for rulers and householders, even if no direct duty is stated here.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or temple-rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is that hearing/reciting Krishna’s māhātmya is treated as a meritorious Purāṇic act, often linked to śravaṇa (listening) and kīrtana (praise) practices.