Shloka 6

Matsya Purana — Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas

Devanagari script

मीमांसां धर्मशास्त्रं च परिगृह्य मया कृतम् मत्स्यरूपेण च पुनः कल्पादावुदकार्णवे //

Transliteration

mīmāṃsāṃ dharmaśāstraṃ ca parigṛhya mayā kṛtam matsyarūpeṇa ca punaḥ kalpādāvudakārṇave //

Translation

Having taken up and safeguarded the Mīmāṃsā and the Dharmaśāstra that were established by me, I again—assuming the form of Matsya—preserved them in the primeval ocean at the beginning of the kalpa.

Word by Word

• mīmāṃsām: the Mīmāṃsā (Vedic hermeneutics/ritual exegesis)

• dharmaśāstram: the treatise on dharma (law, duty, righteous conduct)

• ca: and

• parigṛhya: having taken up, gathered, secured

• mayā: by me

• kṛtam: made/composed/established

• matsyarūpeṇa: in the form of the Fish (Matsya)

• ca: and

• punaḥ: again

• kalpa-ādau: at the beginning of the kalpa (cosmic cycle)

• udaka-ārṇave: in the ocean, the watery expanse (primeval flood-waters)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Vishnu
• Dharmaśāstra
• Mīmāṃsā
• Kalpa
• Udakārṇava

Tags

• Pralaya
• Matsya Avatara
• Dharma
• Scriptural Preservation
• Kalpa

FAQs

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

It implies that at the kalpa’s turning point—amid the primeval flood-waters—sacred systems of dharma and Vedic interpretation are preserved by the divine (as Matsya) so they can re-emerge in the next cycle.

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

By foregrounding Dharmaśāstra and Mīmāṃsā, it points rulers and householders to stable sources of right conduct: law/duty (dharma) and correct understanding of Vedic injunctions—standards meant to endure even when the world undergoes dissolution.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is primary: Mīmāṃsā denotes the discipline of interpreting and applying Vedic rites correctly, indicating that proper ritual order is safeguarded across pralaya; no direct Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated in this verse.