Shloka 76

Matsya Purana — Characteristics of Dvāpara and Kali Yugas

Devanagari script

भक्ष्यांश्चैवाप्यभक्ष्यांश्च सर्वांस्तान्भक्षयन्ति ताः समुद्रं संश्रिता यास्तु नदीश्चैव प्रजास्तु ताः //

Transliteration

bhakṣyāṃścaivāpyabhakṣyāṃśca sarvāṃstānbhakṣayanti tāḥ samudraṃ saṃśritā yāstu nadīścaiva prajāstu tāḥ //

Translation

Those waters consume everything—both what is fit to be eaten and what is unfit. And those beings that have taken refuge in the ocean are called “rivers”; indeed, they are the “offspring” (progeny) of the sea.

Word by Word

• bhakṣyān: edible things

• ca eva api: and also

• abhakṣyān: inedible/forbidden things

• sarvān tān: all of them

• bhakṣayanti: they devour/consume

• tāḥ: those (feminine—here, the waters/rivers)

• samudram: the ocean/sea

• saṃśritāḥ: having resorted to/taken refuge in

• yāḥ tu: which indeed

• nadīḥ: rivers

• ca eva: and indeed

• prajāḥ: progeny/offspring/creatures

• tu: verily

• tāḥ: those

Speaker

• Likely Lord Matsya (teaching discourse to Vaivasvata Manu, in the Purana’s explanatory narration on cosmic/elemental processes)

Entities Mentioned

• Samudra (Ocean)
• Nadi (Rivers)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmology
• Waters
• Rivers
• Ocean

FAQs

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

It uses the imagery of waters that ‘devour’ all distinctions (edible/inedible), suggesting a pralaya-like leveling where ordinary categories are overwhelmed and everything is absorbed into the vast oceanic principle.

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

Indirectly, it teaches impermanence and the futility of rigid attachments to material classifications—supporting the Purana’s broader ethic that rulers and householders should act with restraint, purity, and detachment, knowing all is ultimately subject to dissolution.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual procedure is stated; the takeaway is symbolic—water as an all-consuming, purifying, and boundary-dissolving element, a theme often reflected in ritual bath (snāna) and consecration symbolism.