Shloka 18

Matsya Purana — Code of Conduct and Vow-Procedure for Courtesans

Devanagari script

आदिष्टो ऽसि पुरा ब्रह्मन् केशवेन च धीमता कस्मादीशेन संयोगं प्राप्य वेश्यात्वमागताः //

Transliteration

ādiṣṭo 'si purā brahman keśavena ca dhīmatā kasmādīśena saṃyogaṃ prāpya veśyātvamāgatāḥ //

Translation

O Brahmin, you were formerly instructed by the wise Keśava. For what reason, after coming into union with the Lord (Īśa), did you (or they) come to the state of a courtesan?

Word by Word

• ādiṣṭaḥ: instructed/commanded

• asi: you are

• purā: formerly/long ago

• brahman: O Brahmin

• keśavena: by Keśava (Viṣṇu)

• ca: and

• dhīmatā: by the wise one

• kasmāt: from what cause/why

• īśena: with the Lord (Īśa)

• saṃyogam: union/association/connection

• prāpya: having obtained/after attaining

• veśyātvam: the condition of being a veśyā (courtesan/prostitute)

• āgatāḥ: came/attained (contextually ‘came to’).

Speaker

• Unspecified interlocutor (a questioner addressing a Brahmin within the narrative frame; likely within the Matsya–Manu style dialogue but not explicitly marked in this single verse)

Entities Mentioned

• Keśava
• Īśa

Tags

• Narrative
• Karma
• Curse-and-boon
• Ethics
• Purāṇic dialogue

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya or cosmology; it is a narrative-ethical inquiry focused on causation (kasmāt) behind a fall into veśyātvam despite prior instruction by Keśava.

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

Indirectly, it highlights Purāṇic moral logic: status and social condition are explained through prior causes (instruction, association, and consequences). For rulers/householders, it reinforces vigilance in conduct and associations, since outcomes are portrayed as karmically intelligible and ethically charged.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, iconographic, or ritual procedure is mentioned in this verse; it belongs to a narrative exchange about cause, association (saṃyoga), and social condition (veśyātvam).