Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — Cosmic Architecture of Sun–Moon and the ‘Houses of the Gods’

Devanagari script

उदयास्तमये ह्यत्र अहोरात्रं विशत्य् अपः यश्चासौ तपते सूर्यः सो ऽपः पिबति रश्मिभिः //

Transliteration

udayāstamaye hyatra ahorātraṃ viśaty apaḥ yaścāsau tapate sūryaḥ so 'paḥ pibati raśmibhiḥ //

Translation

Here, at sunrise and at sunset, day and night enter into the waters; and that very Sun who blazes with heat drinks up the waters by means of his rays.

Word by Word

• udayāstamaye: at sunrise and sunset

• hi: indeed

• atra: here/in this world-order

• ahorātram: day and night

• viśati: enters/penetrates

• apaḥ: the waters

• yaḥ ca: and he who

• asau: that (well-known one)

• tapate: heats/blazes

• sūryaḥ: the Sun

• saḥ: he

• apaḥ: the waters

• pibati: drinks/absorbs

• raśmibhiḥ: with (his) rays

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Surya (Sun)
• Apah (Waters)
• Ahoratra (Day and Night)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Hydrology
• Surya
• Pralaya
• Natural Cycles

FAQs

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

It frames water as a cosmic principle regulated by the Sun’s rays—an idea used in Purāṇic cosmology to explain how waters are gathered and released in cycles that can culminate, on a vast scale, in pralaya-like inundation.

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

By emphasizing predictable natural cycles (sunrise–sunset, absorption of waters), it supports dhārmic governance and household discipline: plan agriculture, rituals, and resource use in harmony with seasonal and daily rhythms rather than against them.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights sunrise and sunset as key sandhyā times and supports water-related rites (snāna, ācamana). Architecturally, it indirectly reinforces orientation and solar considerations—placing sacred spaces and daily worship with awareness of the Sun’s path.