Shloka 20
Matsya Purana — Cosmic Architecture of Sun–Moon and the ‘Houses of the Gods’
अमृता जीवनाः सर्वा रश्मयो वृष्टिसर्जनाः हिमोद्भवाश्च ते ऽन्योन्यं रश्मयस्त्रिंशतः स्मृताः चन्द्रताराग्रहैः सर्वैः पीता भानोर्गभस्तयः //
amṛtā jīvanāḥ sarvā raśmayo vṛṣṭisarjanāḥ himodbhavāśca te 'nyonyaṃ raśmayastriṃśataḥ smṛtāḥ candratārāgrahaiḥ sarvaiḥ pītā bhānorgabhastayaḥ //
All the rays are nectar-like and life-sustaining; they generate rainfall and are also the source of snow and frost. These rays are mutually interlinked and are remembered as thirty in number. The Sun’s beams (gabhastis), in turn, are drunk up by the Moon, the stars, and all the planets.
FAQs
It does not describe Pralaya directly; it explains ongoing cosmic regulation—how the Sun’s life-giving rays generate rain and cold, and how other celestial bodies absorb those rays, implying a maintained cosmic order rather than dissolution.
Indirectly, it frames rainfall and seasonal balance as outcomes of cosmic order; in the Matsya Purana’s ethical lens, kings and householders support dharma (sacrifice, charity, protection) so that prosperity—symbolized by timely rains—remains stable.
No direct Vastu or temple-rule instruction appears here; ritually, the verse supports Surya-centered understanding used in timing rites (seasonal observances) by linking solar rays to rain, cold, and celestial cycles.