Shloka 22

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

Devanagari script

शुक्लास्ता नामतः सर्वास् त्रिंशतो घर्मसर्जनाः संबिभ्रति हि ताः सर्वा मनुष्यान्देवताः पितॄन् //

Transliteration

śuklāstā nāmataḥ sarvās triṃśato gharmasarjanāḥ saṃbibhrati hi tāḥ sarvā manuṣyāndevatāḥ pitṝn //

Translation

All those rays, known by name as the “Śuklā” group—thirty in number and emitters of heat—indeed sustain them all: human beings, the gods, and the pitṛs, the ancestral Manes.

Word by Word

śuklāḥthe Śuklā (bright/white) group (of rays)

tāḥthose (rays)

nāmataḥby name, as designated

sarvāḥall

triṃśataḥthirty (in number)

gharmasarjanāḥemitters/dispatchers of heat (solar heat-producing rays)

saṃbibhratisupport, uphold, sustain

hiindeed

tāḥ sarvāḥall those

manuṣyānhuman beings

devatāḥthe gods/deities

pitṝnthe pitṛs (ancestors, Manes).

Speaker

Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

Śuklā (group of rays)DevatāḥPitṛsManuṣyāḥ

FAQs

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

It emphasizes maintenance rather than dissolution: the heat-emitting solar powers (rays) are described as sustaining humans, gods, and ancestors—i.e., the ongoing support of cosmic order that would cease or withdraw during Pralaya.

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

By linking devas and pitṛs with human life, it supports the householder-kingly duty of sustaining ṛta/dharma through yajña and śrāddha—acts that honor devas and ancestors and keep society aligned with the sustaining cosmic forces.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it frames solar heat as a sustaining principle relevant to calendrical observances and offerings to devas and pitṛs; in Vastu-oriented readings, it underlines why solar direction, light, and heat are treated as foundational considerations in sacred planning and ritual timing.