Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

शुक्लमग्निसमं दिव्यं सहस्रांशोर्विवस्वतः सहस्रांशुत्विषः स्थानम् अम्मयं तैजसं तथा //

Transliteration

śuklamagnisamaṃ divyaṃ sahasrāṃśorvivasvataḥ sahasrāṃśutviṣaḥ sthānam ammayaṃ taijasaṃ tathā //

Translation

Radiant white, divine, and comparable to fire—this pertains to the Sun, Vivasvān, the thousand-rayed one. It is the station of that thousand-rayed splendor, formed of ambrosial essence (amṛta) and likewise of fiery brilliance (tejas).

Word by Word

• śuklam: white, bright

• agni-samam: equal to fire, fire-like

• divyam: divine, celestial

• sahasrāṃśoḥ: of the thousand-rayed (Sun)

• vivasvataḥ: of Vivasvān (the Sun)

• sahasrāṃśu-tviṣaḥ: of the thousand-rayed radiance/splendor

• sthānam: place, station, seat, abode

• ammayam (amṛta-mayam): made of ambrosia/nectar-like essence

• taijasam: made of tejas, fiery brilliance

• tathā: and also, likewise

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (instructing Vaivasvata Manu in a descriptive/technical passage)

Entities Mentioned

• Vivasvan (Surya)
• Sahasramsu (the thousand-rayed Sun)

Tags

• Iconography
• Tejas
• Ritual
• Sacred radiance
• Vastuvidya

FAQs

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

It does not directly describe Pralaya; instead it characterizes a divine, sun-like radiance and its ‘seat/abode,’ a motif often used to define sacred presence and cosmic brilliance rather than dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it supports dharmic worship and patronage: kings and householders are encouraged in the Purāṇic frame to sponsor correct ritual and iconographic representations—here emphasizing purity (white), tejas (fiery brilliance), and solar sanctity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse functions like an iconographic/ritual descriptor: the deity’s or sacred locus is to be conceived as intensely luminous—white, fire-like, solar—guiding how a sanctum’s divine ‘seat’ (sthāna) or visual aura may be ritually contemplated or artistically expressed.