Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — Cosmic Creation: Emergence of the Great Elements and the Navel-Lotus

Devanagari script

ततस्तस्मिन्महातोये महीशो हरिरच्युतः जले क्रीडंश्च विधिवन् मोदते सर्वलोककृत् //

Transliteration

tatastasminmahātoye mahīśo hariracyutaḥ jale krīḍaṃśca vidhivan modate sarvalokakṛt //

Translation

Then, in that vast expanse of water, the Imperishable Hari—sovereign Lord—sporting in the waters in due order, rejoiced, He who is the creator of all the worlds.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• tasmin: in that

• mahā-toye: great waters/vast flood

• mahīśaḥ: lord of the earth/sovereign

• hariḥ: Hari (Vishnu)

• acyutaḥ: the infallible/imperishable one

• jale: in the water

• krīḍan: sporting/playing

• ca: and

• vidhivan: according to rule, in proper manner/due order

• modate: rejoices, delights

• sarva-loka-kṛt: maker/creator of all worlds

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing Hari/Vishnu in the pralaya waters (within the Matsya–Manu deluge framework)

Entities Mentioned

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Acyuta

Tags

• Pralaya
• Deluge
• Vishnu
• Cosmic waters
• Matsya narrative context

FAQs

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

It portrays pralaya as a state where only the “great waters” remain, yet Vishnu (Hari/Acyuta), the creator of worlds, remains present and sovereign—suggesting continuity of divine order even in dissolution.

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

By emphasizing “vidhivan” (acting in due order), it implicitly upholds the Purāṇic ethic that even power and freedom must align with dharma—an ideal mirrored in a king’s disciplined rule and a householder’s regulated conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual instruction appears, but “vidhivan” signals the Matsya Purana’s broader insistence on correct procedure (vidhi), a principle that also governs temple-ritual performance and sacred building rules elsewhere in the text.