Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

तस्य चिन्तयमानस्य निर्वाते संस्थिते ऽर्णवे निराकाशे तोयमये सूक्ष्मे जगति गह्वरे //

Transliteration

tasya cintayamānasya nirvāte saṃsthite 'rṇave nirākāśe toyamaye sūkṣme jagati gahvare //

Translation

As he was contemplating, the ocean lay windless and still; in that water-made, subtle, cavern-like state of the world—where even space seemed absent—everything remained contained in a withdrawn condition.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him

• चिन्तयमानस्य: while contemplating/pondering

• निर्वाते: in the absence of wind, windless

• संस्थिते: being settled, stationary, at rest

• अर्णवे: in the ocean

• निराकाशे: without (manifest) space, as though space were absent

• तोयमये: consisting of water, water-formed

• सूक्ष्मे: subtle, unmanifest, minute

• जगति: in the world/cosmos

• गह्वरे: in a hollow/cavern-like depth, in an enclosed recess

Speaker

• Sūta (narrative voice describing the pralaya-state within the Matsya Purana’s Manu–Matsya frame)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmic Ocean
• Unmanifest
• Meditation
• Deluge Prelude

FAQs

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

It depicts pralaya as a windless, motionless cosmic ocean where the world becomes subtle and withdrawn—so undifferentiated that “space” itself is described as absent or unmanifest.

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

Indirectly, it frames an ideal of inner steadiness: just as the ocean is “windless and settled,” a king or householder is urged in the Purana to cultivate composed reflection (cintā) before acting, especially in times of crisis or transition.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the verse instead supplies the cosmological baseline (dissolution into a water-like subtle state) that later Purāṇic ritual and temple symbolism often mirror—returning to stillness before re-manifestation.