Shloka 44

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Śākadvīpa and Successive Dvīpas: Mountains

Devanagari script

कालो नैव च तेष्वस्ति न दण्डो न च दाण्डिकः स्वधर्मेण च धर्मज्ञास् ते रक्षन्ति परस्परम् //

Transliteration

kālo naiva ca teṣvasti na daṇḍo na ca dāṇḍikaḥ svadharmeṇa ca dharmajñās te rakṣanti parasparam //

Translation

For them there is no oppressive sense of kāla (Time), no punishment, and not even a punisher; knowing dharma, they protect one another through their own svadharma, their rightful duties.

Word by Word

• kālaḥ: Time (as fate/decay)

• na eva: not at all

• ca: and

• teṣu: among them

• asti: exists

• na: not

• daṇḍaḥ: punishment/royal chastisement

• na ca: nor

• dāṇḍikaḥ: the wielder of punishment (punisher/king’s officer)

• sva-dharmeṇa: by one’s own prescribed duty

• ca: and

• dharma-jñāḥ: knowers of dharma

• te: they

• rakṣanti: protect

• parasparam: one another/mutually

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• SatyaYuga
• Dharma
• SocialOrder
• MutualProtection

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it portrays a perfected dharmic condition where the fear of Time (kāla) and the need for punitive control (daṇḍa) are absent.

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

It explains the ideal end of governance: when people follow svadharma, the king’s coercive danda and enforcement officers become unnecessary; householders and all classes protect society through ethical self-restraint.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu/temple or ritual procedure is stated; the takeaway is ethical—social harmony arises from dharma-knowledge rather than external enforcement.